Welcome to Momentum, a motorsports podcast powered by High Gear Success. I'm your host, Heather Wilson Schiltz Here we share the stories and strategies that keep the world of motorsports moving forward. And if you're in ATV motocross, then you'll definitely be pumped to hear from my next guest. Chad Wienen is an eight time AMA Pro motocross national champion who's racked up 67 career wins and countless podiums during his 22 year professional career. Plus he's a six time member of the AMA US ATV motocross team at Quadcross of Nations. And although he's officially retired from racing this year, he plans to stay involved in the sport. So thanks for joining me. Yeah, thanks, Heather. So obviously you announced your retirement. you ended the ATV motocross season and then you went to Quadcross of Nations. So does this mark the official, official retirement? Yeah, this is the official one. It definitely felt more like official at the final round of AMA Pro ATV Motocross, especially like winning that last round. Like that was the ultimate like goodbye. And you know, I was like, okay, like I'm complete, but I still have like the nations to do with the team. So yeah, it definitely uh felt, feel complete now. I'm sure that a lot went into that decision to step away from professional racing, but throughout all of those years, what did it take for you to stay competitive at such a high level? That is a lot of years of racing at a very high level. Yeah, I mean, I think you actually just get a taste of it and it's hard to, you know, not have that winning taste in your mouth. And there's no better feeling than, you know, ending the season on a championship and the highs of that. But uh yeah, I just made it. It's a big part of my life and it has been for half my life, you know, so it's, it's, it's awesome, a great sport to be a part of. And, you know, the people that I've met along the way, it's been, uh, Hopefully be some lifelong friends there. Yeah, absolutely. You have had obviously a lot of great years, a lot of great moments, but there's probably been some injuries mixed in there as well. So how did you keep your motivation alive through those injuries and just like the constant grind of needing to be training and being at the races all the time? Yeah, it's almost like your program that way. You you get knocked down and you know, just the way I've been brought up with my parents, uh they taught me some good lessons while I was younger. And you know, if you want something bad enough, you got to fight for it. And between the good and the bad. uh I think that really helped propel me through those bad times and having good people behind me that are filling me with good motivational words. keep me pushing forward. And I've always been a kind of a person that's really self-driven too, that I think that really helps where I give my mind on something, there's not gonna be many things that are gonna stop me. Yeah, absolutely. Do you have a favorite track that sticks out in your mind throughout the years? Yeah, like, I mean, my all time favorite is Redbud. We haven't raced there for a couple of years now, but that's always been my favorite stop. It's local here in the Midwest whereI'm from Illinois. And just, you know, when you pull into that track that it's a, it's a legendary track. And every time we go there, it just gives you that feeling of like, you're at the best place. So it's a memorable. So when you're on the track, you've obviously raced against a lot of tough competitors throughout the years and that's changed over the years as well. But who do you feel like has pushed you the hardest throughout the years? would say like early on like John Natalie was one of my big competitors back then and he was like he was at the best part of his career when I kind of stepped into the pro ranks and we started battling right away and he had that that he just had that the years under his belt where I was still young and you know, not really thinking about much, just reacting with the throttle. And he taught me a lot of things that way. And then getting into my latter part of my career, you know, with Joel Hetrick, he's, he's been an amazingly fast rider and that pushed me to be, a faster and stronger rider myself. So it's just one of those things where, there's a lot of people along the way that have really done that for me. Do you feel like being mentally prepared or physically prepared for race day is more important or is there balance to be found there? Yeah, there's a balance. mean, I'm a strong believer of putting the work in during the week. It makes your race day a lot easier. um when things go to plan that way, there's nothing better. Like when you go to a race and it's easier than your practice days and that preparation that a lot of people don't see behind the scenes, uh that's where it's all made right there. I think that's the difference too, between being a professional athlete and maybe a weekend warrior or an amateur athlete is they show up and they want to do their best on race day, but they may not have put the preparation in ahead of time. even things like hydration and eating the right stuff. they show up on race day and they're just pounding water or