Robb Reisinger

The checkered flag has waived for Robb Reisinger, whose race came to an end on January 21, 2026 after a long and brave battle with cancer.

The green flag waved for Robb on March 21, 1964 to Dave and Pat (Wenner) Reisinger in Beloit, WI.  After a short stop in Manitowoc and many hours spent with Grandpa Don in Rice Lake, he was on to his home track in Menomonie.  It was in Menomonie that he met his crew chief, Laura Smalley, in 1985. She bought his 1967 red Firebird, and it was a package deal, she got Robb too. Theirs would be a partnership without equal for more than 40 years.

His path was not easy - dyslexia, alcohol struggles, and cancer - all brought the yellow flag out. But with all that, he was a warrior and remained generous and thoughtful, with a heart as big as he was. He knew the race also required a sense of humor, all in an inimitable speaking style that really was impossible to copy, even if we tried. And if we were ever confounded, we’d look to Laura for interpretation. That’s the kind of team they were.

Robb’s love of cars started early. His dad, Dave, taught him to weld as a kid, which led to fixing cars in his parent’s garage before he even had a driver’s license. After High School he headed to trade school to get an Associate Degree in Auto Body. With a certificate in hand, in March of 1986, Reisinger Paint & Body was established in Irvington. The perfectionist in him always meant the highest quality finished product, though not always on time. He loved the challenge of rebuilding cars, which included that red Firebird, a white Corvette, and his latest project, his white GMC plow truck. These vehicles got him on the back roads, which he loved, on many laps to and from the family cabin in Northern Minnesota, to Westby and even a few trips to Colorado. When he wasn’t in the driver’s seat, you could find him at Red Cedar Speedway, sometimes even in the pit.

Also a music lover, Robb’s cars always had the radio on - country, classic rock and of course AC/DC. He could name every artist that came on, the same way he could name the make, model and year of every car on the road. He took a lap with Ed to the AC/DC concert last year, and it really was like winning the race for Robb.  Robb’s favorite fuel was pizza, not just any pizza, but Ted’s Pizza!  That, along with cheese curds, onion rings and a silo of Busch Lite in those huge hands, made this driver happy. Like his dad, Dave, he was also a meat and potato man. Though his mom, Pat, tried to feed him vegetables, those were not considered high enough octane!

Off the track, Robb had other loves - his K-9 teammate Libby, the Packers, fires (and fireworks) and building projects.

With a fire pit in his yard and one at the cabin, Robb was never far from building a fire that was always just shy of burning the place down. As for fireworks, his niece and nephew learned an important lesson about ducking behind the canoe when Uncle Robb lit the fuses. 

Building projects just seemed to be in the blood of the Reisinger’s. There was always something in his shop, in the house, at the cabin or at his sister’s house that had to get done. There were deck projects, a ramp at the cabin, and rearranging rooms in his house. There were many more projects on the list, and Robb’s expertise will be sorely missed.

Throughout Robb’s race, his competent pit crew kept him on the leader board.  Parents Pat and Dave; the “Colorado Crew” - sister Kristin, brother-in-law Ted, nephew Oscar and niece Nina; the “Westby Crew” - brother-in-law Dennis, sister-in-law Joyce, and nieces Robin (Martin) and Randi (Joel), and nephew Ryan; and the “River Falls Crew” - Jim (Kelly), Jill, Jenny (Steve), and Colleen (Mike); and numerous great nieces and nephews.  Robb’s pit crew also included too many friends to mention here who were always welcomed at his shop.

We never know when our white flag is waving, but what we do know is that the checkered flag has waved for Robb as he crossed the finish line. 

Rhiel Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Menomonie, is serving the family.