Ryan Litt (07L) Winner at Dixie Second time this year |
8/02/08
Birch Run, Michigan
The Dixie motor Speedway on Saturday Night 8/02/08 had a fantastic and enthusiastic crowd on hand to welcome the Auto Value Bumper to Bumper Super Sprint Stars. The night was perfect for racing. Qualifying started out at 5 Pm for the 19 sprinters on hand to take their spot in feature order. Fast time went to Jeff Bloom in the (26) machine with a great run of 12.772. Ryan Litt in the (07L) held in second with a 12.881. The last of the top five qualifiers included Tyler Underwood (4) with a 13.002 and dangerously close to the 12 second mark, 4th was (3A) Mike Austrauskas with a nice spot at 13.039, and the last of the top 5 qualifiers was (88) Jimmy McCune 13.061.
The heat race events also proved exciting for fans. Dowker Engine heat race one winner Ike(99) the "Ice Man" Beasley traveled all 8 laps to the finish. He was followed by John-Boy Hotchkiss, Driver/Owner of the #75 machine and third went to (23) Scott O'Connor who his nephew calls Dixie Speedway his "Favorite Track". Logo Boys Sponsored heat race 2 pulled one caution and two lead changes making the (07L) of Litt the winner, followed by (37) "Hurring Hank" Lower with the second spot and third was claimed by (24) Bill Tyler. United Trailers sponsored heat race three went to (42) Blonde, (70) Craft and (07B) Banyas.
The 30 lap feature followed a fantastic showing of late models at Dixie Speedway where they held the 100 lap race, a yearly event. The Auto Value Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints with 19 Cars were pushed off and the #(23) Scott O'Connor brought the field to the green. Lap one Jason Blonde seized the lead for three laps and caution one came out for the safety cone in turn 4. With only one car in the pits (88) McCune ,the sprinters were under way again, with Blonde (42) holding the lead until lap 8. This is where the strong (98F) car of Kevin Feeney took over. Lap 12 posed a caution with (07B) of Jeff Banyas who went to the tail of the field. Two laps underway lap (14) more pulled the last caution of the night collecting (70) Craft and (20K) Flint on the backstretch on lap 14. With one more lap the sprints came to the 1/2 way mark , with the (98F) of Feeney still in business. (42) Blonde makes and takes the challenge to lead in lap 18. With only 12 laps remaining the top three(42), (98F), and (07L) are in thick pursuit of the winners circle. Also in top contention are the (26) of Bloom who started 10th with the invert draw and landed 4th. (23) O'Connor and (46) Swain also proved strong in the Dixie race. The race not over (07L) Litt captures the lead on lap 21 making the move on the backstretch and into turn 4 overtaking series points leader (42) Blonde. Litt grabs the winners circle by navigating slower traffic and lapping 3 cars. The top five finishers were (07L)Litt, (42) Blonde, (98f) Kevin Feeney, (26) Jeff Bloom and (23) Scott O'Connor. The super sprint feature at Dixie Speedway was one of the best races around. A Special thanks to all of the fans for supporting the "Fastest Short Track Show cars in the world". The Auto Value Bumper to Bumper Super Sprint Series.
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RYAN LITT: BIRCH RUN BOUND |
by Tommy Goudge (July 31, 2008) –
After some time off, Ryan Litt and the #07 BS&B Radiator/OTC Tools Sprint Car team will get back into action on Saturday night at the Dixie Motor Speedway in Birch Run, Michigan with the Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints series. Hopes for a good run are running high with the Lyons, Ontario-based team, as Ryan visited victory lane at Dixie the last time the AVSS series competed there.
Original plans would have seen Ryan racing during each of the last 2 weekends, but the AVSS event scheduled for July 19 at Auto City Speedway was cancelled, and last weekend Ryan’s supermodified ride for the Hy-Miler Nationals at Sandusky, Ohio did not pan out. After 2 weeks off, Ryan is definitely ready to get back in the driver’s seat on Saturday night:
“I’m just really looking forward to getting back on the track and back to Dixie. I’m hoping for a good day and possibly a repeat,” said Ryan this week. “I’ve had a lot of people asking when I will be in a Supermodified next. Hopefully I will be in one for the races at Delaware and Berlin in September. Dave (Lair) has had some trouble getting his motor back together, but if everything works out, it will be done in a few weeks.”
