Bassett Racing Wheel is known throughout the racing world as an undisputed leader in steel racing wheels, but it did not happen overnight. Basset Racing Wheels have over 50 years of experience building wheels exclusively for race cars.
RACING WHEEL PIONEERS
In 1965, Stan Baumel founded Wheel Specialties, Inc. in a small shop in Bassett, Wisconsin (left). Back then, stock car racers didn’t have a racing-specific wheel available. They had to use OEM highway wheels, which were not able to handle the incredible forces generated by a 4,000-pound stock car going through a corner. Stan knew he could build a better wheel and began fabricating wheels for his brother, Larry Baumel, who raced in the NASCAR Grand National divison, now Sprint Cup series.
Stan’s wheels were lighter and stronger than the OEM wheels and by the late 1970’s and early 80’s, top midwestern late model drivers like Dick Trickle, Mark Martin and Rusty Wallace were winning races on Bassett Wheels. Word continued to spread South, and soon drivers like Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt (below) started using Bassett Wheels on their short track cars. The newfound popularity in the South led to Bassett entering the NASCAR Winston Cup market in 1987. Alan Kulwicki used Bassett Racing Wheels to record his first career Cup victory at Phoenix International Raceway in 1988. Since then, Bassett Racing Wheels have won multiple Winston (now Monster Energy) Cup, Busch (now Xfinity) Series and Craftsman (now Camping World) Truck Series Championships, including Christopher Bell in 2017.
To keep up with demand and to guarantee a higher level of quality than their competitors could deliver, we built a 10,000 square foot facility in 1992. The building, located in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, was equipped with the most advanced production machinery available. Many of the machines are custom-built and designed specifically for steel race wheel production.
While their founders roots were in pavement racing, Bassett Racing Wheel realized there was a need for a high quality dirt track wheel. Soon after moving into the Twin Lakes facility, Bassett introduced a beaded version of their 15×8 D-Hole Lightweight wheel for the IMCA, WISSOTA and UMP dirt modified markets. Weighing only 16-pounds, it was the first dirt track racing wheel to use a light but strong CNC spun form rim shell.
CONTINUED GROWTH
NASCAR success and dirt track sales growth led to a need for more wheel components and control of the supply chain. In 1998, Bassett took its rim shell production inhouse by investing in the latest metal spin forming technology. This investment has led to significant improvements in component consistency and production efficiency.
After one expansion at their Twin Lakes facility doubled the space, continued sales growth fueled a need for an even larger facility in 2001 and built a state-of-the-art plant in Burlington, Wisconsin that measures 50,000 square feet.
The extra space allowed Bassett to add second and third metal spinning lines, two more wheel welding lines, an in-house powder coat paint line, chrome finishing and additonal warehouse inventory. Today, Bassett Racing Wheel stands head and shoulders above the competition in terms of technology, quality and customer service.
Bassett proudly manufactures all its products in Burlington, Wisconsin from domestically-sourced raw materials.
WHEEL OPTIONS:
15″ D-HOLE LIGHTWEIGHT BEADLOCK WHEELS:
The Bassett beadlock utilizes 100-percent spun-form rings. Spun-form shells and rings are stronger, lighter and have less runout than some competitors’ roll-formed beadlock wheels. Now featuring a flat Inner Ring and taller Outer Ring to protect bolt heads and perfect fit for new Bassett High Impact Mud Cover. Mud Cover fastener tabs are now located on Outer Ring and feature three ¼-inch bolt inserts. New thicker, high strength steel Rings offers unmatched durability and bend-resistance.18 grade-8 bolts offer less stripping and faster tire changes. Durable Black and Silver Powder Coat or real Duplex Nickel Chrome Plate finishes available
15 x 9.5 5-SPOKE NASCAR / ARCA SFI 35.2 WHEEL
Features Bassett’s patented 5-spoke Inertia Advantage center for a 12% lower MoI vs. competition. Aerodynamically designed for lower straight-line drag and increased side force. The five large vent holes make carrying easier and each stud hole is in-line with a spoke for fast tire carrier indexing. The combination of HSLA steel and stress relief in the lug nut seat area increases durability – even when lug nuts are loose or under-torqued. All wheels checked for runout on our in-house Hunter GSP 9700 to guarantee low run out – under .020-inch. SFI 35.2 certified for use in NASCAR’s Monster Engergy, Xfinity, Camping World Truck, K&N Pro East, K&N Pro West, Canadian Tire Series, as well as the ARCA Series.
15 x 8 EXCEL IMCA/WISSOTA WHEEL
Racers on a budget don’t have to sacrifice on the quality of their wheels. The Excel Racing Wheel offers Bassett quality at the lowest possible price! It is certified for IMCA and Wissota and features our proven eight D-Hole center design and a shiny silver or black powder coat finish. The Excel features the lowest runout on market for better handling, thicker, beaded rim shell prevents tires from rolling off, and takes alot of abuse.
For more information, visit www.bassettwheel.com
