JOEL WENSLEY JR. was 14 when he began going to the track with his father, Joel Sr., to help his uncle, Bill Stetz, campaign his drag bike. He was enthralled by the entire experience, from the revving engines to the racing excitement, and he was immediately inspired to immerse himself in the magnetizing world of motorsports.

He was given the opportunity to dive in deeper when his father began racing a 1968 Camaro in Outlaw 10.5 followed by a 2014 Camaro in Pro Mod. When Wensley Jr. turned 16 in 2013, he purchased a 1985 S10 with a 406-cubic-inch small-block Chevrolet engine and started racing in bracket categories at Darana Dragway, formerly Milan Dragway, in Michigan.

“ I won my first race on my first weekend out,” says Wensley, of Dearborn, Michigan.“ I did well in the S10, but we sold it in 2016 to start building the 2014 Camaro I have now as a scrap titled car because I wanted to be able to race at the same races as my father. I also wanted to go faster and experience an even bigger adrenaline rush.”

Wensley and some of his friends removed from the car unneeded components and took the car to Team Z Motorsports in Taylor, Michigan, where Dave Zimmerman and his team built the complete chassis.

“ When Team Z Motorsports was done with the chassis and all of the fabricating work, we installed the 4.8 Hemi engine and twin Bullseye turbos, and we did the wiring and plumbing,” says Wensley.“ We also installed a Liberty’ s Gears 5-speed. The car was completed in 2019, and we debuted it at a heads-up race at Darana Dragway, where I entered Outlaw 10.5.

“ I left the gas cap off, got gas under the tires during the Thursday test session, and stuffed the car into the wall,” he continues.“ It was mostly cosmetic, but I was shaken up because I had poured my heart and soul into the car. I had just about everyone in Outlaw 10.5 helping me put the car back together so I could make qualifying, including Tim Essick and Jerry Morgano, whose daughter, Amanda Morgano, is now my fiancée.”

After all of the on-site repairs, Wensley was able to get some laps under his belt in his new car that weekend before moving on to Pro 275 at various tracks, and ultimately, PDRA Liberty’ s Gears Pro Street presented by Menscer Motorsports, with a new 4.9 Hemi and ProCharger supercharger for power.

“ My first exposure to Pro Street was three years ago, and I immediately loved the organization and the people within the organization,”

says Wensley.“ I also felt at home in Pro Street, and that first year, we finished sixth in points. Then last year, we finished fourth in points and in 2025, we finished 12th in points, which was not as well as I would have liked, because we were trying some new things to go faster and keep up with the class.”

Wensley is preparing to step into the role of CEO of Mechanical Heating and Cooling, as his father recently retired from the successful family business. On the track, he has his sights set on a win, and he is taking things one step at a time to get there.

“ I feel like I did pretty well in bracket racing, and I have come so close to winning in Pro Street, but the stars have just not aligned yet and I am so motivated to make that happen that I can taste it,” says Wensley, who has steady support at the races from his father, brother-in-law Josh Shellman, and other family members and friends.“ I just have to keep at it, but it definitely helps to feel so at home in Pro Street, and there is not a better group of guys to race with. Each would take the shirt off of their back to help the other without thinking twice, and that means I am in a really good place.” – MARY LENDZION DI

PHOTO: TARA BOWKER