electrolytes, but it's a little too late at that point, right? Yeah, yeah, I mean, you gotta be ahead of the game on that point and you gotta trial and error yourself because if you're not doing the same things during the week and then you're all of sudden doing them during the weekend, it might go against you, just like what you said. talk about kind of your fitness and nutrition and recovery and how it's helped kind of keep you at that championship level. Kind of what, what are your go-tos in that regard? Uh, I mean, it's like a revolving door. It changes a lot. And I'm a strong believer that your body, gets used to things. So it's, you got to know when to change and when to like adjust things because, you know, I've been on like different, like eating plans and stuff like that and eating different things. And it actually like, when you first get on it, it's like, you know, you're supercharged and then you start to plateau. So you got to be like, well aware of like, you know, when you're doing those things on when to change. like my go-to is, like, you know, leading up to the weekend, getting your carb, your carbs that you need and hydrating, of course, and just making sure that you're, you're getting the rest that you need. And I believe that you get those three things that like you're well on the right track to being prepared for, you know, what you're going to put your body through throughout the weekend. You've had a 22 year professional career, but you obviously have been racing even longer than that. Have you seen the ATV technology change throughout that time? Oh, certainly. Like the first couple of years, like we're on, you know, carbureted machines. And then eventually a couple of years later, like 2007, like we started to get fuel injected and, and then seeing the progression of the fuel injection over, you know, the last, you know, 10, 15, 20 years is, it's pretty incredible, you know, just what we can do with our, with our electronics and our mapping and ah It actually makes us go faster, know, like ultimately because you're not thinking about, know, like is my carburetor gonna bog off off of the one of the jumps and jump faces and you're, you gain that confidence in your machine. So it's a, it's definitely like it drives you to go a lot faster on track. And I think I've heard you're a guy that kind of likes to work on your own machine more than maybe some riders Yeah, yeah, I've just, mean, in my early part of my pro career, was, I didn't have a ton of money. So I had to learn, to work on my machine myself. And I had a lot of good people around me that like mechanics wise that taught me a lot of like really good things to know on the machine. And I learned how to rebuild my engines, building machines, you know, started working on shocks and stuff like that. So it was like, I just first started doing that to save money. And then it actually, I started to take a real liking to it, so I brought that on to my pro career even today. I build all my own machines, I build the engines, I have an engine, basically an engine builder that cuts the heads, puts the valves, cuts the valves in, but I'm doing all the assembly with that. At the end of day, you know that it's more on your shoulders and you're not depending on somebody that... um You know, might take an early day on Friday and shortcut some things, but you know, so uh it's a good thing, but it's also a bad thing because you know how much time it takes to do all those things. It takes away from maybe training and takes away from time away from the family too. But um it's been my recipe of success. I think it also probably gives you an advantage too, because if an athlete isn't very mechanical and they're trying to convey what they're feeling to their mechanic, they may not always be able to accurately describe what's going on or what needs to happen. And you just kind of can feel it and then know what you need to change and figure it out. Yeah, yeah, certainly. It's uh definitely one of those things where uh you're able to react and feel and you don't have tell anybody. I already know what I'm feeling and I know what it takes to get what I want out of the machine. So it's definitely that. And then, you you're not getting lost with your mechanic or something like that and trying to translate what needs to be done. Right. So we've talked about kind of the ATVs changing over time, but how have the tracks changed over time? Do you feel like the jumps have gotten bigger? The speeds have gotten faster. How has that impacted your career? Yeah, I mean, I think right now, I almost feel like we're starting to outgrow the tracks a little bit, being how fast the machines are going, the jumps are, I mean, the jumps are still big, but we're not having to stretch them out quite as much. And I see tracks making adjustments, but I think the biggest thing is the track lanes, how long some of the track lanes are and the speeds that we're carrying around the track. especially being open wheel racing on the dirt is pretty wild how fast the riders are going around the track nowadays. It's one of those things too, you start going that fast and you have crashes and it doesn't always end up well. I had a crash