Despite some bad luck and DNF’s this season, Ryan has managed to stay 5th in the AVSS points standings, and is only 19 markers out of 2nd as the tour heads to Dixie, while the team will head to the famous Winchester Speedway in Indiana to compete in the annual “King of the Wings” event on Sunday, August 10. A weekend off follows the big Winchester event, and then August finishes with a visit to the Owosso Speedway on August 23, and Berlin Raceway on August 30. Meanwhile, the AVSS event at Kalamazoo Speedway that was rained out on July 12 has been rescheduled for Saturday, September 20, but one race has also been cancelled, as the unfortunate news of M-40 Speedway’s closing this week means the AVSS event on August 22nd at M-40 is unlikely to run as scheduled.
WHAT:
“The Big One VI” - Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints series Round #10
www.SuperSprints.com
WHERE:
Dixie Motor Speedway
10945 Dixie Highway
Birch Run, MI 48415
Phone: 989-624-9778
e-mail: info@DixieMotorSpeedway.com
On The Web: www.DixieMotorSpeedway.com
WHEN:
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Pit Gates Open @ 2:00p.m., Spectator Gates Open @ 4:00p.m., Racing @ 7:00p.m.
$30 Pit Passes, $23 Adults, $20 Seniors, $16 Teens (13-17), $8 Children (6-12), FREE Children 5 and Under.
Ryan and the team would like to thank all their sponsors for their continued support during Ryan's and the #07 Beast/Claxton Sprinter's 2008 season, including OTC Tools, BS&B Radiator, Linton Media, Linde Gases, Leaf Racewear, Xtreme Metal Worx, and Huron Produce Ltd. For more information on Ryan, the car, and the team, including schedules, news releases, photos, NEW merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan's official website powered by Linton Media at www.RyanLitt.com
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DIXIE DOMINATION FOR RYAN LITT; “THE ZOO” AND SPARTAN UP NEXT |
by Tommy Goudge (July 7, 2008) –
Ryan Litt and the #07 BS&B Radiator, OTC Tools sprint car team entered Friday night’s Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints event at Dixie Motor Speedway just hoping to finish all 30 laps. Not only did they accomplish that goal, but when the 30 lap feature was completed, the Lyons, Ontario driver and his #07 were in victory lane!
After a disappointing month of June that was full of rainouts and mechanical problems, Ryan and the crew entered July hoping for a fresh start, and it was apparent right from the beginning of the night that the #07 was going to be fast again – it was just a matter of making it to the finish. At the end of practice, the #07 sat atop the speed charts, but a tight condition in time trials relegated Ryan to 3rd in the session with a lap of 12.949 seconds (111.205 MPH) around the high banked 4/10’s mile oval. In his heat, Ryan started dead last and got past 3 cars to finish 4th, and then got prepared to start the 30 lap feature from the outside of the 3rd row. When the feature got started, Ryan got a great run heading into the first turn and used the outside groove to move into 3rd behind Jimmy McCune and Troy Underwood. On lap 13, Litt got by McCune for the lead and never looked back as he dominated the rest of the feature, finishing his first race in over a month in the process.
Notes ‘n Quotes:
“Oh man what a night - the car was on rails!!! I’m just so happy to finally win,” remarked Ryan afterwards, “I started 6th in the (A-Main) and I got a really good run headed into turn 1 so I stayed on the top and came out in 3rd!”
“The car was just great. I have to thank all of my crew; my grandfather Alex, my father Wade, and Mike, Steve, Bob, and Brian. We have all been working really hard on the car trying to shake this gremlin off our back. This past week we were in the shop a few nights past midnight - it was a bit hectic but it all paid off! The car was just so good on the bottom it was unbelievable. It’s such a relief to finally put all the pieces together and not only finish a race, but win one!”
What’s in store as the season moves along?:
“I want to get on dirt too! I keep talking to Chad Goff (who is running both dirt and pavement this year) and he keeps telling me how much fun (dirt) is with a wing on!”
Next?:
“Next weekend is going to be a challenge - I hear Spartan is like a bowl...”
