JW: Hey Bill! Thanks for taking the time to chat with me. I really do appreciate it. To start off our chat, I would like to ask you how your 2023 sprint car season went. This year alone, you won 9 races out of the 54 you ran, along with a 43% average of finishing in the top 10. Is there one race that sticks out to you from 2023? In addition, how would you rate this past year?
 
BB: Definitely, it was one of my best years for sure! We tried some stuff in the beginning of the season. Early in the year, we went down to Beaver Dam for a test by ourselves. We tried a few different things and learned a bunch of things by ourselves on the racetrack. We tried some weird stuff and all of the sudden, it started working. We took that information forward as I write down all of that information. The car started working really well for us from that point. We won two All Star races, and we were super-good! They were the highlight of the year for me. It was great to win back-to-back nights in Illinois at Spoon River (July 22) on Saturday and Red Hill (July 23) on the Sunday night. All Star races are super hard to win. I toured All Stars for two years full-time and only won a couple of them at the time, so it was cool to do it all in one weekend. They pay good too, which is always nice. 
 
 
JW: I want to take a step back… A lot of people don’t know your background, but you grew up in Alaska (North Pole, AK) before making your way down to the Pacific-Northwest, followed by making the move over to the Mid-West and digging roots in Wisconsin. You have one of the most unique upbringings of any sprint car driver in the world. What was is like to grow up in a small town in Alaska; especially for a guy that had an interest in motorsports and going fast (racing dirt bikes, snowmobiles, etc.)?
 
BB: Well, my dad raced and my mom moved up there in the 70s. A lot of people go up there and end up hunting and fishing, but we don’t hunt. We went racing. My dad built race cars and built everyone’s cars that were around in that area. That’s how I got introduced to motorsports. North Pole is a smaller town but very spread out. Once a year my dad and I would drive all the way down to Wisconsin to visit our family from Alaska. When you grow up in a small town you think it’s a normal way of life until you leave it and realize that it is a different way of life. 
 
JW: You started racing sprint cars at the age of 20. Even when you started racing sprint cars at that age, it was and still is considered to be “too late,” as we see so many sprint car drivers coming up that are in their early teens. Talk to me about that first time you drove a sprint car and how that tied everything together for you to pursue this at a full-time endeavor?
 
BB: I wish I would have gotten into it earlier to start, but that’s the way it went. There was no “racing for a living” up there. You went to the track to have fun and do it as a hobby. I always wanted to do it, but I didn’t have any way to do it up there. My dad had raced sprint cars and stopped, but he wasn’t going to buy a team or do anything like that. I was a late bloomer anyway, so I didn’t think it was a big deal at the time. Even now, I still feel like I’m really good right now. We did pretty good right away with the old gambler car up there and ended up moving and figuring it out for myself. I had to do a lot of the work myself. My dad built the car initially, and then it was up to me to maintain it. I mean, I still do that today. It’s really between me and Dennis [Gregg] (crew member at B2 Motorsports) and I like it that way. I was forced to maintain everything myself and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s important to know how to do it all.  
 
JW: To add on to that question, I would like to ask you about the current youth movement that we are seeing in sprint car racing. Do you feel that there is a massive difference with the generation gap between drivers like yourself and these young kids coming up in their early teens when it comes to on and off the track? What are your overall thoughts on this current youth movement that has been very evident for fans and competitors that have been around the sport for many years?
 
BB: I mind my own business, to be honest. One of the main things younger drivers need to learn is respect.  You can accept that the younger kids are going to make some mistakes and hopefully they learn from them. But, I expect them to learn from those mistakes for the future and not do them again. This is very important if or when you involve someone else in your mistake. Having a lack of respect is a big problem for you in the long term. You constantly have to be aware of everyone you are racing with.
  
JW: You are the perfect case study of a driver coming from nothing to something over the past 20 years involved with racing. What a lot of fans do not understand from the outside is that when you start out in racing, there are a lot of obstacles that you have to overcome. It comes from getting screwed out on parts that you have bought, being lied to about [X] topic, a sponsor not honoring your agreement and declining to pay you - too many to name. Were there one or two moments like this that happened to you when you started out on your journey to become a full-time sprint car driver and build up your own team?
 
