There’s an area along a stretch of rural road in Fremont, Ohio, that’s known as “Linderville.”
It’s not an actual town, but there is a small cluster of homes where a group of Linders live. On any given night in one of those homes — the residence and shop of Michael and Stephanie Linder — people from all over gather to work on sprint cars and tell stories.
For many years, Mike and Steph’s garage has housed sprint cars — either those driven by Mike or most recently, those owned by others that Mike and his neighboring brother, Steven, build and maintain.
Stephanie Linder is also heavily involved in the operational aspects of the team. In addition, she organizes donations to help teams through the grueling Ohio Sprint Speedweek, washes drivers’ uniforms and oversees social media for local tracks.
Mike Linder drove 305 and 360 sprints for many years before getting an opportunity to run 410 sprints in 2003. It was then the Linder shop got busy as car owner Andy James also wanted to race and the Linders were in charge of preparing both cars.
The next chapter in the story came when Mike Linder decided to quit driving in 2012.
“I was ready to buy a camper or a boat,” Mike Linder said. “Then one day Steven comes over and says Craig and Les Mintz want to put together a second car for Chris Andrews to drive along with Craig, and asked if we could take care of it. I thought it would be fun, so we did that.
“It kept Steph and I and Steven involved in racing, which is all we have ever known.”
Prior to the 2016 season, the Mintzes told Mike Linder they were bringing in a kid from California to drive.
“All we knew is he was some kid from California and he had driven for Keith Kunz. So we went to the PRI show and that indoor midget race and watched this kid named Carson Macedo,” said Mike Linder.
“We had this idea he was some California rich kid, but look how it turned out,” joked Stephanie.
“Carson showed a lot of talent and speed but it was sporadic when he could be here because of his other driving commitments. He did wreck a lot when he drove for the Mintzes,” Mike Linder recalled. “Carson then ended up in Joe Gaerte’s car where he had a lot of success.”
The Mintz team car ended the next season, but the Linders weren’t finished.
“Ed Neumeister was looking at putting Dale Blaney in a car but had no one to take care of it. Dale called me and Mike and I went to Ed’s and he tossed us the keys to the truck and we brought the cars back,” said Steven Linder.
Blaney left the team a few weeks into the season and the Linders utilized Cole Duncan, Craig Mintz, Christopher Bell and Cap Henry as drivers for the remainder of the year. Then in 2018, the team hired another California driver, D.J. Netto.
“D.J. was very good but he had to do a lot of traveling for his family business so that just wasn’t going to work out. That’s when Carson (Macedo) called us and suggested another young kid named Buddy Kofoid,” said Mike Linder. “He said he doesn’t have any money to bring to the deal but he has a lot of talent. So Buddy got in the car at the end of 2018 and ran a handful of shows and we all knew this kid was good.”
During the winter, Kofoid packed his bags and moved into Mike and Stephanie’s Ohio, home. The team won a track championship in 2019 at Fremont Speedway and some All Star Circuit of Champions races.
After the season, Kofoid joined the Keith Kunz Motorsports midget team and the Linders were looking for a new driver. Mike Linder called Carson Macedo regarding his younger brother, Cole.
“He felt Cole wasn’t ready for that yet. He didn’t want him to come out and fail,” Mike Linder said. “The next year Cole got in with Jay Kiser.”
“I knew if I wanted to race for a living I had to come to the Midwest. I really didn’t have a ride and Jay graciously gave me a chance,” said Cole.
Meanwhile, Ray Brooks, who had bought an engine and cars for the Neumeister operation as a sponsor, wanted to form his own team with Cole Macedo as the driver.
“Ed Neumeister was very, very good to us and we had a lot of success and we decided to go in different directions. We are still very good friends and Ed comes down to our trailer all the time to talk. I’m proud of the fact that all of the owners I have either driven for or who had cars we took care of, we are still all friends,” said Mike Linder.
Cole Macedo joined the team in 2021 and is enjoying a breakout season this year. The team had recorded eight victories through July 26 and led the points at Fremont Speedway and for the Attica Fremont Championship Series.
“Cole wants to be a professional race car driver. Buddy earned opportunities and we want to see that for Cole,” Mike Linder said. “I would love to see him in a World of Outlaws team. Ray has indicated he wants to follow the All Stars next season. That’s a big step and we need to put the right personnel together to do that.
“I wish everyone could watch Cole and how hard he works in the shop,” Linder added. “Steven and I come home from work and he has cars out of the trailer, working on maintenance or putting an engine back in or building a new car — whatever it takes for him to go race.”
Mike, Steven and Stephanie Linder have jobs and indicated they don’t want to go “on the road” that much.
“We don’t want to race that much but Cole needs to race 80 times or more a year. We will help Ray and Cole get to that point,” said Steven Linder.
For Macedo, being a part of the Linder family has been great.
“The Linder family is one of the most generous and caring families I’ve ever met,” he said. “They brought me to the next step in my career. If it wasn’t for them, I’m not sure I’d be where I am today. After my 2020 year in Ohio, I didn’t think anyone would want to hire me and they took a shot on me at my lowest point. Mike, Stephanie, Steven, Karrie, Emily and Jim will be a part of my family forever.”
The Linder neighborhood, which also includes Mike’s dad Jim, a racing legend in Ohio, constantly has visits from past drivers. For Stephanie that extended family brings tremendous joy.
“I love that Carson and Buddy come back and stay with us and they feel at home here. I call them our boys and that’s what they are,” said Stephanie Linder, whose brother Jon Finsel also raced sprint cars. “The Macedos and Kofoids are our families. We are honored they entrusted their sons to our care.”
Kofoid, the reigning USAC national midget champion, said the Linders’ home is his second Midwest residence other than his home now in Indiana.
“I try to go back as frequently as I can,” Kofoid said. “Mike, Stephanie, Steven — they are my family. I wouldn’t be where I am now without the help and support of the Linders and Ed Neumeister,” Kofoid said. “In California I was kind of on an island. Coming to the Midwest allowed Keith (Kunz) and Pete (Willoughby) to pay closer attention on what I was doing and they gave me a try out.”