About our team and heritage
- Rooted in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Zitterich Motorsports is a local family-owned sprint car team built on the determination of Gary Zitterich to compete at a high level both locally and regional in the Upper Midwest!
Zitterich Racing, Established in 1981, became a successful family operation for more than 20 years.
Our journey began with Gary Zitterich, who had become introduced to the local racing community when his dad (Francis) would take him and his siblings (Bob, Chuch, Dorene) to Huset Speedway every Sunday Night. Soon, he became a part of the Glenn Anderson #98 Super Modified driven by the likes of Jerry "Shady" Bullis and Chuck Fee during the 1970's. By 1980, Gary would form his own racing operation by age 29, where he became a regular fan favorite behind the wheel of the #29 Sprint Car. A Career that spanned more than twenty years (1981-2009), he won the 1989 I.M.C.A National Traveling Series Title at tracks in Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and Oklahoma. In 2014, he became enshrined in the Huset Speedway Hall of Fame, alongside some of his childhood heroes.
Local Fan Favorite became Known as the Candy-Man.
Gary quickly became known affectionately around area tracks as a fan favorite, not only thanks to his success on the track, but for the time he often took to spend time handing out candy to the fans, as well as taking his race car to schools, nonprofit charitable centers for children with disabilities, illness, and sickness, often sharing racing stories, to showing racing videos and allowing the children to sit in his race car. He became the first driver to go into the stands handing candy to all the kids, starting the traditional trend of the candy toss in the early 90's, earning him the nickname, "Candy-Man".
A championship legacy on the dirt
Gary's racing career mirrored his work ethic, capturing multi-time track championships at Huset's Speedway and Hartford Speedway, alongside national IMCA titles. His legendary impact culminated in his 2014 induction into the Huset's Speedway Hall of Fame. Today, Gary carries on that same effort helping to promote the history of the sport, to help connect the past, to the future, grooming the next generation.
"Gary didn't just race to win; he raced for the people of Sioux Falls. Whether fixing a car in the shop or visiting with fans in the pits, he always put community first."
The Zitterich family tradition