By Ben Deatherage
GREEN RIVER, Wyo. (Mar. 10, 2026) — Dirt-track racing in southwestern Wyoming didn’t simply appear overnight. Tracks were carved from open ground, racecars were built in home garages, and entire racing programs grew from the efforts of volunteers who believed in the sport.
Few individuals embodied that spirit more than Allen “Al” Buschelman — racer, builder, community servant, and longtime IMCA official whose influence helped shape generations of racing across the region.
Buschelman passed away Sunday, March 8, at age 88 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. For decades he was a familiar figure at Wyoming racetracks, whether behind the wheel of a racecar, operating heavy equipment, or helping guide the sport as an IMCA regional director.
Those who knew him remember a man who loved fast cars, valued hard work, and cared deeply about the people around him.
From Nebraska Roots to a Life in Wyoming
Al Buschelman was born in Crofton, Nebraska. He attended high school in Crofton and grew up in a rural environment that emphasized hard work and responsibility.
On June 24, 1957, he married Myla in Utica, South Dakota. Together they built a family centered on faith, community, and perseverance, raising three children — Sheryl, Scott, and Sheila.
Al’s early working years reflected the changing economy of the West during that era. He first worked on a farm in Harding, Nebraska, before beginning to haul cattle in 1958. Construction soon became a major part of his life, and his work took him across several major projects throughout the region. Buschelman spent time working on the massive Oahe Dam and Big Bend Dam projects in South Dakota before eventually heading west.
His journey later brought him to Wyoming, where he worked at the Sinclair Oil Refinery in Rawlins and briefly on the Fontenelle Dam project near Kemmerer. After being laid off from that project, Buschelman moved to Laramie and spent several years building homes before he and his family eventually settled in Green River in 1970.
Once in Green River, Buschelman began doing concrete and dirt work for Northwest Homes and Pulte Homes. As the work grew, he and Myla started their own business, Buschelman Construction. The company began by pouring foundations, but eventually expanded into excavation work as they purchased heavy equipment to dig those foundations themselves.
But while construction provided his livelihood, another passion soon took hold.
With help from friends, Buschelman built his first race car in 1972 during the early days of racing in southwestern Wyoming.
“My dad always wanted fast cars and to go fast,” said his daughter Sheila Simpson. “When we first moved to Green River he would drive his racecar from home down to the dirt track and back.”
Building Sweetwater Speedway and Growing the Sport
Buschelman’s influence extended far beyond driving racecars.
During the early 1980s, he was part of the group that helped build Sweetwater Speedway, creating a permanent dirt-track facility for racers in southwestern Wyoming. The project relied heavily on volunteer labor, and Buschelman spent countless hours operating heavy equipment and helping shape the facility that would become the region’s racing hub.
Longtime racer Justen Yeager remembers Buschelman’s involvement in building the track clearly.
“Al and my dad and a handful of guys went to the county to get the race track built,” Yeager said. “You’d never think the place was built in the ’80s because it was so far ahead of its time. The lighting in the pits, the placement of the bleachers where you look down into a bowl — it’s an incredible facility.”
Yeager even remembers riding along with Buschelman during construction.
“I’ve got a picture of when I was five or six years old sitting in a big loader tractor with Al while he was helping build the race track,” Yeager said. “I remember riding with him like it was yesterday.”
When racing began at Sweetwater Speedway, it remained a community effort built almost entirely on volunteers.
“My mom ran the concession stand and was the ticket taker,” Simpson said. “Our whole family helped out, and the kids would come to the track too. Saturday night racing was just part of our lives.”
A young Justen Yeager sits on the lap of Al “Big Al” Buschelman while operating heavy equipment during construction of Sweetwater Speedway in the early 1980s. Buschelman was instrumental in building the Rock Springs facility that became a hub for dirt-track racing in southwestern Wyoming. (Courtesy Photo)
Myla Buschelman was also heavily involved with the Green River Stockeretts Racing Club, a group that supported the racing program and helped organize activities around race nights.
Buschelman raced Late Models early in his career before later competing in IMCA Modifieds. In 1992, he etched his name into history by becoming the first-ever Sweetwater Speedway IMCA Modified champion and the first Wyoming track champion in the division.
He also played a pioneering role in bringing IMCA Modified racing to Wyoming.
“He was the first guy from Wyoming to build an IMCA Modified,” Yeager said. “After he did that, within three or four years the class exploded. We had so many Modifieds, and that was because Al got it started.”
His car even became a model for others.
“They actually had a class at the local college where several students built copies of Al’s car, and that really helped build the class up,” Yeager said.
Even when Buschelman’s driving career came to an end, his love for the sport remained.
“I bought a trailer from him toward the end of his racing days,” Yeager said. “When I went to pay his wife she told me it was killing Al because it meant he was really done racing. That’s how much he loved it.”
Al Buschelman’s racecar, the no. 98 he built in 1972, sits outside his shop in southwestern Wyoming. Buschelman would often drive the car from his home to the racetrack and back in the early days of his racing career. (Courtesy Photo)
As the sport continued to grow, Buschelman eventually stepped away from driving and moved into a leadership role.
He served as IMCA’s Mountain Region director, overseeing racing programs throughout the area. When the Mountain Region merged with the Western Region in 2005, Buschelman continued in that role until retiring in 2019.
His experience and knowledge made him a respected presence throughout the pits.
“He loved racing and loved going fast,” said Sweetwater Speedway promoter Kara Beech. “Al was always supportive and willing to provide information. He was a great guy.”
Al Buschelman (right) poses with current Sweetwater Speedway promoter Kara Beech. Buschelman played a key role in the early development of the Rock Springs, Wyoming dirt track and later served as IMCA’s Mountain Region race director before continuing in the Western Region role until 2019. (Courtesy Photo)
A Life in the Community
Buschelman’s impact stretched well beyond the racetrack.
He served more than 35 years with the Green River Fire Department, becoming a familiar figure at community events. Residents attending Green River High School football games often saw fireworks launched from the fire station across the street from Wolves Stadium — displays Buschelman helped organize.
Later in life, he also drove an activities bus for Sweetwater County School District #2, transporting students across Wyoming for school events.
“I didn’t know he was doing that at first,” Yeager said. “But he was hauling wrestling teams, basketball teams — getting kids across the state safely. Up here in the winter the roads can be tough, but everyone knew if Al was driving, they’d get there.”
Racing trips also created memories for many Wyoming families.
At the time, Riverton Speedway was often the only nearby track hosting major events, with other facilities in places like Casper and Gillette much farther away. Drivers from southwestern Wyoming frequently made the trip for two-day race programs.
“My dad raced with Al for years,” Yeager said. “We’d go to Riverton for two-day shows and between nights we’d drive to Thermopolis and swim in the hot springs. We’d camp and spend the whole weekend together.”
Remembering Big Al
Buschelman is survived by his daughters Sheryl Wilson and Sheila Simpson of Green River and his son Scott Buschelman of LaBarge, Wyoming. He is also survived by a brother, Alvin Buschelman, a sister, Darlene Dreismeier of Omaha, Nebraska, six grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife Myla, who passed away in 2013, and his parents.
In his later years, Buschelman battled dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and resided at Deer Trail Assisted Living.
For Wyoming dirt-track racing, Buschelman’s legacy will always be tied to the track he helped build and the racing community he helped grow.
But for those who knew him best, the memories are simpler.
“He was such a big part of everything in racing around here,” Yeager said. “Al was just a great guy.”
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, March 13, at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Green River, with interment at Riverview Cemetery. The family has asked that donations in Buschelman’s memory be made to the Green River Fire Department.
