In the mid- 1970’s two brothers from Statesville, NC, Steve and Mike Heintz wanted to explore one of the hobbies they had in common, so they built a drag car. Their shared pastime became a shared automotive business. Something they liked to do became more than a hobby – it became their livelihood.

Steve & Mike Heintz

When Mike and Steve began going to the drag strip in 1976, they found themselves to be racers prepared for any breakage, carrying extra parts with them to each race. Word traveled among their racing peers, and numerous racers began to visit Mike and Steve’s pit area to see if any of the extra parts fit their own race cars; therefore, the brothers began bringing a supply of parts just to sell at the track. From this, the idea of opening a small parts business in the corner of their garage became a reality, and Heintz Brothers Automotive was officially formed.

Heintz Brothers developed a clientele among drag racers, oval track racers, and individuals interested in the street performance of their personal vehicles. With Steve handling the parts aspects of the company and Mike the engine building and repair, their business became known for being able to perform a variety of services. In fact, business grew so much, that by the early 1980’s, the small corner of their garage devoted to parts was not large enough to handle the demand of its customers. This resulted in building an addition to their existing facility which was equipped to stock a great number of parts to meet the supply and demand of the racing clientele.

Mike & Steve became well-known to racers across the Carolinas and the Southeast, and soon, even parts manufacturers became acquainted with the Heintz name and contacted Heintz Bros. asking the business to carry their products. While the drag racing community was the company’s major focus in the 1980’s, Heintz Bros. began to search for other racing avenues to explore.

One of these other avenues was created for Heintz in 1990 by the growing number of professional Winston Cup and Busch Grand National teams in the Charlotte area. Parts manufacturers specializing in these types of racecars asked Heintz to pursue the NASCAR market for them as their distributor. Steve began to knock on shop doors, introduce himself and his company, and let these race teams know that he represented a company that could deliver the parts that they needed. The result was that he built real relationships with the teams, and Steve Heintz became known for his honesty, integrity, dependability and service to customers – traits instilled by his father.

Over 45 years ago, the Heintz’s worked out of a corner of a garage. Today, Heintz ships nationwide, deals directly with over 200 manufacturers, and has become one of the most trusted names in the racing business. Both Mike & Steve believe that the relationships they have built with their manufacturers and their customers are of the utmost importance to their success; thus, they strive to deliver only their best – both in product and service. Their sales and service staff is the major reason for sustaining growth in the industry.

In 2020, change again came to the Heintz’ business in the form of cancer. Mike Heintz had a short 4-month battle with the terrible sickness. On March 31, 2020 Mike left this world to be with the Lord.

Steve Heintz and the staff continued on in Mike’s absence striving to keep his moral drive alive in all aspects of the business. Just 2 short years later in October of 2022, Steve Heintz suffered a massive heart attack. He fought hard for 3 weeks but went on to see his family in Heaven. 

Steve had put a succession plan in place that transitioned the Ownership of Heintz Bros. Automotive, Inc. to two of his long-time employees, Philip Sherrill and Matt Deal. With over 50 years experience between the duo, they have taken the reins to keep the business moving in that same direction and treat customers the same as they want to be treated.

No customer is too big or too small – everyone is welcome and important to them, and their employees share this belief. The Heintz name is your local speed shop wherever you may be, whether you are a street performance enthusiast or a major motorsports team. They plan to continue to keep the reputation of honesty, quality products, knowledge of these products, and fair pricing well into the 21st Century.