BB: Coming from Alaska, you literally don’t know any other racers. Sprint car people don’t seem to be very welcoming, and I don’t know why. But, I guess if you are trying to take their money away from them they don’t like it. Some of the key information stuff was the biggest one for me. Making sure your car is right which comes from an understanding between the parts you buy used and when you continue to buy more stuff in the process. It takes many years to build your team and grow your experience.
 
 JW: On the flip side, you can meet some amazing people in your life, and they are willing to assist you the best way they can. Were there one or two people that really went out of their way to help you out on your journey?
 
BB: I have used everybody’s shops and rented their garages over my time. Through the years, I have gotten a lot of help from a lot of people that I still speak with most of them today. One guy is Ronnie Wuiff from Minnesota (Car: 1H), and he taught me a lot back in 2006 when I raced for him that year. He taught me how to make money, not spend all your money, and not lose all your money in racing. I only raced for him for a year, but we won our first IRA race that year. We still talk to this day. Ryan Buesser (Buesser Concrete; Eau Claire, Wisconsin) helped me a lot with engines. In the mid 2000s, we needed a good engine to compete to have a good 410 deal. A lot of people will have a local engine builder build them a 410 or buy a decent 410 and have the local guy freshen it. What we did was bought a Gaerte engine, which were still pretty good back then. We had Gaerte freshen it and kept it with him a professional engine builder. We didn’t have a lot of money into, we are talking a 10k engine. I bought the first one and Ryan helped buy the second one. That was one of the things that helped me that I still do today. I could go to all of these IRA races and not have to worry about an engine blowing up. We have dealt with Kistler and now HP Engines. That’s very important to a race team to have a solid, good power plant. Ryan was such a big help with that early on. I like to pass on that stuff to other IRA teams the same stuff if they ask. Don’t have Joe down the road build your engine.
 
 
JW: What a lot of people who don’t watch you race on a regular basis might not know about you is that you race full-time for a living. Do you mind sharing with me the background work that goes into running a team and racing on a full-time basis - year after year? There is so much that goes into running an operation; especially, since you do this on a regional level, not a national level.
 
BB: You definitely stay busy. When I worked for the last truck shop I worked with, I need every Friday off. I made a deal with the owner that I needed every Friday off. I told him that I would work ever whatever hours, whatever shifts, for less money - whatever. That way I could go and race. He was cool with it. There was all of these sacrifices to make it happen, and I did that pretty much everywhere I worked prior to make it happen. Running the business is super-busy. There is always something to do, something to fix, something to clean. It’s like any business. There is your books to deal with, trucking stuff. Basically, you are running your own trucking company. It’s a lot more hand on than what most people think if you are going to take something like this on. It’s also different between summer when you need more people compared to the winter when it’s just me and Dennis working at the shop. You have to look forward and try and do the best you can when it comes to putting everything together when you are on your own.
 
JW: As a guy that races regionally for a living, I have to ask you about your thoughts on the current hot topic around sprint car racing. We now have two ‘National’ series with the World of Outlaws and High Limit. There has been a lot of chatter behind the scenes as some people are for it, while others are not supportive of having two series on that level. One of the series that you used to run regularly, compete, and win in was the All Star Series. That series has now dissolved and become a part of High Limit. This has left a lot of question marks going into 2024 as the Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Pennsylvania scene as the All Stars will be no more. To close up shop on the long dialogue up to my question, what is your thoughts on the current state of sprint car racing between High Limit & World of Outlaws?
 
BB: The All Stars were around for a long time. This is a different thing, and I think it’s going to work out though, even though I don’t know how it’s going to work. I have been looking at the schedule to figure out our plans. Selfishly, we do what’s best for us. I think that’s pretty normal for most guys that pick and choose their schedule. The Outlaw schedule actually looks really good this year with the amount off days and weekends that are on it compared to High Limit. It doesn’t really affect me too much. I’m not sure what to make of it all. I couldn’t make the High Limit schedule work even with some of the off-weekends and weeks they have with all of the extended travel. You will still have periods of time with weeks on the road. It does bring up some more opportunities to make some more money next year, which is cool. But, there is a lot of stuff that is open in the air for next year. 
 
