Tim Trostel: Holy Family’s Racing Phenomenon

Holy Family’s Speed Racer

Diego Gonzalez, Staff Writer

Super Late Models

A Super Late Model is an automobile with an aluminum interior and a rack and pinion three-link suspension that weights 2,800 pounds. The rear end of these cars is connected to the frame via trailing arms. To aid with turning, the trailing arms can be of various lengths. The third link, which is positioned on hemi joints, lowers the automobile to the ground.

Tim Trostel

Timothy Trostel has been racing since he was five years old. He started on go-karts racing competitively for 10 years, and when he was 15 moved over to racing a small scale car called a Legend. In his first season, Trostel earned Rookie of the Year in the Rocky Mountain Legend Racing Association and at Colorado National Speedway.

“This year he started racing a full size Super Late Model Car – a huge advancement. He raced 3 races this season just to get his feet wet. He got the ‘quick time’ award at two of those races and won 1st place in the Main Feature Race, only his third race. This is a pretty big deal for a ‘rookie’. He was racing against 16 other drivers, many who have been racing longer than he has been alive. We are so proud of him,” comments mom Jen Trostel.

I sat down with Tim to ask him about his fascinating hobby:

Q: I heard you started competitive go-kart racing when you were five, how’d you get into that?

A: When I was like 3, my dad and I were walking around a boat show and we saw a stand for it, and I said, “Dad, I gotta have that.” And we went and tested it the same day. So I first started racing them when I was five, you get to travel the country a lot and you race against a ton of other people and I did that for 10 years.

Q: When did you make the switch over to actual cars? What was that transition like?

A: I started racing actual cars two years ago, I was racing legend cars, and I started racing the Super Late Models this year. It was really surreal at first, going from a car that’s about three feet wide to a car that’s about six feet wide.

Q: Do you see this going super far?

A: That’s the goal, I wanna make it all the way to NASCAR. Even though it’s unlikely, I’m going to try my best to get there for sure.

Q: What’s your greatest accomplishment so far?

A: My first win in the Super Late Model race last weekend was only my third race ever, and I won it, which was unheard of from anywhere in the country, so I got a lot of recognition from that.

Q: Where are you stacking up this year against the competition?

A: In the smaller car that I race I’m 6th, and for the Super Late Models, I don’t know exactly, but I think I’m like 7th. I also got in late this year so I only get four races for the season, but I will be starting next season off in January which goes all the way until November.

Q: Do you ever get scared?

A: Going 150 with no restrictions is a feeling that can’t be explained. You’re not scared, and you feel as if you are one with the car.

Q: What kind of recognition did you receive after placing 1st in your race?

A: I got recognition from a racing digest newspaper and from different teams.