Trent Weitzel’s dreams of setting a Guinness World Record based on his sheer athletic ability were quickly exhausted at a relatively young age. On Friday afternoon, he began a quest to set two world records in what he’s already won the Super Bowl equivalent for: cooking chicken wings.
Weitzel, a Laramie resident, owns Weitzels Wings, and starting at 1 p.m. Friday began his quest to cook and sell the most buffalo wings in eight hours and the most in 24 hours.
The bar is pretty high to break both records. He and his crew need to sell 23,047 wings in eight hours for the first record and 42,217 wings for the one-day challenge.
Ready For The Challenge
Weitzel was ready. He had four food trucks at Freedom’s Edge Brewing Co. in downtown Cheyenne ready to pump out the wings, which Guinness rules say have to be sold over a single table. He started buying wings nearly a year ago in preparation for the big day.
Weitzels Wings, also known as “Double Dubs,” sells a wide variety of wings and sauces, but for the record attempt focused on two kinds: a traditional buffalo sauce and barbecue.
Weitzel said their biggest hurdle won’t be making the wings but getting people to come out and do their part.
“That’s, like, the only thing that we’re worried about, just (getting) the people here,” he said.
Weitzel and his staff, family and friends have been doing their best to get the word out on social media promoting the record-breaking attempt. They’re hopeful people will swing on through to get some late-night wings after Cheyenne Frontier Days and Fridays on the Plaza concerts.
“The people are here. We just need to get them down here,” Weitzel said.
The Double Dubs staff, also known as Dubs Mafia, plan to work through the night trading off with 10- to 12-hour shifts. If someone wants to buy wings at 5 a.m., they’ll be there to support the request.
‘They’re Really Good’
Within a few minutes of the challenge opening up, a line stretched hundreds of feet down the block outside Freedom’s Edge Brewing Co., filled with hungry wing aficionados waiting to help lend a hand in setting a world record.
But it wasn’t just the opportunity to set a world record that brought out many people Friday. For some, it was simply a love of the Double Dubs wings.
“I think they’re really good, and I don’t really do wings,” said Amanda Beaver.
Double Dubs is the reigning Festival Favorite at the National Buffalo Wing Festival in Buffalo, New York.
It also won the support of Buffalo Bills quarterback and University of Wyoming alum Josh Allen, who mentioned Double Dubs on a national sports podcast. The food truck also drew the attention of Food Network personality Guy Fieri.
A segment on Fieri’s hit show “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” from 2022 helped the business earn national acclaim.
Personal Connections
Others like Monique Vasquez have a personal connection to Weitzel. She went to high school with the Wyoming wing king and isn’t surprised he wants to break the records.
“He’s just a go-getter,” she said.
Vasquez was the first in line to get wings Friday. It was only fitting as she is one of Weitzel’s biggest fans.
“He and his wife are such good people, and their wings are the best I’ve ever had,” she said.
Vasquez picked up 100 wings to share with her employees at Vasquez Roofing LLC of Cheyenne. Right behind in her line was Tim Burke, who was picking up 100 wings for his co-workers at Edgewater Sierra Hills senior community.
Both acknowledged that free food is a great way to build worker morale. While the wings may be free for those they bring them back for, the world record rules say Weitzel has to sell them to count. He’s doing it at a break-even price for less than $1 each.
“Who’s going to complain about their boss when they’re buying them lunch?” Vasquez said with a laugh.
Huge volumes of buffalo wings make their way out for Weitzel's Wings as people lined up to help them set a pair of world records. (Leo Wolfson, Cowboy State Daily) 
Zeke Rodriguez announces the beginning of the world record attempt. (Leo Wolfson, Cowboy State Daily) 
The fryers are full in one of the four Double Dubs trucks. (Leo Wolfson, Cowboy State Daily) 
Chris Chamberlain helps cook wings on Friday. (Leo Wolfson, Cowboy State Daily)
Mouths To Feed
Many of the people Cowboy State Daily spoke to Friday said they planned to buy large quantities of wings. Jordan Stoeber was getting 500 for his crew of 15-20 people at the F.E. Warren Air Force Base.
“I just like their wings and want to try and pitch it to help them set the record,” Stoeber said.
Thirty minutes into the contest, Double Dubs had already sold 3,000 wings. They have the capability to produce 3,200 wings an hour.
The eight-hour challenge will run through 9 p.m. Friday. The 24-hour record attempt will complete at 1 p.m. Saturday, which also happens to be National Chicken Wing Day.
“That’s why we chose this day, and it happens to coincide with Frontier Days,” Weitzel said.
Weitzel said if they don’t beat either of the records this year, the Dubs Mafia will go at it again next year.
“We’ll kind of learn from our mistakes and go after it again,” he said.
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
