I-94 Speedway, Inc

6/16/2026

WISSOTA

Driver Spotlight-Teddy Kottschade

Our next driver in the WISSOTA Driver Spotlight series is Teddy Kottschade. Teddy is in his 14th year of competing with a steering wheel and currently drives a WISSOTA Modified. The Kottschade racing stable consists of Teddy and his brothers Josiah and Jackson!

Photo by Hudson Heinen

What is your home track?
Granite City Motorpark

What’s been your most memorable race or win so far?
My most memorable win is when I was ten years old and we traveled down to North Carolina for a dirt oval go kart race at Liberty Raceway Park. We pitted out of the back of our pickup with the help of a good friend from the area. We were told that if you were leading the race on the final lap, you wouldn't win. I qualified well and started 2nd, taking the lead from the outside on lap one. I led every lap, winning the race! That year, I was only one of two drivers to win a race in the South in that form of racing!

What’s one lesson racing has taught you that applies to life?
Never give up!

What’s your pre-race ritual or superstition?
After I get strapped into the car, I pray for protection and everyone else that I am racing against.

What’s your favorite non-racing hobby?
I enjoy learning and watching the weather, especially Tornados!

If you had an unlimited budget, what would you race and why?
If I had an unlimited budget, I would want to race everything, dirt or asphalt. I just love racing and want to do it all.

One fun fact about you that fans would be surprised to know?
I was named after President Theodore Roosevelt!

What is your favorite race track food?
Cheeseburgers!

What is the story behind your car number?
The 7K was my dad's number when he raced. When I started, I wanted to be like him and so used that number, and it stuck.

What’s the biggest misconception people have about racing?
The biggest misconception I feel is that people think you just go in circles. They don't see beyond the race and all the hard work and effort it takes to put a car on the track.

What was the biggest misconception you had about racing before you started?
That's a tough one to answer since I was five when I started but I guess I thought it was easy to go fast. When I got into a kart for the first time, I felt intimidated, excited, and it wasn't what I had "expected". I understood at that point that racing is something you take seriously but I was hooked!

What advice would you give to a new driver just starting out?
Slowly work into building up speed. Some racers, especially young kids, are fast at the beginning but have a "come to Jesus" moment and they have a hard time recovering. Let the speed come to you and don't feel pressured to be a top running car right away. Progressive learning is better than rushing into it, remember you can't learn if your cars wrecked.

What WISSOTA event do you most want to win?
I would love to win the WISSOTA 100!

What’s one thing you wish every fan understood about drivers?
I wish that they would understand what we go through every night and how challenging it can be to race. It's not just about going around the track but there is so much set-up knowledge and money that it takes to get a car in contention to win each night. Some racers are just doing their best with what they have and might not be winning but have a heart for the racing community. There are so many stories and struggles fans don't see behind the curtain.

Please tell us your favorite racing story?
This was back in 2015 when we were racing dirt oval go karts. We had been to a local race the week before a big race in South Dakota and my dad noticed that I had almost run out of fuel, so we purchased a slightly bigger fuel tank for the kart. The night before we were going to leave for the big race, we were renovating our small, enclosed trailer. When we finished, we all noticed the trailer lights were not working. We were up until 3 am and found out that one of the screws that was installed had hit a wire and had grounded out the lights. We were all tired when we finally left for the track that morning after fixing the problem. Then during the big race for my class, there were so many cautions for spins and wrecks which made the race feel like forever. Halfway through the race, the flagman up and quit without telling anybody. Towards the ends of the race, kids were running out of fuel, and we ended up winning the race on fuel mileage with our new fuel tank, and of course my dad making sure that it was full before the race. The following year, we won the race again to prove that it wasn't a fluke. The best part is the trophy which is a statue of Mt. Rushmore only given out at this event and at Huset's Speedway for the World of Outlaws. Needless to say, it was a memorable weekend!

Follow Teddy 's racing program by becoming a fan of her racing Facebook page today 7K Racing

With over 2,500 licensed WISSOTA drivers, there are countless stories we want to help tell. To participate in the Driver Spotlight series simply visit the WISSOTA Driver Dashboard and click on WISSOTA Driver Profile to fill out the questionnaire

Submitted By: Jacy Norgaard

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