in 2024, first round of the year. I had a... an accident with a we're at the opening round of the year. had an accident there and I actually fractured uh my T6 and T7 in my neck. it's season-ending injury, but you know, it's just one of those things that, you know, it's motorsports and it's a dangerous sport. But um at the end of the day, honestly, I like every time I put my helmet on, I, I never think about like what, could happen. So it's just. You keep that drive in you and you don't think about those things until you're in that moment. You just represented the United States as part of the AMA US ATV motocross team. I feel like these titles of these series are so long. It's like such an mouthful to say. uh But you represented the US at quadcross of nations where the team has won six titles and took runner up this year. And you guys encountered terrain in the Netherlands that is not very typical here in the US. So when you first rolled up to the track, what was your gut reaction? ah Honestly, my gut reaction was fine because the track was smooth, untouched, so it looked perfect, honestly. Once machines got on track, it started to deteriorate very fast. It was uh an eye-opener because I just feel like we could... It's almost naive in a way because we felt like we could manipulate the machine what we need to with what we got. I felt like for us, for me to ride my best, like I needed some major adjustments to my machine to make it go around that track the way that I wanted to. we didn't necessarily have that on hand for us to do. I think if I were probably back in my mid 30s, like 35, I could probably just deal with it and just be OK. But now I'm... oh I'm 40 years old. think about a lot. I think about the short end more than just going out there and pounding laps. So I make sure that I come home safe more often than just hang it out. it's just one of those things. I think the team did great. The riders did great in just knowing what what we were up against and it was no joke. So we we know that the track there is It is another beast. For us, it's a 31st rider, I guess. And I think we forgot that going into that race. Yeah, you talked about the bike setup needing to be a lot different. The big thing that I was hearing was tires, but how that impacted a lot of other things too with getting those bigger tires fit on the machine. So can you tell us a little bit about those different bike setup changes? Yeah, so like definitely needed like the more sand setup tires and bigger tires like we're accustomed to using, you know, 20 inch fronts and 18 inch rears where we had to be running 23 inch rears and you know, 20 maybe 24 inch fronts. So it was a big, big, big change. And once you start doing that stuff you got to change your suspension as well. because otherwise you're just starting to lose uh travel in the shock and you need more travel. And then ride height was a big thing where we need to get off the ground as far, like two inches more than what we were. every time I would come over, I'd go from one bump to the other, my frame's hitting before my suspension. was... uh It was like a boxing match out there with the machine. Yeah, being married to a suspension tech myself, you I get to hear about how important suspension is, you know, for the overall ride. So I can definitely see that being a huge factor, with those different tires and that different terrain. Um, what lessons have you taken away? Cause when you go over to quadcross of nations, you're part of a team and what's usually an individual sport. So how did that kind of change the dynamics? It's not just what you're doing. It's what the team is doing. Yeah, I feel like I really adjusted to that really well because I come from like playing football and um it's that's that's a team sport. You need every guy on their team doing their job and for for it all to work correctly. And um I feel like it's it's difficult because you're so used to, you know, lining up for yourself, lining up for your team, your sponsors and going out there and doing your best. And I feel like I'm a good team player. And I've been trying to like really keep working to teach like the riders that have come and rode for Team USA that, you got to do what's best for the team. doing the right things for us to come home in one piece and for us to come home, you know, winning. and not make an individual where you risk too much and you could hurt yourself or hurt the team doing that. Yeah. What is the vibe like in the pits over there? This is a huge international event. So what's that atmosphere like? That's It's nothing like here in the States just being um it's like that competitive, you know, mix of like the pride of each country and everybody just it doesn't matter if the country's good or bad. Like they will go down with their team, you know, ride the wave with the good and the bad. And they're so excited to see us there, too, because they they get to see us, you know, on. the social media and YouTube and stuff like that and it's so rare for them to see us in live action and the Netherlands this year was off the hook with how many people were there and the reaction from the fans and you know especially that being like my