This weekend is a doubleheader for the Litt Racing team, as the AVSS tour heads to Kalamazoo Speedway in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Saturday night, July 12, followed by a Sunday night date at the Spartan Speedway located just South of Lansing, Michigan. Ryan’s only visit to the 3/8’s mile high banked oval known as “The Zoo” came in 2006, but the event was rained out after practice, while Spartan’s ¼ mile will be a completely new experience for Ryan and the team.
WHAT:
Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints Series Rounds #8 and #9
www.SuperSprints.com
WHERE:
Kalamazoo Speedway
7656 Ravine Road
Kalamazoo, MI 49009
(exit 44 off US 131)
Phone: 269-349-3978 (Race Day Only) or 269-692-2423 (Office)
e-mail: http://www.kalamazoospeedway.com/contactinfo.asp
On the Web: www.KalamazooSpeedway.com
Spartan Speedway
779 N. College Road
Mason, MI 48854
Phone: 517-676-5404
e-mail: info@spartanspeedway.com
On the Web: www.SpartanSpeedway.com
WHEN:
Kalamazoo Speedway
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Racing @ 7:00p.m.
$16 Adults, $12 Teens ages 12-15, FREE Kids age 11 and under
Spartan Speedway
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Gates Open @ 3:30p.m., Racing @ 6:00p.m.
$18 Adults, $15 Seniors, $11 Kids ages 6-12, FREE Kids age 5 and under
Ryan and the team would like to thank all their sponsors for their continued support during Ryan's and the #07 Beast/Claxton Sprinter's 2008 season, including OTC Tools, BS&B Radiator, Linton Media, Linde Gases, Leaf Racewear, Xtreme Metal Worx, and Huron Produce Ltd. For more information on Ryan, the car, and the team, including schedules, news releases, photos, NEW merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan's official website powered by Linton Media at www.RyanLitt.com
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Back to Basics for Ryan Litt at Dixie |
by Tommy Goudge (July 3, 2008) -
After a frustrating month full of rain and mechanical problems which ended with more engine problems last Saturday at Berlin Raceway, Lyons, Ontario driver Ryan Litt and the #07 BS&B Radiators, OTC Tools Beast/Claxton sprint car team enter Friday night's event at Dixie Motor Speedway with some changes made to the car. It will be back to basics on Friday night as the backup engine and standard rear end assembly will be installed in the car for the night in the hopes that the car will be able to finish all the scheduled laps.
The team entered last weekend's doubleheader weekend with the Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints series at M-40 Speedway and Berlin Raceway optimistic that they could get back on track, but after rain canceled Friday night's event at M-40, another promising night at Berlin went awry with just a few laps left in the feature. After turning the fastest lap in practice, qualifying 4th in time trials, and a 4th place finish in his heat, Ryan began the feature 5th on the grid and worked his way towards the front. While racing with Troy Underwood for the 2nd position with less than 10 laps to go, Ryan felt a vibration in the drive train and was forced to retire to the pit area.
Ryan and the team will get back in action Friday, July 4 at the Dixie Motor Speedway in Birch Run, Michigan. The event was originally scheduled for July 5 as Dixie had switched to Saturday night racing earlier this season, but after a lot of fan input, the decision was made to switch back to Dixie's traditional Friday night show. Dixie's high-banked 4/10's mile oval and superb lighting system make it one of the best tracks on the AVSS circuit, but Dixie was not a favoured venue for Litt and the team at first. Ryan's first few visits to Dixie were cut short by various issues, but the track has become better for he and the team in their last two visits. On September 8th, 2006 Ryan took home his best finish to date at Dixie with a 5th place feature finish, after qualifying 2nd in time trials. Last year he and the #07 returned to Dixie on June 28 and persevered to finish 7th after problems in time trials relegated him to 21st in the session.
WHAT:
Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints Series Round #7
WHERE:
Dixie Motor Speedway
10945 Dixie Highway
Birch Run, MI
48415
Phone: 989-624-9778
e-mail: info@DixieMotorSpeedway.com
On the Web: www.DixieMotorSpeedway.com
WHEN:
Friday, July 4, 2008
Pit Gates Open @ 4:00p.m., Grandstands Open @ 5:00p.m., First Race @ 7:30p.m.