JW: Switching gears a bit… There are only 152 drives to ever win a World of Outlaws show amongst the thousands that have tried. You have been to a victory lane where many have dreamed to go too, but few have ever ventured. What do you recall from that race at Beaver Dam back on June 25th, 2016? Does anything stand out for you from that night? Talk to me about that night.
 
BB: Yeah! It was one of those really good nights! The year before that, we were leading a bunch of laps at that same Outlaw feature. On a restart, we got freight trained on a late restart and fell back to eight. I learned a lot from that race. A year later, I started up at the front the entire night from the heat to the dash onwards. Once I found the top in the feature, I ripped it around for 40 laps and it was great. God, it was a great night. I know the people that have one two Outlaw races is even smaller and I want to do that. I want to win another. It’s hard to have “Outlaw Speed” unless you are racing and competing with the Outlaws on a regular basis. The Outlaws can figure out a track in hot laps. They are in their own world. 
 
JW: Speaking of the Outlaws… As of a week ago, you decided that you wanted to go full time with the World of Outlaws for the first time ever in 2024. Could you please walk me through your decision to go full time with the Outlaws for the 2024 campaign?
 
BB: Honestly, it all came together pretty quickly. A month ago, I wouldn’t have even thought or dreamt about doing this… But… As I mentioned earlier about Buesser Concrete, they are assisting us this year with some extra engines to help for the 2024 season. It came down on deciding which one of the national series to choose between - High Limit or the Outlaws. Based on where I’m located in the country (Southern Wisconsin), the Outlaws schedule works better for me. Ultimately, it was the best decision for the team on a financial and schedule basis. Doing an open schedule next year wouldn’t be good for me. As a team, you have more potential of making good money this year by signing up for one of the national series instead of picking and choosing. Plus, there are a lot of big money races this year on the schedule this year which helps. Right now, we are preparing for Florida and getting everything ready to go. We are currently in talks with different organizations that are interested in sponsoring us, along with fielding a lot of interest to support our team which is great to see. We are open to anyone who wants to support our team. I’m really looking forward to being a full time Would of Outlaw driver in 2024 and living a dream.

JW: You are going to be competing for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award in 2024. Are you looking forward to be able to compete for one of the most unique awards in all of sprint car racing?

BB: It will be tough, but I will try. It’s looking like there will be a few guys that will be competing for the rookie of the year award so it will be competitive, for sure. My main focus is to use my experience to help me get a grasp of going to new tracks and places that I haven’t raced at before. At the same time, we are going to be racing at some tracks that I’m familiar at and have even had success at which will help out a ton. The driver roster for the World of Outlaws in 2024 looks really, really solid and it will keep things interesting throughout the entire year.

JW: You are not a stranger to competing and winning at many different levels in sprint car racing (locally, regionally, and even nationally). Do you feel that racing at the top level of sprint car racing night in and night out will bring out your ‘A Game’ and push you to another level as a sprint car driver?

BB: Yes, I do! I feel that once we get to the halfway point of the season and we get some momentum from starting out the year in Volusia, that we can be able to get into a solid groove. Ideally, build some momentum, get the ball moving, and try to get some good results. That happens over a period of time when you are racing a lot anyway, but hopefully we can build on some good form early on as we ramp up the year.
 
JW: Thanks again for taking the time to chat, Bill. It’s been a blast to talk with you. Before we end of this chat, I have to ask you this one last question… I want to know the ‘Who, ‘What’, ‘Where’ and ‘When’ behind the nickname ‘The North Pole Nightmare’!?
 
BB: Ray Underwood was the announcer who came up with that. There were a few others that followed him on that one from Ray. Some of the other ones that were given to me were horrible, but that one was cool, and it stuck. The fans loved it as well as the kids and it became a part of the branding for the merchandise. It was clever with how he came up with it.