Van Wynen dynasty established at NASCAR banquet

By Justin Tiemeyer  - Contributing Writer

9 Feb. 2025

Biniam Van Wynen is a teenager from Lowell who races Limited Late Models at Berlin Raceway in Marne, and on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, he was honored at the Berlin Raceway Banquet 2024 at The Pinnacle Center in Hudsonville.

The Van Wynens have attended a handful of these events, but they typically end up at tables far in the back of the hall. This year, jaws drop as the Van Wynens were seated at Table No. 1, just to the side of the stage, appropriate, as the family featured heavily in the evening’s events.

Bill, Biniam, and William Van Wynen were joined by Bill’s brother, John and his wife. Bill and John started watching NASCAR races at Berlin Raceway as kids, and they passed their love on to the next generation. Jesse Johnson-Brower was also in attendance. Johnson-Brower co-owns FaceFunding, a crowdfunding platform that finances racers by replacing corporate logos on the sides of cars with the faces of the individual donors.

Biniam, having just returned to high school from Christmas vacation, sat next to his friend Dominic, and he talked about maybe doing track and field in the spring. His little brother, William, races in the Mini Wedges 6 to 9-year-old division, and, unlike many his age, he had no problem making it through the happy hour, dinner, and award ceremony. It helped that they kept him busy.

“They call this a banquet,” said announcer Jeff Striegle, kicking off the award potion of the evening. “Let’s make this a celebration.”

William placed fourth in his division and was the first at the table to bring home a trophy. “The trophy is bigger than he is,” Striegle exclaimed as William accepted his prize.

William’s car was one of only four nominated as the Mini Wedge Best Appearing Car, but he ultimately did not take home that trophy. Fortunately, if William wanted a better chance at the best-looking Mini Wedge next year, it would not be difficult, because he also ended up winning a gift certificate for a new Mini Wedge body from Kevin Lincoln Racing.

“I think we are, hands down, the number one track in the country when it comes to putting youngsters on the racetrack,” Striegle added, and the Van Wynen victories were a powerful testimony to that fact.

To the uninitiated, Biniam’s ninth place win, in the Limited Late Models division, may not feel as illustrious, until you learn that this is not a teenager-only division. Biniam secured ninth against some of the best-known drivers at Berlin Raceway, many with decades of experience and long lists of accolades. Denny Anderson, for example, who placed third in the division, is a Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Famer who started racing in 1974. To even see your name on this list as a teenager is a powerful win, in and of itself.

Biniam was also one of four racers, one for each of the major divisions at Berlin Raceway, given the Rookie of the Year award. The ages of the other racers were not announced, but were not high schoolers. Biniam, like William, was one of the youngest big winners of the night.

Van Wynen sounds like a NASCAR name, and with the wins secured by the two Van Wynen racers, Biniam and William, their father Bill was elevated to something more than simply a proud father. Bob Bliss was celebrated for over fifty years of racing, and some suggested that nobody will ever even approach some of the records he has set at the track, and yet, here are a couple of kids who started early and are already adding trophies to their mantles. Biniam and William are some of the few who have a chance to get there, and that makes Bill Van Wynen the father of a Berlin Raceway dynasty.

The 2025 season at Berlin Raceway lasts from April 26 through Sept. 13, and during this season the track will celebrate its’ diamond anniversary. “Seventy-five years is just a huge milestone,” Striegle said.

It is also the season where Biniam will debut his Limited Late Model car No. 45, wrapped in the faces of all of his donors. If his age and his achievement did not draw attention, his car certainly will.