Wisconsin Dealer Featured on NASCAR Angels

Sheboygan Press – Local NASCAR fans may want to tune in to races a little earlier this fall.

That’s because an episode of the reality-TV series "NASCAR Angels" – which typically airs before NASCAR races, albeit on a different station – will feature a brief profile on the family-owned Powers Tire and Auto Service Center in Sheboygan.

A TV film crew was in town Wednesday morning filming interviews with the Powers family for a segment that should air before a national audience within the next two months.

"I was very surprised when they called me and said we’d been selected," said Tom Powers, 67, of Cleveland, who owns the business with his brother Mike Powers, 61, of Fort Atkinson. "It was quite an honor.”

NASCAR Angels, which is in its fourth season, follows mechanics as they repair vehicles for people facing tough circumstances. Producers describe the show as Extreme Home Makeover meets Pimp My Ride.

The Powers weren’t involved in one of the show’s auto makeovers. Instead, the family is being featured on a regular segment highlighting other Goodyear auto-service centers that do the type of repair work featured on the show.

"We decided we wanted to start telling the stories of who these guys are because they’re all so interesting," said Maryal Miller, a producer with Magic Dust Television in Phoenix, who was in Sheboygan during the filming. "Most of them have several generations of family members working at these businesses."

The production crew shot several hours of footage with the Powers family, whose 15 minutes of fame will be edited down to a 90-second clip airing within a half-hour episode of the show.

The business is one of 18 Goodyear Gemini dealers across the country to be featured on the show this season.

The Powers were recommended by a Goodyear representative because of the two generations of family members now working at the three Powers Tire and Auto Service Centers in Sheboygan, Manitowoc and Fort Atkinson.

The family members include Tom Powers, who started working with Goodyear as a pre-law student at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in the 1960s before opening the Manitowoc location with his brother Mike in 1972.

The brothers later opened locations in Fort Atkinson in 1984 and Sheboygan in 2005. Today they are assisted by Tom’s daughter, Tracy Fenlon, and his sons, Seth and Tom.

"These guys are very unique in that they’re so close. You normally don’t see the parents and kids all out there working together," Miller said.

GRI recently conducted programs in Sri Lanka to empower women and motivate children under its Green x Circle initiative. The company said these endeavors aimed to address the needs of the community, focusing on both women empowerment and youth motivation.

GRI recently organized a training program titled "Management of household finance under current economic conditions" at the Ingiriya Rubber Collecting Center in Sri Lanka, South Asia led by Shashika Nimali, an NLP practitioner and life coach. The company said this initiative provided women in the industry with essential skills and knowledge to effectively manage household finances. GRI's tailored training sessions equipped participants with tools for informed decision-making, ultimately fostering greater financial security and independence, the company said.