Teams

TEAM STAMPEDE

Garage Headquarters: St. Louis, MO

Driver: To Be Announced

Mechanics: Jeff Hanewinkle and others to be announced

Nuts and Bolts:

Team Stampede has plenty of drivers to choose from. That's because the entry is being fielded by Stampede Distributing, which is a division of Major Brands, Inc., Missouri's largest wholesale distributor of wines and spirits. On any given day, Major Brands delivers more than 35,000 bottles of product throughout the state; ergo, the company has a lot of employees behind the wheel. The only problem is that those drivers are used to piloting state-of-the-art trucks with motors – not the gravity-powered bull with wings that's under construction as their entry for Red Bull Soapbox Race.

But that's OK. The folks at Stampede Distributing have ventured into the unknown before – when they added an energy drink to the Major Brands lineup. "We brought Red Bull to the St. Louis area," says Team Stampede captain Jeff Hanewinkle. "We sold the very first can that hit the streets here." When his team of employees hits the street at Forest Park, they'll likely be recognized by many of the spectators on hand. As the only large distributor of premium wines and spirits that remains Missouri owned, the company is committed to serving local neighborhoods and organizations, and employees make a point of being actively involved in their communities. "We represent a portfolio of powerful brands," Hanewinkle says, "but we're down-to-earth guys."