Tama driver Jay Schmidt still likes winning and racing, but more cautious these days

VINTON — Although Jay Schmidt uses the same number 19 on his car that represented his age when he started racing in 1997, the Tama native tries not to replicate his original driving style.

“We were pretty rambunctious,” Schmidt said. “We would just go out and try to win and if something happened, we thrashed on it.”

Now, the married father has other things he’d rather do with his free time.

“While I want to win every night, I would rather be the guy that can finish the race and put it in the trailer,” Schmidt said. “I race a lot more cautious than when I was 19.”

You’ll also start to see less of Schmidt on the regular rotations at places like Boone and Marshalltown. He’s planning to hit new tracks like Tipton and Maquoketa, where he finished second on Saturday.

“We’re trying to hit a few tracks I haven’t seen,” Schmidt said. “We’ve been so dedicated to racing so many nights at so many places over the years, that it’s time to do a little traveling.”

The South Tama graduate also wants to spend Friday nights with his wife, Michelle, enjoying their kids while they can.

“My boys are going to be seniors and they play baseball, so we’re going to be out on Friday nights,” Schmidt said. “We’re not trying to do points this year, but we’re not doing too bad at Independence and Vinton. If we can get something rolling we’ll see how that plays out.”

The 43-year-old sits second in the Stock Car class at both tracks, two points behind Tom Schmitt of Independence at Indee and nine points behind Dallon Murty of Chelsea at The Bullring.

One thing that makes it easy for Schmidt to enjoy his time at the track is his relationship with his support staff.

“It helps when sponsors understand that things keep getting more and more expensive because sponsorships are getting harder and harder to come by,” Schmidt said. “If you want to be competitive you have to be willing to spend the money and it’s so much easier when they have an idea of what it actually costs to do what we want to do.”

On top of his sponsors, Schmidt has had his parents, John and Virginia, by his side his whole career, on and off the track, working at their NAPA Auto Parts store in Tama since before they became the owners.

“They want to see me do the best that I can and that makes it more fun,” Schmidt said. “It’s priceless to me.”

When asked to predict his racing future, one where he still is a fan-favorite at tracks across the state, Schmidt said “we’re going to do this at least a couple more years. Then I’ll see how things go.”

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