Carrington native Rusty Kollman racing around the state
Jun. 24—CARRINGTON, N.D. — As Rusty Kollman's racing career has gone on, he has dealt with health complications, but with his family by his side, he has found just as much success.
Kollman, a Carrington native, has been racing for 23 years. He said he first got into the sport working as a mechanic for a decade before he started.
Kollman said the first car he drove was a road hog, where he worked the throttle while a teammate worked the steering wheel. Kollman said having his daughter, Kaylee, and his son, Randy, and his 5-year-old granddaughter, Lucy, come to the races has increased his enjoyment of the sport.
"I guess, I'm a lot calmer than I used to be," Kollman said. "I used to get excited about a lot of things and just little things that happen. I take things in stride a lot more than I used to. I guess the friendships that I've gained throughout this whole racing deal is just awesome, helping other people out and other people helping me out. That's probably the best part of it and basically what I've learned the most. I've learned to enjoy it more."
Throughout his career, Kollman has raced in road hogs, bombers, Wissota street stock and Wissota late model cars. He said he also owns a B-mod car that he is thinking about racing at some point during the 2023 season.
Since 2011, Kollman has participated in 353 events, compiling three wins, 46 top-five finishes and 142 top-10 finishes. He has participated in eight events this season as of June 21, finishing in the top five once and in the top 10 three times. He has participated on the Northern Late Model Racing Association Tour for the last five years.
"Actually, it's gone pretty good," Kollman said. "We just switched to a late model this year, this is our first year ever in a late model. It's been better than I thought it would be and I've got a really good car. It's just the driver has gotta get things straight and we'll be OK. It's better than what I expected I guess this year, I just hope we can keep it rolling."
Kollman did not race in the 2012 and 2013 seasons after being diagnosed with aplastic anemia, which happens when a person's body does not produce enough new blood cells.
Kollman said he switched to the late model after suffering a heart attack in October. He said 10 days after his heart attack, he bought his Wissota late model car.
"I've always wanted to do a late model," Kollman said. "I had some health issues last fall and I'm not getting any younger, so I just decided I should do it while I can yet. So, I guess that was the biggest decision, always wanted to do it and decided to make that opportunity happen."
Kollman said his favorite part of racing is the complete concentration on the job at hand. He said before the race he is thinking about the track and how it is running.
"The feeling you get of the speed and the adrenaline flow," Kollman said, "your mind goes to nothing else but that. That's what I've always liked about it. Your thought process is all about the race car and nothing else."
As he is preparing for a race, Kollman said he is thinking about whether or not his car is running properly and whether his preparation is enough to help him get a win. Despite all of the preparation that he puts in before the week, he admitted that he never is completely confident that his car is good to go until he gets a few laps under his belt.
During his career, Kollman has raced at 28 different tracks around the country, which meant he was struggling to pick his favorite track to race at.
"I love the Fergus Falls (Minn.), the (Interstate 94) facility, it's an awesome place, they put a heck of an effort into it," Kollman said. "Jamestown, of course, has always been my home track and my favorite track. Mandan, we don't get to race there much any more beings as we've got different classes, that's one of my favorite tracks. There's a few of them, Greenbush, Minnesota, is just a neat little track. I'm pretty fond of a lot of tracks. These track people put a lot of effort into it."
