ELKHART LAKE — IndyCar is back at Road America this weekend for the IndyCar XPEL Grand Prix.
Thousands of visitors and the biggest IndyCar names are at America's National Park Of Speed, but to put on an event that big, there are hundreds of people who work behind the scenes. like Bryan Walthers.
Bryan has been working at Road America for 30 years, for him is not just a job; it’s a passion that started when he was just a child.
On Wednesday, Bryan was setting up camp sites across the grounds. Road America has one thousand sites for camping, but "the owls" is a location that is for overflow.
"We’ll probably add about 250 sites,” said Bryan.
This is one of the many jobs Bryan has had during his 30 years with Road America.
“I helped at the gates in the very beginning, and later on, I became in charge of the gates and called myself the gate master. That was a job that I really enjoyed because I got to meet a lot of people,” said Bryan.
But his love for racing started much earlier, when Bryan was just 9 years old. He attended the very first race in 1955.
“I grew up in Sheboygan and would come out here when I was a kid, even in high school through college, so I've been coming here for a long time,” said Bryan.
Since that day, Bryan’s love for Road America has grown, even spending time here with his other love, his wife.
"We were here on the first day of our honeymoon,” said Bryan. "For us, for my wife and I, Road America is our happy place," Bryan continued.
At the start of the race, you can find Bryan overlooking the view from turn one.
"Several years ago I told my boss at that time that if you’re ever looking for me at the beginning of the first big race, I’ll always be at turn 1 watching the start and he said 'fine.'"
These days, turn one looks much different than watch it did decades ago, and even how the cars start each race has changed.
“Back then, they stood at the start line, and then all of a sudden, they went. I can say that on a race weekend I couldn't hear anything until Monday or Tuesday. So I am thinking as old as I am right now, I'm thinking maybe that's part of the problem with my hearing... But was it worth it? Oh heck yes,” said Bryan.
Now the track has improved safety measures, more asphalt, parking, and indoor plumbing.
"There was no indoor plumbing back then, just outhouses so a lot has changed," said Bryan.
But Bryan said when he walks on the grounds, he still gets that same feeling that he did back in 1955.
"It's beautiful out here and just a great place to be," said Bryan.
As for when Bryan will retire? That's still up in the air. It's the environment of speed and meeting people that keeps bringing him back.
Road America has a rich tradition spanning decades, and Bryan's love for racing is now passed down through generations.
“Matter of fact, now working in NASCAR in North Carolina as an engineer, so he kind of got hooked at America too,” said Bryan.
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