Teams

Udder Amazement

Garage Headquarters: Denver, CO

Driver: Cody Hartzell

Mechanics: Chris Macri, Michael Hartzell, Leslie Hartzell

Nuts and Bolts:

“It’s doubtful that we’ll win the Red Bull Soapbox Race,” says Chris Macri, a Denver dentist who serves as captain of the team called Udder Amazement. “I think we’re going up against engineers and rocket scientists and such who are used to building much more complex things...like engines and rockets.” While Chris and his neighbors from the Hartzell family – mom Leslie, dad Michael, and teenage son Cody – may not know much about engineering a racer, they seem to have an intuitive sense of the absurd. Their race vehicle takes the funny form of a bug-eyed cow lying on her back, with their driver’s head serving as the udder!

“Leslie’s a former Denver Broncos cheerleader, so she’s our choreographer, and my wife Ann will make the costumes,” Chris relates. Meanwhile, the guys on the team are cluttering up their garages with various car (and cow) parts, which have proven to hold a real fascination for the Hartzells’ youngest children, one-year-old Axel and three-year-old Lily. “Lily’s technical expertise may actually give us the edge on those rocket scientists,” Chris jokes. Big brother Cody, an 18-year-old senior at Denver Christian High School, is stoked to be the team’s designated driver. “Cody had brain surgery a few years back,” Chris reveals. “After overcoming that challenge, this challenge will be a piece of cake!”