Sheldon, Iowa — Four Sheldon High School alumni were among the people who helped a NASCAR Xfinity driver win his first-ever race Sunday at Road America in Wisconsin.
When Jeremy Clements drove his #51 Chevrolet to Victory Lane in Wisconsin Sunday, his pit crew, including four young men from the Sheldon area, were there to celebrate with him.
Cody Van Drie, of Sheldon, tells KIWA he served as a “gopher” in Sunday’s race, retrieving tires from the car hauler, pulling air hoses out of the way, and the like. Van Drie says his younger brother, Kyle, along with Charles Storm, served as “Tire Catchers” in Sunday’s race, catching the tires that were taken off the racecar during pit stops, and removing them out of the way. The fourth Orab who served on the team was Jeff Hassebroek, who served as Clements’ “spotter” for the race. The spotter’s job is to keep the driver informed, via two-way radio, of what the cars around him are doing, so as to avoid crashes.
Van Drie says the friends bacame involved with the #51 team through Hassebroek’s employer. Hassebroek works for repairablevehicles.com, who was the #51 car’s sponsor for several races this season, including Sunday’s Wisconsin Xfinity outing. Van Drie says all four of the friends became friends with Hassebroek’s boss, and since they were all into NASCAR, started travelling with him to some races. He says the opportunity to work as part of the crew came about this year.
The #51 Xfinity car is owned by driver Jeremy Clements and his dad Tony. The car that made it to Victory Lane in Sunday’s Johnsonville 180 was built in 2008. Despite being involved in a next-to-last-lap spinout, Clements was able to take the checkered flag for his 1st Xfinity win in 256 NASCAR Xfinity starts.
Van Drie says the feelings when their car crossed the finish line first were indescribable.
