What do Craig Mintz, Buddy Kofoid, Carson Macedo, Cole Macedo, and DJ Netto all have in common? They have all enjoyed a home cooked meal and a milkshake from Stephanie Linder at some point in their lives.
If you are familiar with Ohio sprint car racing, then you are probably familiar with the Linders. A quick Google search for “Mike Linder Racing” will provide countless articles about wins as both a driver and car owner. Going back even further, you’ll find archives of Jim Linder winning races at Fremont. Over the years, the Linder name has become one of the most respected names in Ohio dirt racing. So, by default, Stephanie’s involvement in sprint car racing had to have started once she married into the Linder family, right? Wrong.
Stephanie Linder grew up in the stands at Fremont Speedway and on the turn four hill at Millstream watching her brother, Jon Finsel, race in weekly competition.
“That is how my family spent our weekends… As race fans!” said Stephanie Linder.
“As my brother got older, he decided he wanted to race. My dad was a drag racer before I was born, but was never involved with a team that ran on dirt”
It was at the track that Stephanie was introduced to her husband, Mike Linder. She jokes that she was never a Linder fan, instead cheering for Brad Doty and Rick Ferkel before taking the Linder name. Once she married Mike, her role in dirt racing and at the track expanded. She did what most mothers, wives and girlfriends do at the track and so much more. On top of posting lineups, videotaping races, cleaning race suits, and organizing the trailer, Stephanie would also fill fuel jugs and even do any maintenance that the team would trust her with.
“At the track I would videotape Michael’s races (along with his sister Susan), I made sure the lineups were posted in the trailer, got food for the guys, made sure the cooler was stocked, scraped mud, sold merchandise, and helped any other way possible without getting in the way.”
What interested me the most about Stephanie, was that her story of being a “race mom” goes far beyond the typical roles. Once Mike decided to stop racing, there wasn’t a car in the shop, and anyone who has been around racers knows that stepping away from the sport is not an easy task. So, along came Craig and Les Mintz, who wanted to start a second team with Ohio racer Chris Andrews. Mike and his brother, Steve, would house the car at the Linder’s shop and do the preparation and maintenance. That lasted for one season, and would mark the beginning for what would become the Linder’s “Sprint Car Summer Camp.”
The second Mintz Motorsports car was looking for a driver and a young midget racer out of California was itching to find a 410 ride in the midwest. His name was Carson Macedo, and like many California racers before him, he knew that traveling to the Ohio region was the best way to get his name out there and improve his skills.
At first, for Stephanie, she wasn’t overly impressed with the idea of having some California kid move across the country to stay and race with them.
“I enjoyed racing with Chris, so I wasn’t excited about this new kid named Carson Macedo… until I got the chance to meet him!”
It didn’t take long for Carson to become one of Stephanie’s “kids.” The summer spent racing with Carson was a roller coaster on the track, but in Stephanie’s eyes, he could do no wrong and the potential for him to be great was clear as day. She would give Carson the nickname “Baby Jesus” and between doing laundry and cooking, Stephanie made sure he was taken care of. Even now, Carson is considered family and will still stay with the Linders when he is in the area. If you take a look at how clean Carson’s race suits are on DIRTVision, he usually has Stephanie to thank for that if he is near the Fremont area.
“He was a blast to watch behind the wheel. This kid was full on at all times. It was obvious this kid was going to make it!”
Once the season was done with Mintz, Carson took advantage of new opportunities and it was decided that the car was going to be shut down. It didn’t take long for the phone to ring and a new car to show up at the shop.
This time, it was Dale Blaney and Ed Neumeister wanting to pair up with the Linders. They would house the no. 11N car and Blaney replaced Carson’s seat on the couch.
“I have to admit it was pretty cool to see Dale Blaney laying on our couch watching tv when he would stay with us.”
Blaney’s time in the car lasted for half of a season, and the Linders filled the seat with the likes of Christopher Bell, DJ Netto, Cole Duncan, Parker Price-Miller, Cap Henry and Gary Taylor. During that time, Bell won the team’s first All Star race at Sharon Speedway and it was almost a guarantee that the pair would be fast when they signed in to race. It was also during this time that Stephanie may or may not have sped to the racetrack from the airport with Bell in her backseat in order to get him to track in time for qualifying (she even made sure he was fed and already had a wrist band for him to get into the pits to save time).
What speaks volumes about the Linders is that after working with so many different drivers, none of these relationships ended sour. They have nothing but great things to say about each and every one of these guys.
As the season was winding down, it was unclear what the team was going to do the following year. Then came another phone call.
