SPECIAL FEATURE: BRAD SHEATZ: THE POWER BEHIND BOBBY WHITLING
by Brian Spaid

July 30, 2004 

  Engine builders are often the key to success for a race team. The driver and the car are heading nowhere without a strong and reliable powerplant under the hood.

   In 1996, Bobby Whitling decided to take the opportunity to drive a race car when news broke that Tri-City Speedway was reopening. Whitling knew that the brother of his good friend, Chad Sheatz, built and worked on engines. Those pieces were for street rods and drag racers, but Whitling thought that Brad Sheatz might just help him build a motor for the new Pure Stock class at the Venango County half-mile oval.

   So, he asked.

   “I thought I could do it, and I agreed,” said Sheatz.

   Nine seasons and 62 feature wins later, Sheatz still provides the horsepower for Whitling’s race team. It is the most successful Pro Stock team in Tri-City’s modern era with 36 feature wins, and is currently in the running for a third title at the track. Other tracks where Whitling has won include Sportsman’s Speedway (12 wins), Mercer Raceway Park (10) and Lernerville Speedway (4).

   While Sheatz, 38, has enjoyed the success as much as Whitling, he actually finds the job to be more pressure now than ever before.

   “When Bobby started out, it was a lot of fun,” recalled Sheatz. “We put the car together and went out and had a ball. Then, we started winning and becoming more successful at it. Pretty soon, I put a lot of pressure on myself to have an engine that wins.”

   Sheatz is under constant pressure about the performance of his engines in Whitling's Ted Karns Specialty Construction Chevrolet No. 7w. Take the 2001 Applefest 100 when Sheatz was in the tower at Tri-City watching “The Seneca Slider” lead the biggest race of the year. With about 10 laps to go, lights flashed on the dashboard of Whitling’s car, and were evident to the fans. Chomping at the bit, Sheatz watched nervously as Whitling pressed the car to the limit and captured his second consecutive win in the race.

   “I’ll put an engine together, then go to sleep and dream about it. I’ll take that engine apart three to four times a night. I don’t want Bobby to have a DNF (do not finish). It might be different if we had a non-competitive car, but Bobby has been a successful racer. The entire crew expects to do well for him and the team.”

   The Oil City man prepares three engines for Whitling each race season at the team’s shop in Seneca.

   “We do all the machine work outside our shop. I rely on other people’s workmanship for the engine parts. Then, I assemble the engines and spend a lot of time thinking about them. Usually, we have two complete motors available for Bobby and a third one that sits in the corner, which is a spare in case of an emergency.”

   With a tight point race at Tri-City, Sheatz is ready to install a new 406 cubic inch engine into Whitling’s car to finish the season. He also is working on a 358 cubic inch small block engine for the 2005 season. Last season, Darrell Bossard of Centerville piloted a small block to the Pro Stock track championship.

   “I want to put together a successful 358 engine for next year. Darrell did well with it last year. There is a 400 pound weight break with the small block engine, so we should still be competitive with the other teams.”

   With only five point races left on the 2004 schedule at Tri-City, Whitling is in a heated battle with Bruce Smith of Franklin for the Pro Stock title. Each driver has four wins, but Smith has been more consistent than Whitling. Sheatz lays some blame on himself for Smith’s 35-point lead over Whitling in the title chase.

   “On opening night, the engine dropped an intake valve. We’d raced the engine at Mercer two or three times before that with no trouble. It just let go. That put us behind right off the bat.”

   Showing its fortitude, however, the team recovered to match Smith in the win column. Sheatz attributes the recent success of his engines to a new carburetor.

   “It really improved our performance. You have to watch experimenting with parts because it can hurt you. I’m pretty impressed with the last month though. We’re running last year’s motor. It’s tired, but it’s working well.”

   Sheatz credits the entire team for Whitling’s improved performance. Crewmen Chad Sheatz, Jody Reeher, Nate Jacoby and Brian Beggs continue to excel. They are determined men with a strong desire to race clean, legal and hard. As for the driver, Sheatz believes Whitling is the best driver at the track.

   “For one, he’s calm. He never gets rattled by anything. He’s mild-mannered, relaxed and laid back. He never complains about anyone out on the track. Despite his demeanor, he is so determined to be in front that he’ll make it four-wide if he can. I’ll tell him that we have a third place car, and he’ll tell me that he can win the race. Then, he does it.”

   Sheatz firmly believes that the team will overtake Smith for the title.

   “At the beginning of the season, they were tough. We caught them and we’re running with him now. We can win this title.”

   The next five weeks will be interesting. In fact, the title may come down to the engine builders, Sheatz for Whitling and former track champion Jack Smith for his son.