$15 Adults, $13 Seniors, $12 Teens Ages 13-17, $6 Kids Ages 6-12, FREE Kids Ages 5 and Under
Ryan and the team would like to thank all their sponsors for their continued support during Ryan's and the #07 Beast/Claxton Sprinter's 2008 season, including OTC Tools, BS&B Radiator, Linton Media, Linde Gases, Leaf Racewear, Xtreme Metal Worx, and Huron Produce Ltd. For more information on Ryan, the car, and the team, including schedules, news releases, photos, NEW merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan's official website powered by Linton Media at www.RyanLitt.com
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M-40 and Berlin Up Next For Ryan Litt |
by Tommy Goudge (June 26, 2008) -
After a weekend off, Ryan Litt and his fellow Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints competitors will be back in action this weekend for 2 big races. On Friday, June, 27 Ryan and the #07 BS&B Radiator, OTC Tools Beast/Claxton sprint car crew will visit the M-40 Speedway in Jones, Michigan, and then will travel up US-131 for a Saturday night, June 28 event at the Berlin Raceway in Marne, Michigan. The 21 year old from Lyons, Ontario heads into the weekend ranked 5th in AVSS points, but is just 16 markers out of 2nd.
Ryan and the team hope to get back up front this weekend after mechanical failures in each of the last 2 events resulted in Ryan watching the end of the race from the sidelines, while another event was canceled due to rain. At Delaware Speedway on June 6, the #07 suffered a suspension failure while leading the race. A week later Ryan and the team travelled to Toledo Speedway with high hopes, as Ryan was the fastest qualifier the last time AVSS visited Toledo in 2007. Ryan was also scheduled to perform double duty for the evening as the hired gun in the Gary Morton owned #70 ISMA Supermodified, however the event - billed as the "Fastest Short Track Show in the World" - was rained out. The next night, the AVSS tour returned to the Auto City Speedway where Ryan finished 4th on May 10 for his best finish ever at the unique track located near Flint, Michigan. The night began well with Ryan running the fastest lap in time trials, but his feature run ended prematurely with an engine problem.
Notes and Quotes:
No Joy in Mud(Hen)ville
"First of all (Toledo) is my favourite race of the year, and also one of my best tracks," noted Ryan, "but it was rained out after we got one round of practice in. We had the wrong gear in the car, but were still 3rd fastest in the session. I'm a little upset about Toledo - it rained once for maybe 45 minutes and never rained again the rest of the day. It is one of the best tracks and facilities we get to all year, and running that one hot lap session was just a teaser. I think it was one of the best cars I have ever had there. Once we got the gear straightened out and made a little stagger adjustment, I think I would have had no problem not lifting (going into the corners)."
Piston Problem
"At Auto City we had a really good car, although the track wasn't quite there as they had a lot of other classes running, taking the rubber off the track. It was mostly one groove, although the second groove could be used - you just really had to wheel it. After starting 8th, I was happy with my start in the feature - it gave me a little time to save tires as I got by three cars in the first corner. I think I would have had a good chance at having a top 3 (finish), or maybe even a win. Congrats to Jason (Blonde) and the Dowker crew - Jason is one of the best sprint car drivers out there, and the pass he made coming out of turn 4 (on the last lap for the win) was incredible. Hopefully we can shake the monkey off our back and start giving him a little run for his money."
On Friday night, M-40 Speedway is hosting a special event featuring the AVSS Sprint Cars, along with the Michigan Legends Series, and USA Modified Series. Ryan is looking forward to his first visit to this high-banked and very fast 3/8's mile oval, reputed to be one of the nicest racing facilities in the state of Michigan.
Saturday night at Berlin Raceway is Summer Spectacular night, featuring the AVSS Sprint Cars, plus the track's entertaining regular Late Model, Super Stock, Pro Stock, and Sportsman divisions. Ryan's career best finish at Berlin - another of the Canadian driver's favourite tracks - was a feature win on September 2nd, 2006.
WHAT:
Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints Series Rounds #5 and #6
www.SuperSprints.com
WHERE:
M-40 Speedway
58671 M-40 Highway
Jones, Michigan 49061
Phone: 574-255-4335 or 269-244-5321
e-mail: steve@m40speedway.com or bill@m40speedway.com
On the Web: www.m40speedway.com
Berlin Raceway
2060 Berlin Fair Drive
Marne, MI 49435
Phone: 616-677-5000
e-mail: mstrevel@berlinraceway.com
On the Web: www.berlinraceway.com
WHEN:
M-40 Speedway "Open Wheel Plus 1"
Friday, June 27, 2008
Gates open @ 3:30p.m., Practice @ 4:00p.m. - 5:15p.m., Qualifying @ 5:30p.m., Racing @ 7:30p.m.
