For Trevor Anderson, racing part of family tradition

tombergie01
Jul 16
3 min read

Trevor Anderson’s grandfather, Merle spent several years doing track prep at Casino Speedway in Watertown. His father, Ron, was a standout for many years at eastern South Dakota in the late model class, winning more than 200 races in his #20 machine.

For the past two decades, Trevor Anderson of Watertown has kept racing – and that number 20 -- alive and well in the family.

“My dad’s dad (Merle) was into racing and used to do the track prep at Casino. He got us into it,” Anderson said. “It’s a family tradition for us.”

Trevor also has two cousins, Andy and Bradley Rossow of Florence, who race weekly at Casino.

Trevor has raced for 20 years, dating back to when he started in the two-person Cruiser class. He co-owns and operates Dirt Track Supply in Watertown with Ron Anderson.

“Working with my dad is working with my hero,” Anderson said. “When I was growing up my dad was my favorite race-car driver. He was the one I always strived to be. Most family members can’t work together, my dad and will have a couple of scruffs here and there, but we have such a mutual respect for each other, it’s awesome.”

After starting in the Cruiser class, Anderson moved into the Wissota Street Stocks and then raced in the Wissota Modifieds for several years where he was a strong competitor. In 2021 he won six features in that division.

His first year in a late model was 2022, and it was a good one – he won the competitive Tri-State Late Model Series championship, picking up three wins. He does have a modified he runs occasionally. He admits a modified is more difficult to drive than a late model, but the late model fields are much more competitive and deeper.

“The biggest change now, is the competition in the late model class is bar none, where the modified class has gotten to be weaker now because there is less of them,” Anderson said.

He won a Tri-State Tour race at Huset’s in 2022, and also won a special Tri-State event at Brown County Speedway at Aberdeen late in 2024 that he counts among his biggest late model wins.

“I’ve only one a small handful of big races, so I’d have to say one of those two,” Anderson said.

This season, he has one win – coming at Brown County Speedway in Aberdeen on May 2 – and seven top-five finishes. Anderson is currently third in points at Casino, just 11 behind leader Chad Becker of Aberdeen.

“Every other year that I’ve gotten a win at the beginning of the year, I’ve won no less than 6-8 feature (wins),” Anderson said. “In the late model two is my biggest year. I’d like to get some more wins and stay consistent.”

Anderson enjoys the battles on the racetrack, but to him, racing is much more than that.

“Most racers only enjoy the aspect of being on a racetrack,” Anderson said. “I enjoy the racing as a whole. I enjoy the camaraderie of the racers, I enjoy meeting the fans, I enjoy being at the racetrack with my friends and family. The racing is just a bonus.”