last nations it was pretty special for you know how many people came up to me and said it's been amazing and it's been an awesome ride and seeing you be here so it's It's really cool in that aspect and us as a team, get to enjoy that. it's, um, I had him, I had a mechanic this year that used to work for me back in like 2013, 14 to 15. And I had him come back and mechanic for me because he's never been to a nations. And it was, um, just a perfect, perfect moment because, you know, he deserved to be there as much as anybody else. And that event wasn't going on back then when he was mechanic-ing and. He was so honored to be a part of the team and be there and experience it. It was nothing like he had ever experienced. Yeah. Do you guys as the team or even individually get to take some time before after racing to kind of check out the countries that you guys are racing in? Yeah, so this year we went early. We went a week early and we took the family and and enjoy it. We flew into Belgium and into Brussels and toured around Belgium. We really found a town that we really enjoyed. It's called Bruges and that's we just had the perfect relaxing time. Good time with the family and toured around and see new places. I'm not a big fan of just going over there and coming back. Like last year I did that. I did a solo because I wasn't on, I wasn't part of the riders team because of my injury. So I just went over there and, you know, went over there and helped the team and came back home. So it was kind of felt weird doing that, but, and, know, every year that we've done it, we, with the family, we always stay for at least a week or more. Yeah. Cool. as part of your pro career sponsorship is a big part of that. So how did you approach and build and maintain those sponsorships throughout the years? Yeah, I mean, I've been able to actually keep a lot of sponsors that I've had for, I mean, I got on on the Wienen Motorsports Yamaha program in 2012 and I believe that I maybe changed like maybe four sponsors from 2012 to 25. So pretty, pretty proud of that. And just had a good group. People that I've known for, you know, 15 plus years and I'm a strong believer in their product and their believers in me. And that goes a long way when both parties are on the same page and they want the best out of each other. And just goes a long way that way, the trust. And so I'm really proud of my group that I have behind me. And they're going to continue to support me in the next chapter of what I want to do. I want to keep doing some fun events here and there and just ride for fun. Maybe competed a couple places, but the AMA Pro Racing, that's ship sailed for me and just enjoy riding. Yeah, I feel like that's something not all racers maybe understand that it's way easier. I don't know if it's easy necessarily, but the goal is to be able to keep sponsors year after year. You don't want to have to keep going out and finding new ones. That's a lot more challenging than just building those relationships and maintaining those relationships. And they definitely do take some maintaining too. It's not a request to get money or parts or products. And then you just. see them again next year when it's time to ask for that stuff again. There's a lot more that goes into it throughout the year, right? Yeah, for sure. Certain companies want certain things. Luckily, with the people that I work with, they're very into racing and they want to see you on the track and performing and doing well. The nice thing is, whether it's a good day or a bad day, they still reach out. They still check in with me and I really enjoy that because you're not just a figure to them. uh prop I guess so it's something more and and I enjoy doing like the one-off things that companies like to do to to bring some attention to their product or like have me like do some social media stuff with them so it's it's a good it's a good it's a good partnership. since it is kind of the thick of what I call sponsorship season this fall, kind of heading into the next calendar year, what advice would you give to riders that are trying to stand out to potential sponsors today? uh I would say like, a lot of people love to know what you're doing. Never go short on the amount of like, uh information you can give them or calling them, race results, photos, videos. Try not to go short on those because they like to know what you're doing and something fresh every couple weeks. that people remember you and always be polite and be appreciative of what people do for you. Because a lot of these sponsors, they don't necessarily have to do it, but it's nice for them to give back and give back to the sport. And one day you could be in my shoes and living the dream, I guess you'd say, and be able to do this for a living. There's nothing like it, and I just know I've been able to do something that's really special that there's not many people in the world get to, live out their dream and do their dream job and, just have that freedom. What is something that people may not realize about the business side of racing? Because of course, yes, you love to race and it's a lot of people's hobbies, but this is your career. And there's definitely a business aspect