LAKE VILLA, Ill. — Longtime Midwest stock car owner Fred Nielsen died April 26 at the age of 91. Beginning with modifieds in the 1960s, Nielsen provided winning stock cars for a host of driving talent including Johnnie Reimer, Dave Watson and Joe Shear.
Nielsen entered the modified stock car picture in the early 1960s with drivers like Milt Curcio and Jack Radtke. Reimer became the “wheelman” of Nielsen’s “A3” modified stock car, winning track championships and feature races on both pavement and dirt, including Remer’s first of six career championships at the Waukegan Speedway in 1963.
With either Reimer or Duane “Whitey” Harris wheeling his powerful modified, Nielsen fielded a winner.
Reimer would become Nielsen’s first late model driver in 1973 with Watson later taking over the ride. In 1976, Watson would capture ARTGO Racing championship honors in the Nielsen Camaro No. 73.
The following year (1977) would see Shear move into the Nielsen late model ride with the Nielsen/Shear Camaro No. 36 winning its fair share of races and championships through 1981.
Rolling forward into the 1980s, Nielsen would have the likes of Butch Lindley, Greg Sacks, Mike Eddy and Jr. Hanley behind the wheel of his immaculate late models with Shear returning to the driver’s seat in 1985. Shear and Nielsen would win the ARTGO late model series crown in 1986 and 1989. Over the years, Nielsen’s team was reported to have won more than 400 feature races.
Matt Kenseth, on his way to NASCAR racing fame, was Nielsen’s driver for several years, beginning in 1994. Nielsen became known at the races for wearing his “signature” black hat.
A real estate developer in and around his hometown of Lake Villa, Ill., Nielsen purchased the Capital Super Speedway near Madison, Wis., in 1980 with John and Sue McKarns managing the half-mile paved oval for a time.
“He was like a ‘second dad’ to me,” said veteran Midwest racing official Tom White. “Our families became good friends. I used to help Joe (Shear) on the cars at the garage in Lake Villa. I was always impressed with Fred’s professionalism towards racing. Cleanliness was important. You could almost eat off the garage floor. He really took racing very seriously.”
Fred Nielsen, in so many ways, was part of Midwest racing for decades.
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