Where Are They Now? – John Vandenberg

where are they NOW

Photo: Mike Ruefer Photo: Dave Hill

JOHN VANDENBERG

By Eric Arnold

KYLE LARSON HAS set the world on fire with winning sprint car AND late model races. Soon thereafter social media was on fire that this feat had never been done before. One of the few drivers who had success in both disciplines – outside Donny Schatz - was John Vandenberg, a driver who has qualified for the A Main of the Knoxville Nationals (2004) and twice in the Late Model Knoxville Nationals (2004-2005).

Vandenberg has not been behind the wheel of a race car since 2010. Born and raised in Pella, Iowa, he was a one-of-akind talent who didn’t have the funds to make it big. So, what exactly has the Flying Dutchman been up to over the last decade.

DIRT EMPIRE: Did you see or hear your name being tossed around on social media with Kyle Larson?

JOHN VANDENBERG: I’m not big on social media, but I did hear about it through some family and friends. Terry McCarl messaged me and let me know that I was being talked about and I thought that was pretty cool!

DE: So how does a kid from Pella become a race car driver?

JV: My father (Jim) and grandfather (Jerry) took me to Knoxville every Saturday night. In fact, they were at the first race ever at Knoxville in 1954. We would park across the highway from the track when the Bingley Sale Barn was there, so late 1970s probably. From an early age I always wanted to get into a sprint car. We didn’t have the extra money to race, so Dad told me if you want to race, you’re going to have to figure it out on your own. Some friends of ours - Johnny Menninga and Dean Whitten - had a two-car go-kart team and at age 15 Dean gave me my first ride. So that’s how it all started. Then later I got a chance to race at Oskaloosa in a stock car and a modified.

DE: How do you get to sprint cars?

JV: The first sprint car I drove was one of Bill McCroskey’s cars at the Front Row Challenge. With Terry McCarl and Bill promoting the event, they were trying to get a local driver in it. That was a great introduction to race on a track I already had a lot of laps on. Then I bought a used Schnee chassis from Troy Renfro and we figured out how to get an engine. Somehow we made it Knoxville to race.

DE: The 2004 Knoxville Nationals you make the Knoxville Nationals A-Main. You start thirteenth and finish tenth, ahead of a young Donny Schatz. What can you tell me about that race?

JV: Yeah, that was a good year. We finally had a motor that was comparable to everyone else and we could keep up. My friend Clyde Nagel bought a Wesmar and man that thing ran well. We had an experimental wing that Lynton Jeffrey gave us as well. I remember in the A-Main that Steve Kinser was behind me and there was a yellow. He come up beside me trying to intimidate me a little I suppose and swerved at me. But I thought, I have nothing to lose and everything to gain so I swerved right back at him!

DE: How do you get into late models?

JV: I was still racing modifieds and somewhere I ran into Billy Moyer and asked him to let me drive one of his Late Models

Photo: Dave Hill

sometime. A week or two goes by and he calls me and says come get this car I have in Des Moines. So, we brought it back to the shop and got to work. The first time out we go up to South Dakota to run against the World of Outlaws Late Models and ran top ten. It just seemed like a natural fit. I had the experience of speed with a sprint car and a modified that is heavier and handles similar, so it was comfortable right away. I just wanted to race. I won in karts, stock cars, modifieds, USMTS, whatever was available to me I wanted race.

DE: How much do you help your kids with their racing careers?

JV: My sons have been able to race the past several years in IMCA modifieds and done well. My daughter Jori is going to college at UNI. I’m really proud of them. I’ve tried to help the boys with setups and what I can. But financially they are in the same boat as me. My oldest boy, Carter, won the Boone Super Nationals for Sport Mods in 2013. My youngest boy, Jarrett, has been racing as well. It’s too expensive for them and hard to spend the money when you start having a family. There aren’t many car owners out there today. And the owners out there don’t always hire drivers on their ability as much anymore, they are hired by how much money they bring with them. It was happening some when I was racing too but it’s really tough today.

DE: So, what is John Vandenberg doing today?

JV: Well, I’m driving a UPS truck for a living, so I guess I’m still a hired driver!

DE: How fast will the truck go?

JV: (Laughing) Mine will go 73 before the rev limiter kicks in.

DE: Does your boss understand that you used to be a race car driver?

JV: Oh yeah! The truck can get sideways in winter driving conditions so maybe having race car driver on my resume was a good thing!

DE: Is there a UPS Driving School or do you need a CDL?

JV: You have to have a Class B license and they do send you to a school for a week.

DE: What can you tell me about the specs of the truck, engine size, etc.

JV: We check all the oils, fluids, lights, tires, all those sorts of things. They vary on engine sizes. They are not very powerful.

DE: How many uniforms do you own?

JV: I have ten pairs of UPS socks, five pairs of jeans, five long sleeve shirts, five short sleeve shirts and five pairs of shorts. The only thing you have to buy are your shoes.

DE: I have read that UPS drivers are discouraged from making left turns on their routes for efficiency? That seems ironic for a race car driver like yourself not making left turns.

JV: (Laughs) I know, that is ironic right! Well, they want you to make right hand turns and you always deliver off the righthand side of the truck. It’s a safety thing. But that has changed some with as busy as we are now with delivering Amazon packages to residential areas.

DE: What are some of the oddest items you have had to deliver?

JV: A dead cat that was packed in dry ice. It was for a science class where they were dissecting it. I have delivered live bees, a live snake; it’s pretty wild at times!

DE: Are there GPS tracking sensors on trucks?

JV: Oh yeah. They know where we are at all times. They know how many times we back up, if our seat belt is on, if a door is open, everything. They do time studies, and only allow so much time at certain spots, that’s how they know to create your route by looking at stops versus pieces.

DE: Do the trucks have air conditioning?

JV: No air conditioning. That is why you see the driver doors open in the summer. If you go in the back of the truck on really hot days, it can be 100-110 there. It is a big aluminum box, no insulation, so it can get really cold in the winter.

DE: Ever been attacked by a dog?

JV: Several times! I have been bitten by one. But you get to know your route and where they are. I carry treats so after a while most of them are good.

DE: If John Vandenberg wins the Powerball what are you doing with the money?

JV: I will probably get a late model and a sprint car!

DE: You still have the itch to race then?

JV: Oh yeah, that will not ever go away. I don’t go to many racing events anymore. If I hang out there, I start getting hopes of getting back in it. Even a 305 sprint car is an expensive toy these days. I go when my boys’ race and still go to Knoxville once a year but I try to stay away. I have a lot of friends there still and its great to see them but I still get the itch to get behind the wheel.

Update: John hasn’t won the Powerball and is still driving the UPS Truck. Over the years we see a lot of names come and go. Some of those names have a lot of talent and didn’t get the break they needed. John falls into that category. I’ve seen his boys race their modifieds several times and you can see talent there as well. Congratulations to his son Carter and wife McKenzie who had their second daughter recently. You can tell that John is loving being a grandfather. If you run into John someday, buy the man a beer and I guarantee he will tell you some stories!

Photo: Tony Bokhoven

John and his friend Ruth enjoying a recent football game.