Kippenhan fares well at WIR during first season

By Andy Thompson
News-Record Editor

NEENAH — When he was growing up, Cody Kippenhan spent his summer months playing baseball.

But that changed this past summer after Kippenhan graduated from Neenah High School.

At the suggestion of his father, Jeff Kippenhan, Cody decided to take up auto racing. He competed in the Sizzlin 4's class at Wisconsin International Raceway in the Town of Buchanan, a division intended for those who are just getting into racing.

Cody didn't perform like a beginner. He had a terrific season, placing fourth in the Sizzlin 4's and winning two feature races.

"He had a great year," said Jeff Kippenhan, a former road racer who has considerable experience working on cars.

Jeff operates JC Motorsports, an Appleton body and collision repair shop. And he sometimes spends time there with his son to assist Cody's budding driving career.

Cody, 18, is a freshman at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Mich. He is busy studying mechanical engineering, but is looking forward to the 2010 racing season, which kicks off in May.

"I think I did really well for the first year (of racing)," he said, noting that 14-year-olds are eligible to compete. "When we started the first week, I was all over the place."

That didn't last for long. Cody learned how to handle the car and how to drive it in corners, and as his experience grew, his place in the standings did as well.

Cody did most of his racing at WIR, but also qualified for a future's race in Slinger in 2009.

Jeff was not expecting Cody to place so high in the Sizzlin 4's, citing his inexperience on the race track. But Cody went far above expectations.

"I would have been happy with a 20th-place finish this year," said Jeff. "They had 40 cars altogether (in the Sizzlin' 4's class)."

Cody was more than willing to take his father's advice last summer and give racing a try. "I was always interested in it as a young kid," he said.

The Kippenhans obtained a 1993 Chevy Cavalier and went to work to make it ready for Sizzlin 4's competition. That division features four-cylinder cars on a quarter-mile track.

"It was an off-the-street kind of car," Cody Kippenhan said. "It was slow and we made it faster and faster."

Cody and his dad worked on the car and tweaked it during the 2009 season. And Cody was thrilled to win two races and fare well in several others.

"The first time (I raced), I was really nervous," he said.

But Cody grew comfortable racing and learned what it took to beat other drivers to the finish line.

"I loved it," he said.

Jeff Kippenhan said the 1993 Cavalier "turned out to be a good starter car" for Cody.

"He won two feature races with the car," Jeff said. "He did very well. And he had a lot of fun."

He said Cody seems to have what it takes to be a good driver.

"It's more about car control and being relaxed," Jeff said. "He's pretty laid back and he doesn't get rattled. But he's also intense and has good reactions.

"There's a lot more that goes into (racing) than people think."

Cody will have a different car when the 2010 season rolls around next spring. He and his dad are working on a 1996 Chevy Cavalier during weekends.

Someday, Cody would love to get a shot at late-model car racing. But for now, he's got his sights set on moving up in the Sizzlin 4's division.

"He's learning a lot about cars and how to race cars," Jeff said. "That's why it's so surprising what he has accomplished so far."

Andy Thompson: 920-729-6622, ext. 29, or athompson@newsrecord.net