Gordie Seegert Jr. in the #4 Wissota Late Model
Oct 9, 2008
If each member of the Forest County Potawatomi Racing Team had a theme song, Gordie Seegert Jr.’s would have to be “These Are My People,” by Rodney Atkins.
The chorus of the song says, “These are my people, this is where I come from. We’re giving this life everything we’ve got and then some.”
Gordie was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and has definitely given his everything to the sport of racing.
“My dad used to take us to the old Hales Corners Speedway just to go watch the races (when I was) 10 or 11-years-old. Then, when I turned 16, my brother-in-law and I built what was called a sportsmen car,” said Seegert. “I couldn’t actually start racing until I was 18-years-old. Back in those days you had to be 18 to drive, but I’ve been going ever since.”
The driver of the No, 4 Wissota Late Model car eventually moved to Oostburg, Wisconsin where he has worked as a farmer for over 24 years now.
When asked to name his favorite track, the Milwaukee native couldn’t name just one. He rattled off tracks in Hales Corners, Beaver Dam, Cedarburg, Stoughton and Madison. Not to mention, he now races primarily at Antigo, Shawano and Seymour. Clearly he is the epitome of a Wisconsin racer.
Anyone who lives in America’s Dairy land could tell you that family is an important thing to most of its residents. The same can be same said for Seegert.
“(Family) has always been our thing, like my dad got us involved in racing and taking us to the track. When my son was 8-years-old, he would come out in the garage and help us putter with the cars,” said the father of two. “We’ve always made it a family thing. When we were growing up, instead of taking vacations, we’d go racing.”
Talk about dedication.
All that hard work and effort was time well spent though, as Seegert won track championships at Langlade County Speedway in 2003, 2004 and 2007, and at Shawano Speedway in 2007.
The song concludes, “It ain’t always pretty, but it’s real. It’s the way we were made, wouldn’t have it any other way. These are my people.”
Everyone in racing could tell you it’s not always pretty, but for Gordie Seegert, appearance has never been the issue. For him, it’s always been about the people.
