TRIBUTE

By Nate Van Wagnen

As his nickname suggests , Schaldach spent most of his life in California . He was born in San Jose , grew up in Hollister , and lived most of his adult life in Fresno . Inspired by his brother ’ s ’ 66 Fairlane , Schaldach fell in love with cars when he was 6 and eventually bought his first car , a ’ 65 El Camino , which he raced and owned until his passing . He earned a reputation as one of the fastest street racers on the West Coast with his ’ 72 Datsun 240z known as the “ Z-Unit ”, which became popular on 1320Video , 6SixtyStreet , and other street racing channels .

Schaldach started traveling to Kansas and other areas of the Midwest , often racing with notable Midwest small-tire racer Jason Rank . A 2020 crash in Arkansas in “ Z-Unit ” led to multiple injuries for Schaldach and took the car out of commission . As he recovered , longtime friend Emmanuel Mayorga encouraged Schaldach to get back to racing and even offered him the seat of his ’ 93 Mustang , which would later be known as “ My Little Pony .”

Schaldach and “ My Little Pony ” later appeared on Street Outlaws : Memphis , where he

bolstered his reputation by winning more than $ 48,000 in one night from “ JJ Da Boss ” and the Memphis crew . “ Cali Nate ” also appeared on the Street Outlaws spin-offs JJ ’ s Arm Drop , Fastest in America , and Mega Cash Days . He was the team captain for the Dream Team on Season 3 of Fastest in America .

It was on the set of Fastest in America that Schaldach met his girlfriend , Courtney Paulshock , who was the official on-set photographer . The two started dating and going racing together , with Paulshock helping him with his cars and with his business , BullyTuned Performance .

Last year , Schaldach moved to Wichita , Kansas , along with his shop equipment and dyno . With Paulshock by his side , he planned to focus on small-tire no-prep racing this season , including backside races with the rebuilt “ Z-Unit ” and frontside races with “ My Little Pony ,” all while building the couple ’ s chassis small-tire car .

In the weeks before his passing , Schaldach was testing to prepare for Tom Gunner and Michael Poland ’ s Small Tire Ganstas race at Yello Belly Drag Strip outside Dallas . In his memory , Paulshock worked with Schaldach ’ s close friends , Emmanuel Mayorga and Garrett Von Flue , to make sure “ My Little Pony ” was on site at the race . They came together with fellow racers and friends to celebrate Schaldach ’ s life , with numerous racers sporting “ Cali Nate ” memorial decals on their cars .

Paulshock and friends also organized the Cali Nate Memorial Shootout , May 12 , at Thunder Valley Raceway Park in Noble , Oklahoma , with proceeds benefiting a memorial fund established for Schaldach ’ s two children , Austin and Michelle , and Paulshock .

Over the course of his racing career , Schaldach won numerous races like War in the Woods VII , H-Town Throwdown , Eagle Pass , Wyoming Street Wars , The Git Down , countless West Coast races , and countless street races . But more than his on-track accomplishments , friends and fellow racers will remember Schaldach for his eagerness to help others succeed .

“ Nate had a reputation from the show for being a cocky , tell-it-like-it-is pot stirrer . What people didn ’ t see was his heart was even bigger than his attitude ,” Paulshock says . “ He spent his life testing , building , improving , and learning , and was always willing to help any racer or anyone in need . He would give advice , help physically on the car , help with tunes , loan out parts – anything it took . He lived and breathed racing .

“ He was a stickler for safety , constantly nagging all of his friends and competitors to be as safe as possible ,” Paulshock continues . “ Nate could build a car from front to back , all in-house . He helped his sponsors R & D new products and constantly gave feedback to help everyone improve . The void in the small-tire racing community is a large one now .” DI

PHOTOGRAPHS BY COURTNEY PAULSHOCK

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