Burned out after years of asphalt racing, David Stremme embraced dirt track racing so much that he started building his own modified chassis.

Dirt track racing is one of the most revered sports in all of Pennsylvania, and modified racing accounts for one of the most popular classes among spectators and racers alike. So it stands to reason that Pennsylvania would also be home to one of the top builders of modifieds in the country—David Stremme and his company Lethal Chassis.
Stremme didn’t set out with the goal to own a race car building company, but his desire to have racing be a part of his world began early. He started so young that he actually forfeited his first victory after officials discovered he didn’t meet the minimum age requirement to drive.
Once he did reach that age, Stremme quickly earned success on the track and was noticed by Chip Ganassi Racing, with whom he signed a driver development contract. After toiling for more than a decade in the NASCAR environment, Stremme became burned out in asphalt racing. It was at this time the seeds of what became Lethal Chassis sprung to life.
As long-time Lethal Chassis customer Ken Schrader recalled, “David wasn’t a dirt racer at all and went to a dirt race where he got to drive, I think it was Macon, Illinois. He had all kinds of questions about, ‘Why do they do this? Why do they do that?’ He was used to the pavement stuff and thought he could build a better car.”
Stremme responded, “I was really burned out on the asphalt stuff, and I messed around a little bit on dirt, and we went racing. I’ve always been kind of a hands-on guy, and I bought a car from another guy. We got it late, couldn’t get parts, couldn’t really get any help, and I was just frustrated with that. So I thought we’ll just end up doing our own deal. I had a lot of equipment already from when we had our asphalt stuff, so I built myself and a couple other guys’ cars, and we found success right away. That was really all I was going to do with it, and the next thing you know, guys wanted cars.”

SHOP ON THE MOVE

Lethal Chassis was founded in Mooresville, North Carolina, in 2014. The business thrived and saw steady growth, outgrowing shops until it ended up in a 7,500-square-foot building. All told, the business stayed in Mooresville for nearly six years. Then, a major change took place at Lethal Chassis.
“As we get older, we look at things differently,” Stremme explained. “My wife Ashley, as an only child, was from Pennsylvania, up near Port Royal, and her parents were there. I liked going up there, so we moved in 2021.”
Stremme initially had concerns about how the move might affect his business, but soon found this not to be a concern. “I had thought location was key. Before the move, I evaluated a lot of companies and found that as long as you’re out in the field and racing in different parts of the country, it doesn’t matter where you’re at. There are different brands all over. A lot of our customers didn’t even know we moved.”

Next came the decision of where to set up their racing operations, something that wasn’t taken lightly. “We were going to build a shop next to the race track [Port Royal Speedway] as we had some land there. Then the next exit up we found a lumber yard with nine buildings on the property. We revamped four of them to build the cars in. It all sits on a five-acre property, fenced in, a very nice, professional place that makes up a nice facility. In the main building we manufacture the frames.” Even though everything ended up working out well, Stremme quickly added, “I’ll probably never move my shop again; it was a very big undertaking in doing it.”

LIMITING GROWTH

Stremme’s goal for his business was to remain small and offer a balanced approach to keep overhead expenses in check. “It’s been great. We’ve been very blessed with how the company’s gone,” he said. “The first year was really hectic. We built a lot of cars; we manufacture the whole car there in our facility, and it keeps us busy. We set a number, and we build a little over 35 a year now. We wanted to build 30, but with repairs and replacement on some cars, it tends to be a little higher. We stay pretty busy with that.”
This approach not only works for Lethal Chassis, but it’s also beneficial to the company’s customers as well. Spencer Andrews, a customer since 2021, explained why he purchased a car from Lethal Chassis and the related benefits.
“I became a customer because we kept getting beat by his equipment,” Andrews admitted. “His cars were performing better than ours on the track, so we wanted to get one of his chassis. He has maintained control of his output. He’s been measured in how many cars he’s producing, and that helps the resale value. It also makes sure there are so many Lethal chassis out there that we can’t learn anything from each other.”

Stremme’s success has garnered much interest from the racing industry. In fact, he has been approached about building cars for other classes, but as the old adage goes, Lethal Chassis does one thing, and they do it right. “We stick strictly to what we call A-mods. We don’t get into anything else just because we’re too busy with it,” he said.

PERSONNEL

In any business, the product is only as good as the people who manufacture it. Moving across states can disrupt even the best of businesses, but Lethal Chassis proved to be an exception. “The move was good because Pennsylvania is very strong in motorsports,” Stremme explained. “I didn’t realize how big it was. It’s huge. Obviously coming from North Carolina, it was big there, but in the Pennsylvania area, they are die-hard racers. In North Carolina, there is such a big motorsports industry there, you get robbed of a lot of your people, a lot of your product that you develop. As we moved, I think it has helped our business because our productivity is much better. There are sprint cars, Late Models, 600s, a lot of motorsports here in Pennsylvania, and we get a lot of interest from people wanting to come in and work, so we are very blessed from that standpoint.”
Lethal Chassis has five full-time employees and one part-timer. “Kevin Carpenter has been with me a long time, and he moved up to Pennsylvania with us. We don’t have a lot of turnover because people want to come in and work, and we have a good facility,” Stremme added.

