Partners in speed

A new race car business has roared to life out of Kozak’s CARQUEST in Oconto Falls, and owner Jim Kozak said he is ready to expand the business. “It’s the challenge of trying to make it grow,” Kozak said. “It’s fun to start a business.” Kozak started his first automotive business in 1985 with Kozak’s NAPA Auto Supply on Main Street in Oconto Falls. The business was then sold in 1998 to corporate CARQUEST, which owned it until 2009 when Kozak bought the business back and moved to the current location on East Highland Drive. In addition to selling auto supplies, Kozak said the shop developed into a dealership for racing parts as his son Derek found an interest in racing at an early age. “He started racing go -carts when he was 8,” Kozak said. “He won three national championships. We were competing against the top guys in the nation, and it was fast.” During this time, Kozak was sponsoring Modified race car driver Lance Arneson, of Oconto Falls, who convinced the Kozaks to begin racing and selling cars in the Modified series. Modified race cars are a hybrid of an open wheel car and a stock car and are raced on dirt tracks throughout the country. “I told him there was only one way we were going to do it, and that was if he helped us,” Kozak said. In January, Kozak and Arneson created KSI Racing and began selling cars through Kansas-based Belleville Motor Sports. Kozak said teaming up with Arneson has been great. “He’s a veteran,” Kozak said. “He has been in this and has all of the technical aspects down, and I am the business part with the inventory and parts.” “It’s what we have both grown up being around,” said Arneson, who was the 2011 Wisconsin state champion. “It’s fun to do because it’s our passion.” The business houses two cars, which are raced by Arneson and Derek Kozak, who got his first win in the Modified class July 20 in Shawano. “I think Lance was happier than we were,” Kozak said. “He’s the guy behind the scenes helping us out.” Since starting KSI Racing, the business has sold four cars, and Kozak said all they have to do is start getting cars out front in races and sales will continue to go up. “We are trying to grow the business, and hopefully, we sell lots of race cars next year,” Kozak said.