Jacques Dresang

Hometown: Hartford, Wisconsin

 Our own Jacques Dresang is a bit of an anomaly.

After his humble beginnings racing karts in 1996 at the age of 11, Dresang began to run around the Midwest and eventually nationally, taking home many regional wins and a few national honors.

In 2002, he won nearly half of the kart races he entered, winning the World Karting Association's Horstman Piston Valve championship, which earned him WKA's Most Improved Sr. Driver Award. On the Midwest stage, he took home another championship, as well as the Midwest Sprint Series Matt Hottman Spirit Award in honor of a friend who had passed just months before.

From there, things began to spiral on-track. Karting wins became fewer and fewer, but when they did occur, it was generally a runaway affair. An attempt was made at SCCA's Spec Miata category, but again, something was amiss, despite some fine showings by Dresang and his ultra-quick teammates Steve Welk and the late Michael Argetsinger.

Finally, with the costs of the karting and Spec Miata increasing to silly heights and drivers turning to wreck-to-win tactics, Dresang and his father, Rick, looked for something a bit more satisfying.

The answer came in the form of rescuing vintage race cars and documenting history. It began with 1972 All American Racers Indy Eagle #7225, found in St. Louis in June 2004. It hasn't stopped.

While some drivers he started out racing with nearly 20 years ago have been lucky enough to make their own history in the sport, Dresang has spent most of his spare time in archives and shops, looking over notes and cars looking for signs of history and proper provenance.

Since 2010, Dresang has also been the driver of the team's 1977 All American Racers Eagle DGF #005 , and has captured many wins against newer machines. Suffice to say, racing and showing vintage cars has been a perfect fit.

In his spare time, Dresang enjoys adventuring with his wife and son, spinning vinyl records, collecting rare bits of racing history, photography and playing with his three rescued dogs.

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