$25.00 Pit Passes, $20.00 Adults, $5.00 Kids Ages 6-12, FREE Kids Ages 5 and Under
Berlin Raceway "Summer Spectacular"
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Gates open @ 12:15p.m., First AVSS Practice @ 3:20p.m., AVSS Time Trials @ 6:00p.m., Racing @ 7:00p.m.
Pit Passes $25.00, Adults $18.00, $9.00 Kids Ages 6-12, FREE Kids Ages 5 and Under
Ryan and the team would like to thank all their sponsors for their continued support during Ryan's and the #07 Beast/Claxton Sprinter's 2008 season, including OTC Tools, BS&B Radiator, Linton Media, Linde Gases, Leaf Racewear, Xtreme Metal Worx, and Huron Produce Ltd. For more information on Ryan, the car, and the team, including schedules, news releases, photos, NEW merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan's official website powered by Linton Media at www.RyanLitt.com
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“Mechanical Failure Steals Victory From Litt at Delaware; Toledo & Auto City Up Next” |
by Tommy Goudge (June 10, 2008) –
Ryan Litt appeared to be on his way to victory or at least a very good finish on Friday night at his home track, Delaware Speedway. After starting 5th, the Lyons, Ontario resident took the lead of the Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints A-Main on the 12th lap and opened a substantial lead, but on the 24th lap a broken panhard bar brought the race to an end for the #07 BS&B Radiator, OTC Tools Beast/Claxton sprint car.
The night began with Ryan running the 6th fastest time trial lap of the session, and then driving from 5th to a 3rd place finish in his heat race, while the crew worked on improving the setup for Ryan, who was battling a tight condition coming out of the corners. Their work paid off in the feature as the #07 was very fast. A close call coming out of turn 2 during the first lap almost proved to be the undoing of many competitors as the field bunched up and contact with another car sent the #07 bouncing off the wall. Fortunately Ryan suffered only minor damage and only 1 car was unable to restart and when the green flag came out again, it stayed out. Ryan quickly advanced through the field, passing Dennis Craft for 3rd on lap 4, Jeff Bloom for 2nd on lap 8, and Ike Beasley for the lead on lap 12. Litt opened a full straightaway gap until a caution bunched the field with 23 of 30 laps complete. On the restart, Litt reasserted his lead, but coming out of turn 2 Ryan could feel something was not right with the #07.
Notes and Quotes from Delaware:
Mechanical problem: “I thought it might have been a tire problem, so I kept going,” said Ryan after the race, “Then (going) into turn 3 the whole rear end dropped down and I almost hit the wall. What happened was the rod end on the left side of the rear panhard bar broke, causing the rear end to move freely, and then the torque tube/driveshaft pulled out, and that was the end of my night”
Outside Groove: “But, man oh man the car was hooked up,” said Ryan, who was upbeat despite the problem, “I had been running the outside all day in practice and in the heat race trying to get the car comfortable up there, as I knew come feature time I'd need a good car on the high side if I wanted to go anywhere. It was getting tons of bite at the top and the track had two grooves, but it was still hard to set a pass up because of how narrow it is going in and coming off (the corners). You really had to time it right to ensure the car ahead wasn't going to put you up into the wall.”
On Delaware Speedway: “Jeff & John and the whole Delaware crew prepared a great track, which in turn made for an awesome night of racing. Once they get the bumps smoothed out it will be one of the top tracks in the country. They had a huge turnout of fans and it was great to see a bunch come down into the pits after the race. It was our race for sure. Hopefully we can go to Toledo and continue where we left off.”
The next events for Ryan and the crew are coming up this weekend as the first doubleheader weekend of the Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints season is on tap. Friday night the tour will participate in the annual “Fastest Short Track Show in the World” at the high banked Toledo Speedway in Ohio, while Saturday AVSS returns to the Auto City Speedway near Flint, Michigan. Toledo fans will see Ryan doing double duty, as he will pilot Gary Morton’s #70 in the ISMA Supermodified portion of the event on top of his regular duties in the #07 sprinter.
