Tradition, experience, and excellence in quality, safety, performance and service are characteristics of a great company. With nearly 40 years in the racing business, Spitzer Enterprises has a history of setting the standards that others follow in the racing industry.
Mike Spitzer's passion for the sport of drag racing has early roots. Mike's father, Ed Spitzer, campaigned midget cars when Mike was a boy; he was a certified gearhead by the time he was twelve years old. He found pleasure in putting lake pipes on his '49 Chevy, dropping it to the ground, and cruising around the east side of Indianapolis. He has attended the US Nationals since it came to Indianapolis in 1961, and dreamed of one day owning his own team. An eye injury in his twenties prevented him from driving, but in 1971 Mike and his brother Jim debuted a rear-engine C/Dragster for Competition Eliminator. Rear-engine dragsters in sportsman classes at the time were practically unheard of ... but not for long. The Spitzer Brothers entry promptly thundered its way to national records for both speed and elapsed time. The term "trendsetter" was frequently heard when Mike was around, and the term remains well-placed nearly 40 years later.
In addition to enjoying success with his own car, Mike built several cars, many with radical designs, from his backyard garage in the evenings. Auto body instructor by day and chassis builder by night was the norm for Mike in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was during this time that he forged many long-standing partnerships with racers who also became friends, such as Keith Stark and Wayne Henderson, who with
Mike's son Dean formed the four-car Spitzer Motorsports team. Joel Hickman sported a unique top fuel concept introduced by Mike Spitzer. Not content to stick with drag racing, Mike built a land speed car with his long-time friend and racer Ken Goodman. Long-time racer and friend Rick Forish joined our team as a general manager in 2007.

It became apparent to Mike in the early 1980s that he had to choose between teaching and building race cars - guess which career choice won? After a brief but seemingly constant struggle for space at several buildings, Spitzer Enterprises found a permanent home in Greenfield, Indiana, an eastern suburb of Indianapolis. Our two buildings showcase 30,000 square feet of working space for race cars, composites and street rods.
At his side through all the years and the many adventures has been Mike's wife Karen. She joined the business in the early 1990s. Her talent for financial management is a key reason for the success of Spitzer Enterprises. Mike and Karen's son Dean built cars from the time he was 12 years old, and all indications were that Dean had the natural abilities from his father to carry on the business. Tragically, Dean died in an auto accident in 1989; our composite shop carries the name Deanco in his honor. In keeping with the
true spirit of a family-owned business, Mike and Karen's daughter Sherri Blackburn joined the business in 1999, and serves as the accountant for the business.
Spitzer Enterprises has built over 5,000 race cars in nearly all competitive classes of drag racing, from top fuel to sportsman classes. Spitzer Enterprises has been able to outpace the competition in the development of innovative, yet safe, racing vehicles. As the demand for race cars increased, Mike analyzed the need for lightweight composites in racing in order to provide yet another competititive advantage to our customers. The result was Spitzer Composites, a manufacturer of top-quality fiberglass and carbon fiber components. Our product line includes front and rear wings, air scoops, seats, noses, bodies for dragsters, roadsters and altereds, air ducts, puke tanks and containment trays. In the composite shop, we have expanded our customer base to include racing boats, Bonneville cars and Indy cars. Our processes include vacuum bagging, oven curing, pre-preg carbon fiber and autoclave curing.
The newest venture for Spitzer Enterprises is in the custom street rod business through our Spitzer Concepts division. The same creative genius from our drag cars can be seen in the street rods we create. Mike prototyped a 1937 boattail roadster and a 1927 track roadster from the ground up; we also excel at frame-off restorations and rebuilds. Paul Romine, another long-time customer, has worked with us on a Top Fuel project, an airplane, a '33 coupe, and the restoration of his father's 1957 Thunderbird.
Mike is proud of the accolades and recognition bestowed on Mike and his team at Spitzer Enterprises. Our cars have won Best Engineered and Best Appearing car awards on numerous occasions. Car Craft magazine honored Mike in 1994 and 1999 by naming him Sportsman Chassis Builder of the Year. Additionally, we were named the NHRA Division 3 Best Supporting Manufacturer for three consecutive years. Mike and Karen have
sponsored many NHRA division 3 events, including the Quick 32 series, the Top Alcohol low qualifier series, a junior dragster race, and the Top Dragster series, just to name a few. Mike's proudest accomplishments came when he was a lifetime achievement honoree at the National Hot Rod Reunion in 2006, and when he was named NHRA Division 3 "Person of the Year" in 2007.
Mike and the entire team at Spitzer Enterprises understand that our customers are largely responsible for the company's success. In such a highly competitive and selective market, we understand the trust you place in us to work on your project with incomparable craftsmanship, and make sure that each item that leaves our shop is an exercise in engineering excellence.
Bob Frey once said that the dictionary defines a trendsetter as "one who initiates a new style or line of development". Mike Spitzer strives to live up to that definition. With nearly 40 years experience, excellence and dedicated service, he's well on his way.
©Spitzer Enterprises 2010
www.gospitzer.com
317-894-9533