and management portion that goes in behind the scenes. Yeah, it's, you know, like you said, like this time of year is, is when you're putting on, putting on your cap to go to work and try and get supporters behind you. And it is a business. You got to know what you're worth, the your your self-worth. And I feel like, you get the results, like you have some leverage, you know, with these companies and it's not the greatest of time right now. Like, It is tough. is very tough. I think the biggest thing is like, don't ask for too much that you drive people away. You know, you got to build, the foundation with these companies and just know, just know that you go out there and do your job well and you support and represent these, these companies and you represent yourself too, you know, in a, positive way that you're going to grow, to, to where you want to be. And that's just, it's just part of it. It's a building process. Do you feel like racers and fans and really everybody involved in the sport, do they have a responsibility to help promote ATV racing as a whole? And if so, like what should they be doing? think there's so much negativity out there there might be things about ATV racing that's not the greatest, but you got to also maybe try to fix those things and not try to just point them out. Just maybe have ideas to try and work together. It'd be nice to hear more positive things than the negatives. I think today's day and age, you hear a lot more negatives than the good things. I'm a positive person, I always try to bring out the positives in anything and try to solve the negatives and try to be better with that. I think sticking together, know, sticking together and being one and be a person that, you know, your 10-year-old self would look back and want to be happy about. If you could give advice to yourself as a rookie, like looking back, what would be the best advice that you wish you would have gotten or that you would give somebody else starting out now? I think being a rookie, like in the professional ranks, like you're going to get, you're going to get, you know, you're going get knocked down. You're going to get pushed around and it's going to be tough. And I think, I think I just kind of went at it like blindly, not really caring about what happened maybe I didn't get the results that I wanted. I always kind of dug, kept go back to, go back to work, go back to work and get ready. try to be better than next. And I see a lot of riders these days that are, you know, riding like year one, year two, and they're like, like, it's so hard. It's so difficult. because they're like in the amateur ranks, they're used to winning and to go from winning to getting your teeth kicked in every weekend is very, very difficult and uh staying the course and you know, giving it your all. And I think that's, that's probably the advice that I would stand with. When I was younger, we partied a lot, we had fun, and now it's more of a business. You're going to sleep early, so maybe not staying out late and doing all the wild stuff that I did when I was a rookie. So think that'd be probably the advice that I would give. Yeah, absolutely. And I've definitely seen it, like you said, when the racers are so used to winning and the amateur ranks, they're at the top. They, are really confident. And then that first season of pro racing, it is difficult. It is definitely a mind game for them. So to kind of get beyond that and just keep putting in the work, I think is really important. Yeah, it's mental. oh I you just gotta get that spark somewhere and get one of those motos that goes your way and you give it everything you got and you rise up to what your true potential is. Yeah. uh So kind of putting a bow on the end of this season, what kind of legacy do you hope that you've left for this next generation of ATV racers? You know, I just, uh just knowing that you can come from anywhere and do well as long as you put your hard work in and your dedication that it can be you. You can be the next. And I think that I had uh a friend of mine that he was actually, his name is Tommy Hoffmaster. He grew up about 45 minutes away from me. Um, when I was growing up, I saw him having success, at a pro level. And I'm like, you know, like, it can happen to him. It can happen to me. So I just, I put in the effort and, I just know that I just want to, just want to be the guy that, people like remember as, the hard worker and, you know, kind of help build his, his own program with his own hands and. didn't come from a whole lot that you put in the work. And I'm going to try and pass that on to a couple of riders that I work with now and hopefully they can be the, the torch of that. you announced earlier that even though you are going to retire from pro racing, you're going to stay connected to the sport through coaching parts and builds. are you going to take a little time off first? Are you just going to keep on rolling? Yeah, I'd like to take a little time off like this fall and still ride a little bit and have some fun with some friends. um you know, the things that I have planned was like be working closely with like Max Lindquist and a couple other riders that I coach as well and try