What:
Toledo - “The Fastest Short Track Show in the World” featuring the International SuperModified Association Round #2 and Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints Round #3.
Auto City – Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints Round #4
www.SuperSprints.com
www.ISMASupers.com
Where:
Toledo Speedway
5639 Benore Road
Toledo, Ohio 43612
Track Phone: (419)-727-1100
www.ArcaRacing.com
Auto City Speedway
10205 N Saginaw Rd.
Clio, MI, 48420
www.AutoCitySpeedway.com
When:
Toledo - Friday June 13th, 2008. Pit Gates Open @ 1:00 p.m., practice and spectator gates @ 4:00 p.m., Time Trials @ 5:30 p.m., Racing @ 7:30 p.m.
Auto City - Saturday June 14th, 2008. Pit Gates open at 2:30 p.m., racing at 7:00 p.m.
Ryan and the team would like to thank all their sponsors for their continued support during Ryan and the #07 Beast/Claxton Sprinter’s 2008 season, including OTC Tools, BS&B Radiator, Linton Media, Linde Gases, Leaf Racewear, Xtreme Metal Worx, and Huron Produce Ltd.
For more information on Ryan, the car, and the team, including schedules, news releases, photos, NEW merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan’s official website at www.RyanLitt.com.
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Get the VIP Treatment from Ryan Litt Racing at Delaware Speedway! |
by Tommy Goudge (June 3, 2008) – This Friday when the Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints return for their annual visit to Delaware Speedway, 2 lucky fans will receive the “VIP” treatment courtesy of Ryan Litt Racing by entering a free draw. The winner will receive 2 tickets for the VIP section in Delaware’s grandstand, and 2 Ryan Litt Racing t-shirts, redesigned and new for 2008!
All you have to do is send your name, e-mail address, phone number, and t-shirt size to Ryan Litt by following the link on the contact page on www.RyanLitt.com, the official website of Ryan Litt Racing. The deadline for entries is Thursday, June 5 at midnight, and the winner’s name will be drawn on Friday morning, June 6. If you are the winner, Ryan will contact you on Friday and then all you have to do is go to the VIP booth at Delaware this Friday night where your name will be on the VIP list and 2 seats will be reserved for you!
WHAT:
Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints (AVSS) race # 2.
www.SuperSprints.com
WHERE:
Delaware Speedway
1640 Gideon Drive
Delaware, ON
N0L 1E0
www.DelawareSpeedway.com
Track Phone: (519) 652-5068
WHEN:
Friday, June 6, 2008
Gates open @ 6:00p.m., first race @ 8:00p.m.
Ryan and the team would like to thank all their sponsors for their continued support during Ryan and the #07 Beast/Claxton Sprinter’s 2008 season, including OTC Tools, BS&B Radiator, Linton Media, Linde Gases, Leaf Racewear, Xtreme Metal Worx, and Huron Produce Ltd.
For more information on Ryan, the car, and the team, including schedules, news releases, photos, NEW merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan’s official website at www.RyanLitt.com.
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Career Best 4th for Litt in Little 500; Home Race at Delaware Next |
by Tommy Goudge (May 26, 2008) –
It was an eventful week for Ryan Litt and the BS&B Radiator/OTC Tools crew at Anderson Speedway, but in the end it was a rewarding one as well, as the team came home with their best finish ever in the prestigious Little 500. The Lyons, Ontario resident and his #07 Claxton Chevy powered Beast were very fast in practice, and in fact achieved the 2nd fastest time in Thursday’s “Pole Day” qualifying session. The time was disallowed, however, after Ryan failed to go immediately to the tech inspection line after his qualifying laps, meaning he would have to qualify again during Friday’s “Bump Day” session. Litt then safely qualified into the 33-car field on Friday in rather wet conditions, but the mistake on Thursday resulted in the #07 lining up in the middle of row 6 instead of the middle of row 1.
The start of the Little 500 - with 33 sprint cars lined up in 11 rows of 3 on a high banked 1/4 mile oval track - is a unique spectacle, unlike anything else in racing except for the Indianapolis 500, which it is modeled after. Starting right in the middle of the pack, Ryan was able to methodically pick his way through traffic and was fortunate to avoid damage in some crashes which eliminated quite a few front-runners from contention in the opening stages of the race. By lap 145 Ryan found himself in the lead of the race for the first time in his 4 years of Little 500 competition, but had made a pit stop shortly thereafter. The team was using a gravity-fed fuel filler for the first time and it was not getting the tank completely full, forcing the team to make unscheduled green flag pit stops with no time for tire changes.
