Heinrich has made successful return behind the wheel after 10-year hiatus

Some race car drivers, when they step away from racing, never get back behind the wheel. Nate Heinrich of Bellingham was not one of those individuals.

 He liked it too much.

He stepped away from racing in the Wissota Modifieds after the 2013 season to focus on starting his business, Heinrich Excavating and Hauling.

“That was the deal, I got the business on its feet,” Heinrich said. “I have a great group of employees. There was a need for that kind of business in our area, and I wanted it to succeed so I chased that. I put the fun stuff to the side.”

While he wasn’t driving, he still had a big interest in racing. He sponsored from drivers in the Madison area, and it was a trip to the Gateway Nationals in St. Louis that spurred the interest to come back and drive. It was there he saw Tyler Peterson of Hickson, N.D., win the modified portion of the show.

“We started sponsoring cars; if I’m not going to be in it, I wanted to be trying to help out,”  Heinrich said. “I watched Tyler Peterson race…I reached out to him to see if he’d be interested in putting our business on his car. It sparked a good friendship.”

The friendship with Peterson clinched Heinrich’s return as he bought a Wissota Modified for the 2023 season, and it’s been a successful comeback for the 39-year-old, who races weekly at Casino Speedway in Watertown and at his home track, Madison Speedway.  Heinrich plans to be at the Bob Gierke Memorial at I-94 EMR Speedway this Friday.  He has 14 feature wins since returning in 2023.

“Since I’ve come back, I’ve learned to adapt as a driver,” Heinrich said. “If the track is changing my driving style has made me a better driver. I’m able to adapt and drive my car differently.”

Heinrich started racing in go-karts when he was 10 years old and in 2004 made the jump to the Wissota Midwest Modified class. After racing in that class for two years – and having success, which included two wins in the Wissota Midwest Modifieds at the Mod Nationals at Viking Speedway – he jumped to the Wissota A mods, which he ran from 2006-13.

He admitted the modifieds had changed in the 10 years he’d been away.  He runs a Rage by Black Widow Chassis, the same chassis Peterson has had so much success in.

“The biggest thing for me is how technical the equipment is nowadays,” Heinrich said. “Now, the small changes make such a huge difference. The shocks have come a long way, how the cars roll over, how the traction is…in those 10 years (away), these chassis builders were trying to get their cars faster and better. Most of the cars nowadays are fast out of the box.”

When he returned to racing, he had a caveat: if he wasn’t a contender, he was going to pull back from driving and help other drivers. But that hasn’t been the case.

In 2023, he made his comeback and won two features and had 14 top fives in 32 starts. Heinrich finished eighth in the Wissota Modified national points in 2024, and fifth in Minnesota State points.  He had seven wins and 28 top fives in 39 feature starts. He has four track championships to his credit, including the 2024 titles at Madison and Fiesta City Speedways.

“A lot of the success we’ve had, Matt and Tyler Peterson have made a lot easier than I thought it was going to be,” Heinrich said. “It’s not easy by any means. I focus on having a consistent, balanced car. The biggest thing, finding that balance, and not veering off from it too much.”

Last year, he was in the top five in the Wissota Mod national standings late in the year, but a blown motor late caused him to fall to eighth in the final standings This year, he has five wins in 24 starts with 16 top fives. He is second in the points at Casino Speedway in Watertown, trailing Mike Stearns by 12 after Sunday’s program.  He is third at Madison, 52 points behind leader Brian Haben. Even though Fiesta City Speedway dropped the mods from their weekly program, he will be the track champion for the shows ran there.

He is ninth in the Wissota national standings as of Aug. 8.

“A top five for me in national points would be pretty cool,” Heinrich said.

The return to racing also helped rekindle some friendships from years past for Heinrich, who said the competitiveness and the adrenaline are two aspects he enjoys. In addition to farming and running the excavating business, Heinrich and his wife, Amanda, also run a cow calf operation. The Heinrich family, which includes 11-year-old twin boys Brayden and Landen, has really gotten into racing.

“My two boys and my have have grown to love it way more than I anticipated,” Heinrich said. “The biggest thing for me, working three jobs, it’s just the escape from work. It’s where I clear my head.”

Driver Profile

Nate Heinrich

Wissota Modified #10H

Age: 39

Residence: Bellingham, Minn.

Sponsors: Quick Lift by TP Fab, Boraas Crop Ins., Maurice Wollschlager, Big Country Fab, Black Widow Race Cars, Ward Motorsports, Smith Trucking, Madison VFW, LQP Co-op Clark Farms, Latham Hi-Tech Seeds by Haydenville Seeds, Mortenson Cattle, Dean’s Plumbing, Wittnebel Truck Sales, Big Stone Therapies, Cain Design & Wraps, Rud Motorsports, Eric Olson Farms, Heinrich Excavating, Heinrich Cattle Co.,Afco Racing Products