to try to keep them going. And then also like, you can't take too much time off because the season comes very quickly, you know, when it does come up. But, definitely the next month I'll take it easy. My son started playing football and, I'm gonna enjoy that and help coach a little bit with that and just spend that family time because I know when race season starts, it's gonna be kind of wide open again a little bit. So outside of racing, are there some hobbies or passions that you're excited to maybe get to explore or spend more time on that have maybe been put on the back burner for all these years? Yeah, yeah. I want to, one of the big things like I want to do is, is build an old truck with my dad. And I think I'll be like kind of the forefront of that. dad just kind of wants it. He's at, he's talked about it a few times, but I'm to be the one that kind of go out and find the truck and bring it home and do all that. And then we'll start tinkering on it together and just have that father son time that, you know, we don't always get a ton of that, but he goes all like, He's probably gone to 89 % of my races throughout my career. So he's given so much to me and it'd be a good thing for me to give back to him and have that father son time and then enjoy golf. My son's picking up some golf a little bit here, so we'll go out and play a little bit of golf together. And I love football, so we're gonna go to some football games and stuff. Just enjoy that time. Are you going to get to spend more time at home or do you plan on going, no, you won't be racing to the races next year. Cause I guess in my mind, I assumed you were just going to be at home chilling, but I don't know. Maybe you're going to still be there. Yeah, I'll still go to some events. I definitely don't want to be at all of them. That's for sure. It is difficult for me to go to the races and watch, but I think it'll be different where I'm really connected with uh my riders there and kind of just living that through them and just enjoying those moments and seeing their success. But I can see myself going to like half the events next year and being there. um I definitely want to have some more home time and be more of a father than anything really. I think you kind of have to ease into, um, not going to all the races because like you, my husband has been following that circuit and at every single race, probably for almost as long as you have probably closing on 20 years, cause he's your age. And so, um, I love the alone time sometimes when he goes away, right. And he's, he's gone for 10, basically 10 weeks a year, at least by the time you headed the track and you're back home. Um, but every year he says he's going to go to less and he still continues to go to all of them. And then he'll talk about not going one year. like, I'm not sure I'm ready for that, for you to be home like 10 more weeks in the year. Um, so I feel like you kind of got to ease into it. Yeah, for sure. I uh think that'll help me as well, like my mental state and not just cutting it off and being done. And I think that'd be pretty difficult. And I've had some friends that have done that. And I think they said they needed to do that to actually get away from the sport, to be complete, I guess. Because otherwise they want to ride and race themselves even more. I have some friends that kind of joke around my wife that they're like, yeah, like, I'm going to be the one to help chat out and uh keep the lifestyle at home good where you're not bothering your wife too much. So um I'm definitely going to have some fun things to do with some friends that, you know, I didn't have much opportunity to do until, you know, I did end my career. Perfect. ah Kind of to close it out, looking back, what are you most proud of across your career? I am probably most proud of just being able to race in an era that I think is the all-time era with racing against some of the greats of like Doug Gust, Tim Farr, Jeremiah Jones, know, just so many great riders of that era. John Natalie, uh know, Joe Byrd Keith Little, you know, and I looked up to those riders when I was younger and I got to race with them. and went through like the best years of ATV racing with the factories. And I'm most proud of that. You I think just being a part of that era. That's awesome. Tell people where they can connect with you on social media. I'm sure people listening to this probably already follow you, but in case we have any new followers, let them know where they can connect with you. Yeah, mean I'm most active on Instagram, Facebook, not that much, but I still have a page there to reach out and that people reach out to me and I talk with them there. yeah, that's probably the easiest way and through our business, WienenMotorsports.com that's usually easy connected to me as well. Well, thank you for joining me to talk about your legendary career. And I hope you get a little bit of a break and some time to relax before you dive back into it. Um, but thanks to everybody for tuning into momentum. This has been a production of high gear success. If you want to connect or recommend a guest, head to momentum motorsports podcast.com until next time, keep the momentum rolling.