Deaf man wins Sprint Car Racing at Lincoln Speedway

Renca: Hello! Do you mind quickly introducing yourself, and telling us where you’re from?

Brett: I’m Brett Wanner. I’m from Shoemakersville, Pennsylvania.

Renca: Were you born and raised in Pennsylvania?

Brett: Yes, born and raised.

Renca: East Pennsylvania. Looks like you love being a part of car races, like a sprint type of race…? What kind of races do you love doing?

Brett: 358 sprints. I love dirt track racing.

Renca: Going around on the track?

Brett: Yeah.

Renca: Congratulations on your recent win at the Lincoln Speedway! It seems it had a special theme, Fallen Firefighters , in honor of them. That was a special theme. Word has been going around about you winning first place for the sprint race! Can you explain your experience with that?

Brett: Really, I wasn’t expecting I would win that special event. The reason is because… Let me back up. During open season, I had gotten third place and felt confident this year that it would be a good season for me. After I got third place, a few weeks later a motor part broke.

Renca: In your car?

Brett: Yes, my car motor. A part broke and I found a way to fix it, and two weeks later the motor actually got even more damaged. I thought for sure the season was over for me. I had a lot more supporters that year, much more than previous years. I had many supporters because last year, I won two times so my support increased. Now, after the even worse damage to the motor, I searched for other parts because everything was behind because of COVID. That was the issue. I was frustrated, and I thought I was done for. I tried to figure it out, and bought another motor. I had to, because my supporters were key, so I had to keep going with the race. I still was learning with the new motor, because my old motor wasn’t the same. The feeling of driving wasn’t the same, it was different, so it was new to me. I tried to figure it out, but I happened to win the competition. I was shocked that it actually happened. I felt it shows that deaf people can do it. It shows that. Plus, there are different deaf individuals who achieve their skill areas, and I achieved that skill, making the deaf community show the world that we can do it. That’s important.

Renca: Right. You mentioned open season. When does it normally start and end?

Brett: It starts in March and lasts until October.

Renca: Ok. When you get in your car and put on your helmet and start racing, what’s your thought process? Do you feel stressed, or do you think about life, or… What’s your thinking while racing around the track?

Brett: I always get in, and think about where I should go, outside and inside… Plus, who starts, other drivers, and what’s their way? I think about that, and what I should do, but I think about the feeling of the car. I hope it’s good. Sometimes the setup isn’t a good fit, or it fits well. That’s one thing I’m concerned about sometimes, if it fits well then it’s easier. That’s something I think about.

Renca: Wow. So, you won first place recently. Do you have a trophy to show us?

Brett: Yes. I have a trophy.

Renca: Where?

Brett: I’ll show you.

Renca: That’s giant!

Renca: Nice! Does it have your name on it?

Brett: No, only 358 car race feature. That’s it.

Renca: Cool! Wow, I’m sure it’s one of your proudest accomplishments.

Brett: It’s the nicest award I’ve ever had.

Brett: Ok. I’ve been racing for a total of 17 years.

Renca: Wow!

Brett: I started at 14, at the MVOCC Micro Sprint Car and then jumped ahead to 4 cylinders ARDC midget racing. Greg Gunderson, who is deaf and a 30-year sprint car race driver who is now retired, has been supporting me with the ARDC midget racing.

At that time, I raced at ARDC and I was asked to drive for them. They owned a car and I imagined it would be 600 cc micro, but it actually was a 305 sprint car.

Wow. They actually wanted me to try it. I told them I had no experience but they believed in me. So at the 250 cc micro, I had two wins and at the ARDC, two wins. At the 358, I had my third win recently.

Renca: Wow!

Renca: Do you practice daily around the track, or do you wait until the day of the race?

Brett: No, we just wait until the day of the race. And I just drive. There’s no time to practice. On the scheduled date of the race, we arrive, take a heat lap, and if we’re feeling it, we can adjust the settings.

Renca: Interesting.

Brett: That’s how it works.

Renca: Do you have any last comments for the audience? Anything you want to add?

Brett: Since I’ve been racing and my wins, I feel that supporters actually believed in me and I feel that means I can do even more for the deaf community to help them, and after my win our crew deserves a medal for working hard. Plus my fans have always been there to support me for a long time, so I feel bonded with them and I feel like they’re family. Thank you to everyone.

Renca: Definitely. Congratulations once again for your recent win, and I look forward to more of your wins!

Brett: Thank you! I look forward to it!