A CRA Super Series driver since 2000, Eddie Van
Meter likes to drive fast
anytime he can. When he is not racing Van Meter likes to spend time
with his nine year old son, Billy, driving four wheelers, go karts,
and Billy is racing his own quarter midget.
Van Meter started racing when he was 18 driving his
first race at Putnamville Speedway, a dirt track. He did not have much
success on the dirt track, and moved to the Speedrome where he won the
first feature he started. "It took over a year to win another", he
remarked with a laugh.
The popular driver was the 1992 street stock
champion at the Speedrome and in 1999 competed at Indianapolis Raceway
Park, where he was the SuperTruck Champion. Eddie was victorious in 18
of the 26 events and also was the fastest qualifier on 20 occasions.
He has close to 150 career wins and also made a start in CRA Super
Series in 1999 at
Winchester
Speedway.
"I started racing because I was dumb." Van Meter
joked, "Actually my Dad raced and I always wanted to, so when I could,
a friend of mine and I built a Street Stock and went to the track."
The 2005 season has been the best CRA season for Van
Meter who is currently in third in the Driver Championship race (at
the time of this writing, only 16 points out of first, just 3 points
out of second). He has eight Top Tens and six Top Fives this year
including three second place finishes.
After five years in the CRA he has yet to win a CRA
Super Series event,
although he has been close. Van Meter finished second again at
Winchester Speedway in the Labor Day race after leading for 75 laps
before Chuck Barnes, Jr. passed him for the win. At Berlin Raceway in
June he led the most laps and was running away with the race, but ran
out of fuel with only 13 laps to go. He finished along side Johnny
Beloit at Toledo Speedway in May when the rain came and cut the race
short. "It was good clean racing." Van Meter stated, "We both stayed
clear and Boris (Jurkovic) raced a very clean race staying right on
our tail and nobody touched anybody." Van Meter said after the race.
Clean racing is one of the reasons he lists for
racing in the CRA. Along with the best competition and pretty equal
cars with several drivers that can win anytime the green flag drops.
(There have been 14 different drivers win the 15 CRA sanctioned events
in 2005.)
Van
Meter has been married to Donna for 15 years, with one son Billy, who
loves racing as much as he does. An Indianapolis, IN native, he still
lives in his hometown where he is the welding shop foreman for Muller
Welding.
The 1999 Winchester 100 was his first CRA race, and
his first at the storied Winchester Speedway. He started 11th
that night and finished seventh. Van Meter’s favorite track is
Indianapolis Raceway Park. But his favorite CRA track to race at is
Anderson Speedway. "I really like IRP, but we always seem to do well
at Anderson." He stated.
His favorite CRA driver is Bobby Parsley, "he runs
well and clean". He claims to not have a favorite NASCAR driver as he
admires them all. But if he could switch places with anyone for a day
it would be Tony Stewart. "He seems to race with the same attitude I
do, he races them as clean as they race him."
"I want to thank Ken Muller, my car owner, my wife
Donna, son Billy, Bill Rievley, Carl, God and my sponsors for making
it possible for me to race." Van Meter said.
Starting on the pole for the Anderson 400 this year
is his favorite moment in his CRA career so far. Winning a CRA race is
his goal at present. With 96 CRA career starts Van Meter has gone the
longest without a win of any active driver. Working as hard as he does
at the track and with a little good luck, that win should come soon.