It was Carson Macedo again, but not the driver Carson Macedo, the sprint car agent Carson Macedo. He was calling about a young client from California by the name of Michael “Buddy” Kofoid. Putting their trust in Carson, they decided to give Buddy a test run for a weekend in Ohio. The next thing you know, Buddy is moving across the county to stay with the Linders and drive the no. 11N for the following season.
While living with the Linders, Kofoid completed high school online and attended family functions. Stephanie even planned a graduation party for him that was disguised as a team party. But what comes next, is nothing short of amazing.
Stephanie was able to create an online merchandise store for Buddy and the Linders purchased his first shipment of shirts. She would process all of the orders, prepare them for shipping, and then mail them out. All of the money would be deposited into an account that she created specifically for Buddy. Once enough money was made, he paid back the Linders and was able to maintain his inventory on his own. This was much more than just racing. It was much more than just temporarily housing a teenager for the summer. It was welcoming someone into her home, teaching him life lessons, and setting him up to succeed in the future. It was going above and beyond for no other reason than kind-heartedness.
With Kofoid’s success came other opportunities. His schedule began to fill up quickly and Cole Macedo was already living with the Linders at the time. In their cozy, two bedroom home, they had to make space for two drivers. Instead of blowing up the air mattress, they decided to move all of their stuff out of the larger bedroom and into the smaller bedroom. The larger bedroom then became Buddy and Cole’s fully-equipped dorm room. A move that most wouldn’t even consider, came naturally to Stephanie and Mike.
“They each had their own space and closet. We even had a refrigerator in there that I would keep stocked with snacks. I set up their own shelves for their trophies and big checks”
Cole Macedo would be the driver for the newly formed Ray Brooks Racing Team out of the Linder’s shop. They were taking a chance with Cole, who only had one full season of 410 sprint car racing under his belt. Not only would Cole win his first career 410 race with the Ray Brooks team, he would also win the Attica track championship, the AFCS championship, the Pete Jacobs Memorial, and an All Star race. He would collect 18 wins in two seasons with Ray Brooks and the Linders.
During this time, Cole became family. When he wasn’t working for NAPA, he was helping out around the house and dedicating all of his free time to working on the race car. On one occasion, Kofoid had called to see if the Linder’s had a car available, and they did not. However, Cole decided to put the time in to prepare another car and get one ready for Kofoid to drive.
“There is just something about Cole. His hard work and dedication really made an impact. He is even coming to stay with us for a few days after he races this weekend.”
For Cole, moving across the county at a young age to elevate his career was a huge transition. One that he didn’t think would come very easy, but Stephanie would help change that.
“Steph is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met,” said Cole Macedo. “She really took on a Mom role and helped make the move easy for me.”
In terms of his career, Cole isn’t sure where he would be if it weren’t for the Linders.
“They believed in me, my talent, and most of all, my work ethic. They played a huge role in where I am today. Between cooking for the team, doing my laundry, and helping with scheduling or other tough decisions, Stephanie was, and still is, very helpful to me and my career.”
Today, there is no car at the Linder’s shop, but all of the boys know that they have a place to stay when they are in the area. They all still get together with the teams and families on different occasions each year. Instead of cheering them on at the track, Stephanie watches from home and feels incredibly proud of their accomplishments. Although it is nerve racking for her to have Buddy and Carson racing against each other so frequently.
“I don’t like it because it seems like they are always close together on the track. I still feel invested in all of them and celebrate when they win.”
Along with her role as a “race mom,” Stephanie spent time managing Attica’s social media pages in the past. She was the person behind the “Tweet your seat” contest that would send a random fan down to have their picture taken with the night’s winners. On another occasion, the All Star Circuit of Champions presented her with an award for her time and contributions to Ohio Sprint Speedweek. Today, she helps out with the Fremont Speedway Motorsports Education program by maintaining their socials, uploading video and providing lunch for the students.
It’s hard to put into words the impact that Stephanie Linder has had on these drivers, their careers and sprint car racing, but the fact that she still gets text messages from them after a tough night at the track, tells me that she truly is the ultimate sprint car Mom. For many, it’s easy to forget that these drivers are teenagers trying to make it big, and not all of them are fortunate enough to have someone like the Linders to make it easy for them. Luckily for Cole, Carson, Buddy and so many others, Stephanie was there (with her famous milkshakes) to make them feel right at home.
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I had the honor of meeting Stephanie and her family years back. She invited me to my first ever race and I can’t thank her enough for that (the first time you stand along the fence and feel the dirt hit your face, the wind blow across you, hear the roar of the cars). You can see the live and commitment in her eyes when she talks about racing and you can hear the love and respect in her voice when she talks about the drivers. She’s a true inspiration and wonderful person. A forever family friend.