It was the veteran driver’s first title in the late model Figure-8 division.
Riddle Jr. didn’t begin racing until 1997 at the age of 27, which is certainly old by today’s standards. The second-generation driver grew up in the sport and eventually followed in the tire tracks of his father, Mike Riddle.
Mike Riddle Jr. (David Sink photo)
The senior member of the Riddle family had a decent driving career, running primarily Figure-8 cars at Anderson (Ind.) Speedway. He also competed at Mount Lawn Speedway and Muncie Motor Speedway. His involvement led sons Mike Jr., Doug and Billy to make the sport a family affair.
Mike Riddle Jr.’s rookie season went far better than he could have imagined as he felt right at home in Anderson Speedway’s stock Figure-8 class.
“Dad started racing in 1972 and I started in 1997,” explained Riddle Jr. “I started racing when I was 27. I was almost 30 years old before I drove my first race car. A lot of these guys now-a-days start when they’re teenagers. I started pretty late.
“I adapted pretty quickly. I won five races our first year. There were always more than 20 cars each night. I started out at Anderson Speedway and it’s a pretty fast track,” Riddle Jr. added. “I wasn’t too surprised. I’d been around race cars my entire life. It was the first time I’d driven, but it wasn’t the first time I’d set a car up. I was very knowledgeable about it. I’d just never driven one around the race track.”
It didn’t take Riddle Jr. long to be crowned the Anderson Speedway Figure-8 track champion. By 2002, he had captured back-to-back crowns.
In 2005, he scored the biggest prize of his career to date when he became a National Crown winner. Run at Anderson Speedway, the National Crown is the nation’s oldest continuously run short-track, stock car event, dating back to 1950.
After his success in the stock Figure-8 division, Riddle Jr. tried his hand at limited late model oval racing at Mount Lawn and Anderson Speedways. He found success in the new division and claimed a class championship at Mount Lawn.
For the 2008 season, Riddle Jr. had caught the attention of car owner Chuck Hargraves and was offered a chance to drive a late model Figure-8 car at Anderson. Riddle Jr. didn’t disappoint, finishing sixth the first time he sat in the ultra-fast Figure-8 machine. Riddle Jr. quickly fell in love with the quicker form of Figure-8 racing.
In 2013, Riddle Jr. was offered the chance to compete full time in a late model Figure-8 entry, wheeling a car owned by Billy Lawson in the International Outlaw Figure-8 Series. The now-defunct traveling late model Figure-8 series competed throughout the Midwest, visiting tracks such as Salem (Ind.) Speedway, Ohio’s Kil-Kare Speedway, Anderson and Plymouth (Ind.) Speedway.
In recent seasons, the Riddle family has raced regularly at the Indianapolis Speedrome after purchasing their own equipment. Mike Riddle Jr. has consistently been a contender at the fifth-mile speedway on the Southeast side of Indianapolis.
The Speedrome is a hotbed for Figure-8 racing and the track annually hosts the nation’s biggest and richest Figure-8 event — the World Figure-8 3-Hour Endurance Race.
Armed with a new car, Riddle Jr. set out to bring home a track championship last year. The team put everything together and did just that. To make the accomplishment even sweeter, brother Doug finished second in the standings, giving the team a one-two finish.
“We had no idea that was going to happen,” said Riddle Jr. “He had a good season for it only being his second season in these cars. I got a win early in the year and never fell back further than second all year long and we got our first Speedrome championship.”
When asked how much longer he’ll race, Riddle Jr. said it’s all about having fun.
“My parents are almost 70, but I enjoy hanging out with them at the track and in the garage. I’m sure I’ve got a few more years in me,” he said. “I’d love to win the 3-Hour. It’s the only race I haven’t won. I’ve done well in it. The last couple years I’ve had a shot at it. I think I can get it. I’ll keep trying until I can’t race anymore.”
FAST FACTS
Mike Riddle Jr.
Birthday: Feb. 3, 1970
Hometown: Greenwood, Ind.
Series: World Figure-8 Tour, Indianapolis Speedrome
Sponsors: Stacey’s Excavating, GMACK Graphics, Soapy Joe’s, Norton Transport, Shelbyville Auto Parts, Shelby’s Pro Painters, Cash Is Keen,
Beck Transport, McKinney Motorsports, PGG Gas, Wood Enterprises and Cobra Racing
This story appeared in the Feb. 8, 2023 edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
Keyword: CROWD PLEASER: Mike Riddle Jr.