ANGOLA, Ind. — When Rudeen Racing hired Zeb Wise last summer, it marked a major step in Wise’s sprint car racing ambitions.
This season he’ll look to continue growing with the potent organization.
“As a kid when I started racing, my goal was never to go to NASCAR,” Wise told SPEED SPORT. “My goal was always to run 410 sprint cars full time. To get an opportunity with a team like Rudeen Racing and Kevin and Monika and everyone at Rudeen Racing, where everything they do is top notch, is very humbling.”
The team owned by Washington native, Kevin Rudeen, has had some of sprint car racing’s finest names wheel their machines over the past two decades. Wise first piloted a Rudeen entry in Kevin’s home state at Skagit Speedway’s Dirt Cup in June.
The door opened for the Angola, Ind., native to take over full-time driving duties after the team parted ways with Cory Eliason shortly after the Dirt Cup.
The 20-year-old admits he wasn’t entirely aware of the extent of Rudeen’s history in the sport at first. Once he came aboard and began to learn more, he felt even more honored to drive the famed blue No. 26.
“I didn’t really know a whole lot about how much Kevin had been involved with the sport in the past 20 something years,” Wise said. “As I met Kevin and got to go spend some time with him in Washington, I learned that Kevin Rudeen has been in sprint car racing for a long, long time and had drivers like Shane Stewart and Joey Saldana.”
Prior to making the transition to Rudeen, Wise had become a regular in the sprint car ranks. After getting his feet wet in 2019, Wise raced the full Tezos All-Star Circuit of Champions campaign with Sam McGhee Motorsports in 2020. Ahead of 2021, Wise and Wayne Priddy formed Wise-Priddy Racing, the team he drove for until being hired by Rudeen.
Wise has tallied four All-Star wins, including the 2021 Rayce Rudeen Foundation Race.
As with any move to a new team, Wise had to get adjusted to a new setting that also saw the team bring in a new crew chief, Troy Welty, near the end of the season.
“When I stepped over to the Rudeen car, the 10 car (Wise-Priddy) was Triple X (Chassis) with Rider Engines,” Wise explained. “When I stepped into the 26 it was Maxim Chassis with Speedway Engines. It was just different. Everything was different. That did make some challenges.
“I think a lot of people got a false sense of me going in there might turn it completely around,” Wise added. “As much as I wanted that to happen, I knew that there was going to be growing pains. There is with anyone. I never expected to get in the car and win the first couple nights out. I knew it was going to take time to grow and learn what those guys do and for them to learn what I like and prefer.”
Even with some challenges, Wise posted many impressive results as he got acquainted with the car and crew.
On their first night together following Dirt Cup, Wise notched his best result to date with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars by finishing seventh at Attica (Ohio) Raceway Park’s Brad Doty Classic. Less than two weeks later Wise earned a podium with the All-Stars at Lake Ozark (Eldon, Mo.) Speedway, and in August he claimed a top-five finish in the inaugural High Limit Series race.
Toward the end of the year Wise found victory lane for the first time with Rudeen at an especially meaningful event, California’s Trophy Cup.
The West Coast crown jewel hosted by Tulare’s Thunderbowl Raceway is an important race for Rudeen. In 2014 Willie Croft won the Trophy Cup championship driving for Rudeen, and it’s a race he’s long supported.
“We went to Trophy Cup and I’d never been to Tulare,” Wise recalled. “Obviously, the 26 has had very good history at Tulare. That was a lot to live up to. That’s what I was hearing about as I’m sitting there looking at the car and the track. This place where you just bang it off the boards for however many laps you’re on the racetrack. Everyone was telling me the past of the 26 at Tulare. They’ve had good success there, so that last night I was like this is my chance. I need to step it up.”
Wise started on the front row of the 50-lap finale and came out on top of a battle with Kalib Henry, while also holding off one of the toughest fields the Golden State sees all year.
“That was huge, not only for my confidence but the team’s confidence,” Wise said of the triumph. “Kevin was there and Jon Hager was there. Kevin’s son, Remy, was there. Our whole team, really, was there at that race. To have everyone there and to be able to do that, where it’s not really their home turf but I consider it somewhat their home turf on the West Coast, was really cool.”
Building off a solid second half of 2022, Wise is planning for a busy 2023 with Rudeen with the primary focus being on another full All-Star campaign. Wise has finished in the top-five in ASCoC standings the past three years, and Rudeen had been a consistently strong presence on the tour with Cory Eliason during that same time frame.
In addition to the ASCoC calendar, their schedule includes select World of Outlaws races including a heavy slate with “The Greatest Show on Dirt” early this season as they’ve added a spring Pennsylvania swing during some downtime for the All-Stars in March. They also plan to be at a majority of the High Limit events as the series completes their first full season.
“We’re going to run all of the All-Star races,” Wise said. “We’ll run the full All-Star schedule again. I think we’re going to run as many High Limit races as we can. It looks like, as of now, we’re going to be able to hit all of them except for maybe Tulare and Grandview… So, as of now, full All-Star schedule, hit or miss Outlaw races, and then most of the High Limit stuff.”
Looking at possible goals and expectations, Wise and company haven’t set many specific milestones to hit, but Wise believes a podium in the All-Star standings is within reach.
“As far as team goals, we haven’t really talked about that a whole lot,” Wise said. “For my personal goals, I see no reason why we can’t be top-three in points.”
The sprint car season is right around the corner. Wise will climb aboard a Rudeen midget for next week’s Chili Bowl, but then in just a few short weeks he’ll be heading to Georgia to kick off the All-Star campaign.
“I’m very thankful for Kevin, Monika and everyone at Rudeen Racing for the opportunity to be in the 26,” Wise said. “I know Tyler, Troy, Brandon, and Derek have been hard at work this off season, and I’m looking forward to getting back out on the road.”