Ryan drove the #07 back into the lead on lap 219 and this time held it until lap 335 when he had to pit for fuel, and then took it back when the other leaders made pit stops on lap 361. For awhile it looked like the race would come down to a duel between Litt and eventual race winner Shane Cottle as the two swapped the lead back and forth quite a few times just before the race reached lap 400. Cottle proved too strong for Ryan and the other competitors though, and pulled away for the win while Ryan had to settle for 4th after another pit stop for fuel with less than 10 laps to go. Ryan and the team can be proud of their first top 5 finish in the Little 500, leading 135 of the 500 laps, and also running the fastest lap of the race with a time of 11.507.
Ryan commented on his 2008 Little 500 experience after arriving home:
Fuel Issues:
“Yeah, I was upset after the race. This was our first time using the gravity-fed fuelling system and we weren't getting a full tank of fuel on pit stops. I’m not sure whether the bladder wasn't coming open right or if it had air in it, but either way running out of fuel and making green flag stops hurt us. I think if we made 2 normal stops under caution and took some tires we would have been battling with Shane for the win. Between the green flag stops and running on old tires, we were lucky to come away with a top 5.”
On the Racing Action:
“It was a pretty wild race - the lappers this year seemed really slow and always in the way. Every time you just got setup for a pass (for position) you would have to slide up to get around a lapper. Everyone was going real strong at the beginning, which made it difficult to come from 17th. I just tried to pick cars off one at a time without taking too much of a risk doing it, and of course tried to stay out of the wrecks. I was right in the middle of two big wrecks out there - Wilson's, and Heveron's - and I just narrowly missed both of them.”
Summary of the Week:
“All in all after such an up and down week, with the whole qualifying deal, and running in the rain (to qualify on bump day), I'm pretty proud of leading a bunch of laps and coming home with a top 5. All of my crew guys worked so hard throughout the week, and after goofing up missing the scales (on pole day), I owed them one. I look forward to next year, and I'm learning more every year - how to pace myself, when to pit, tire management…all that stuff that you don't normally do in a sprint car race that you have to learn for the 500. Now we’re going to stick the wings back on and focus on winning some AVSS races, and being a consistent top 5 finisher.”
Ryan and the team would like to extend their condolences to the family and friends of Anderson Speedway track worker Roy Hiatt, who passed away after being hit by a race car while cleaning up oil during a yellow flag period in Saturday night’s race. Track workers like Roy make it possible for Ryan and his fellow drivers to race safely and put on a show for fans, and are rarely recognized for their efforts. Our thoughts are with Roy’s family and friends during this difficult time.
Ryan and the crew now have a weekend off before their quest for the 2008 Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints championship resumes at their home track – Delaware Speedway – on Friday, June 6. After taking his first career sprint car feature win at Delaware in 2006, Ryan finished 6th at the half mile track located just West of London, Ontario last season – something he and the BS&B Radiators/OTC Tools team would like to improve upon this season. All fans – especially those in Ontario – are encouraged to come out and support the only Canadian stop on the AVSS tour this season.
WHAT:
Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints (AVSS) race # 2.
www.SuperSprints.com
WHERE:
Delaware Speedway
1640 Gideon Drive
Delaware, ON
N0L 1E0
www.DelawareSpeedway.com
Track Phone: (519) 652-5068
WHEN:
Friday, June 6, 2008
Gates open @ 6:00p.m., first race @ 8:00p.m.
Ryan and the team would like to thank all their sponsors for their continued support during Ryan and the #07 Beast/Claxton Sprinter’s 2008 season, including OTC Tools, BS&B Radiator, Linton Media, Linde Gases, Leaf Racewear, Xtreme Metal Worx, and Huron Produce Ltd.
For more information on Ryan, the car, and the team, including schedules, news releases, photos, NEW merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan’s official website at www.RyanLitt.com.