KEEPING UP WITH TECHNOLOGY

Keeping up with the latest technology is an area where Lethal Chassis particularly shines due to Stremme’s active involvement in the sport. Testing for other teams and driving his own race cars sharpens his skills and gives him hands-on knowledge to determine what customers want. “When you’re in the seat, you have an advantage of what you need to work on,” Stremme explained. “It keeps you on the edge of what you need to improve on as far as the cars and their technology.
“My experience and the relationships I’ve made growing up in racing, and the years I was in NASCAR where I still have a lot of great relationships, it’s through those relationships we keep up with the technology,” he continued. “We’re constantly developing a lot of stuff and keep a lot of our secrets to ourselves.”
He cited the continual advances that go into his cars. “Anything dealing with speed and performance is under constant development,” Stremme said. “Right now, there’s been a huge gain in shock technology through our partners at Penske shocks. I feel like they’ve really stepped up. If you’re not developing, then you’re just staying stagnant. You’ll get behind, and you’ll go out of business.”
Those relationships are also integral to the marketing of Lethal Chassis. “We don’t really advertise,” Stremme admitted. “My advertising is my customers winning. We’ve had, I feel, really good success. We’ve won every big race; we’ve won every big series. We built a car for a guy who’s a paraplegic [Chris Morris]. He’s won more races than he had for years. We try to help people race and have a good time and see they have everything they need.
“We’re on all the popular social media sites,” he continued. “If you’re winning, you’re selling cars, people want to know where you’re at. It’s more of not just one person winning, but the majority of your customers winning. Word-of-mouth advertisements are great, but it’s not like winning. The old saying, ‘win on Sunday, sell on Monday,’ is still true.”

A SIMPLE PHILOSOPHY

Lethal Chassis has its own unique philosophy, which is aimed more at the sport of racing modifieds than the product itself. “More than anything I like his philosophy about the sport,” Schrader said about Stremme. “We’re running dirt modifieds. We’re not making a living doing this. We’re supposed to have fun, and that’s what we’re doing. This is more laid back. If you don’t want to run this week,  you don’t have to.”
The laid-back aspect of modified racing was a major component of what drew Stremme into that class and ultimately the creation of Lethal Chassis. “I did about 14 to 15 years of NASCAR when it was at its peak—attendance, ratings, everything. It was awesome to be a part of. I enjoy life now. I run modifieds. Schrader and I were talking about how modifieds are a working man’s car, where you can take me, my buddy, my wife, and go race. You don’t need to have full-time guys. You don’t need to spend day and night on them. I enjoy it, and as long as I’m having fun, I’m going to keep doing it.”

SUPPORTING CUSTOMERS

Service after the sale is a hallmark of any successful company, and Lethal Chassis is no exception. Andrews provided a glowing testimony to how Stremme and Lethal Chassis cares for its customers.
“He’s available, he’s down to earth, he understands our goals,” Andrews said. “He has a wealth of racing experience that comes from all over, not just dirt track racing. Obviously, he has an extensive asphalt history, and that comes through in his product and in how he takes care of you after you become a customer. I’ve known him a long time; I used to work with him in NASCAR. His work ethic has always been the same; it’s always been over the top. He gravitates toward racers, and he treats everybody with respect. He understands our passion for the sport. He makes no judgment about where we start as we learn, how to field a team, how to field a car, how to do the setups. He’s got a real nice product he’s selling, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we don’t have something to learn about fielding the car and setup and all that stuff. He just works with you where you’re starting from and makes sure you’re performing as good as possible for your situation.
“Clearly this is a family effort,” Andrews continued. “His wife is directly involved in the marketing and is very passionate about dirt racing as well. It is a family affair but with a professional skillset right on top of it.”

Andrews is not the only customer who takes note of Stremme’s experience and customer care. Schrader also shared how Stremme and his team offer an edge to those who race Lethal Chassis’ cars.
“Obviously I like his cars, but I like him and Ashley as people for how much they put into the sport,” Schrader said, citing customer support, parts availability, and service after the sale. “You can pick up the phone and he’ll answer it. You’ll get questions answered. He’s in the trenches doing it himself. He’s not relying on a couple of people calling in and telling him what adjustments they’ve made. He obviously listens to that, but he’s always out there and looking for an edge. I don’t think we’re going to be left behind real quick. He’s just been great. More than anything the way he treats people, and the love of the sport are what makes it.”