ZION GROVE, Pa. – Well-known Northeast car owner Tommy Wanick III will be joining forces with asphalt modified star Chuck Hossfeld and form a team that will focus on the Race of Champions, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and Tri-Track Open Modified Series in 2022.
Wanick, who operates Wanick Construction of Zion Grove, Pa., and Hossfeld, a modified ace from Ransomville, NY, are no strangers to teaming up.
The past few years they have run a handful of races between Evergreen Raceway and Mahoning Valley Speedway, doing so with respectable results.
Hossfeld will run the operation out of his New York establishment.
“Tommy is the boss and he gives us what we need,” Hossfeld said. “This year we assembled a team and honestly have shown better results and you have to remember prior to this we only raced a handful of times.”
“Over this past summer we brought the car to my shop and have been doing the set-up work and really have made a lot of gains,” Hossfeld added.
Pairing with Hossfeld will take the weight off Wanick’s shoulders who is also a road supervisor with Franzosa Trucking of Hazle Township, Pa.
“I’ve been very happy with the way this has been turning out. We got a good stable of cars and motors and we’re looking to race hard for wins and have fun doing it,” Wanick said.
“I’m leaving as much as possible stored at Chuck’s shop, he’s going to be the guy running it,” Wanick said. They’ve been setting the cars up and I’ve been very happy with the way it’s all “playing out. It’s a lot of pressure on him but he and his guys are doing a great job,” he added.
“With my workload there are times I’m going seven days a week 24 hours a day between my business and the road work with Franzosa and I know I can rely on Chuck to get the racing part done. He’s 110% in and everything he does he does as a professional.”
The team will run Troyer and PSR cars and rely on three different engine packages from Robert Yates Racing, Performance Technologies and Bob Bruneau Engine Research.
Along with primary sponsorship from Wanick Construction and Franzosa Trucking they will also be supported by Harry’s-U-Pull-It of West Hazleton, Pa.
“I can tell you that Tommy is the kind of person that if he is involved with you and on your team he makes your life better,” Hossfeld said. “We developed a friendship and as that friendship developed it turned into more and more racing and he is really gung-ho about 2022 and I feel you will see some great things coming from us.”
“We have all the pieces and resources and when he says he’s going to do something he does it,” he added. “He’s the type of guy that if you call him and no matter the time he’s working because he puts his family first then friends and racing and that stems from the values he got from his dad when he owned race cars. I just hope I can be a success for him and this team.”
The Wanick-Hossfeld combo will finish out this year with a stop at Mahoning Valley Speedway for the Fall Brawl on Oct. 30.
Then they’ll wrap things up at Turkey Derby XLVIII at New Jersey’s Wall Stadium Speedway, Nov. 26-27.
“For the Turkey Derby I’ve only been there twice, once with my own car and most recently with Tommy’s car,” Hossfeld said. “Weather is always a factor there and hopefully we’ll get a nice weekend and leave there with a good result with the team. That will really give us that added momentum when 2022 rolls around.”