Mike Riddle Jr. in action at the Indianapolis Speedrome. (Photo by David Sink)
It was the veteran driver’s first title in the late model figure 8 division.
Riddle Jr. only started racing in 1997 at the age of 27, which is certainly old by today’s standards. The second generation driver grew up with the sport and eventually followed in his father Mike Riddle’s tire tracks.
Mike Riddle Jr. (Photo by David Sink)
The senior member of the Riddle family had a decent driving career, mostly racing figure 8 cars at Anderson (Ind.) Speedway. He also competed at Mount Lawn Speedway and Muncie Motor Speedway. His dedication prompted sons Mike Jr., Doug and Billy to make the sport a family affair.
Mike Riddle Jr.’s rookie season went much better than he could have imagined as he felt right at home in Anderson Speedway’s Standard 8 class.
“Dad started racing in 1972 and I started racing in 1997,” explained Riddle Jr. “I started racing when I was 27 years old. I was almost 30 years old before I drove my first racing car. A lot of these guys these days start when they are teenagers. I started pretty late.
“I adapted pretty quickly. I won five races in our first year. There were always more than 20 cars on the road every night. I started at Anderson Speedway and it’s a pretty fast track,” added Riddle Jr. “I wasn’t too surprised. I’ve been involved with racing cars my whole life. It was the first time I drove, but it wasn’t the first time I built a car. I was very well informed. I’ve just never driven one around the racetrack.”
It wasn’t long before Riddle Jr. was 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. Held at Anderson Speedway, the National Crown is America’s oldest continuously running 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 later-model oval racing at Mount Lawn and Anderson Speedways. He found success in the new division and clinched 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 latest generation Figure 8 car at Anderson. Riddle Jr. didn’t disappoint, finishing sixth when he sat in the ultra-fast Figure 8 machine for the first time. Riddle Jr. quickly fell in love with the faster form of figure-8 racing.
In 2013, Riddle Jr. was offered the opportunity to compete full-time in a late model Figure 8 entry and drive a Billy Lawson car in the International Outlaw Figure 8 series. The now defunct touring late model Figure-8 line competed throughout the Midwest, visiting tracks such as Salem (Ind.) Speedway, Ohio’s Kil-Kare Speedway, Anderson, and Plymouth (Ind.) Speedway.
For the past few seasons, the Riddle family has raced regularly at the Indianapolis Speedrome after purchasing their own gear. Mike Riddle Jr. has always been a contender at the five-mile speedway on the southeast side of Indianapolis.
The Speedrome is a figure 8 racing hotspot and the track hosts the nation’s largest and richest annual 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 performance even sweeter, brother Doug finished second overall, giving the team a one-two.
“We had no idea that was going to happen,” said Riddle Jr. “He’s had a good season, but it’s only his second season in these cars. I got a win earlier in the year and never fell further than second place all year and we won our first Speedrome Championship.
When asked how much longer he will be racing, Riddle Jr. said it’s all about having fun.
“My parents are almost 70 but I enjoy spending time with them at the track and in the garage. I’m sure I’ve got a few years left in me,” he said. “I would like to win the 3-hour race. It’s the only race I haven’t won. I did well at that. I’ve tried for the past few years. i think i can get it. I’ll keep trying until I can’t race anymore.”
BRIEF INFORMATION
Mike Riddle Jr.
Birthday: February 3, 1970
Hometown: Greenwood, Indiana
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 February 8, 2023 issue of SPEED SPORT Insider.
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