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Mission Accomplished for Ryan Litt at Auto City; Little 500 Next |
By Tommy Goudge (May 13, 2008) – The ultimate goal of any racer is to win each and every time he or she hits the track, but for Ryan Litt consistency and top 5 finishes are the main goal this season. The Lyons, Ontario resident got the results he was looking for to start his Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints season on Saturday night at Auto City Speedway with a 4th place finish in the 30 lap Feature.
Practice earlier in the day ended with the #07 BS&B Radiator/OTC Tools Beast/Claxton Sprinter in the top 5 on the speed charts, but the team missed the setup in time trials and Ryan was only able to muster the 10th fastest time of the qualifying session. This meant a 10th starting spot in the feature race, but first there was a heat race to be contested, which Ryan was able to win handily.
From his starting spot on the outside of row 5, Ryan was able to take advantage of a traffic jam ahead of him and was into 5th before the completion of the first lap. A good battle ensued for the first 10 laps of the race among the top 5 cars, but Ryan was also battling with a minor misfire in the engine and spun coming out of turn 2 to bring out a caution flag. Starting on the tail, Ryan drove through the field at a torrid pace over the last 20 laps, passing Troy Underwood in the last corner of the last lap to finish in 4th place.
“The car was hooked and it was getting better the further we went (in the feature),” said Ryan afterwards, “The only problem was the sputter but it wasn’t costing me too much speed - just a bit coming out (of the corners). I’m really proud of my team for all the hard work they did over the off season - it really seemed to pay off. Auto City is usually one of my toughest tracks, but the car was on rails at the end.
“I’m really looking forward to Delaware and Toledo (the next two stops on the AVSS schedule), but first we have to concentrate on the Little 500,” said Ryan, looking ahead to the next events on his schedule, “I want to have a real strong showing there. We’re always good at Anderson and we just always run into bad luck. This year I think with a little luck we’re going to do great. It's one of the big races I look forward to each year. That whole week is just amazing and there is so much happening around Indy…it's incredible. Anyways I’m really happy to start the year off with a top 5. It's definitely something to build off of.”
The next stop for Ryan and the team is Anderson Speedway, where they will compete in the 60th Annual Little 500. Scheduled for Saturday night, May 24, the week leading up to the big 500 lap race is filled with fun and excitement, especially on Thursday when first round qualifying for the race takes place. The #07 team’s best finish thus far in the event – which features the largest purse in pavement sprint car racing – is a 7th place, which they accomplished in their first Little 500 in 2005. With 3 years of experience in the event now, Ryan and the team are looking for good results this time around in the special USAC event.
What:
60th Annual Pay Less Supermarkets Little 500.
www.andersonspeedway.com/little_500.htm
Where:
Anderson Speedway,
1311 Martin Luther King Boulevard,
Anderson Indiana 46016-3964
www.andersonspeedway.com
When:
Saturday, May 24th. Pre-race festivities @ 7:00 p.m., command to start engines @ 8:00 p.m.
Ryan and the team would like to thank all their sponsors for their continued support during Ryan and the #07 Beast/Claxton Sprinter’s 2008 season, including OTC Tools, BS&B Radiator, Linton Media, Linde Gases, Leaf Racewear, and Huron Produce Ltd.
For more information on Ryan, the car, and the team, including schedules, photos, merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan’s official website at www.RyanLitt.com.
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Ryan Litt Set to Start 2008 Season at Auto City |
From Litt Racing PR (May 9, 2008) by Tommy Goudge -
Ryan Litt and the #07 BS&B Radiator, OTC Tools Beast/Claxton sprinter are set to make their 2008 season debut this Saturday at Auto City Speedway, just outside of Flint, Michigan. After running an “outlaw” schedule last season, the Lyons, Ontario based team will be back running all 17 races on the Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints (AVSS) tour this season, including a “home race” at Delaware Speedway next month.
Auto City is a track that Ryan and the team have never quite had a handle on, as the best career finish for Ryan and the #07 at the egg-shaped 7/16 mile oval is a 7th place, recorded on June 10th, 2006. Ryan and the team hope to improve upon that this weekend, and start this season off with a top-5 finish, as they are racing for the AVSS points championship this year.
”We are ready!” said Ryan, when asked about the upcoming season, “I can't wait to get back on the track. Last weekend I tested a TQ Midget at Flamboro (Speedway) to shake some rust off, and I felt really good.”
Ryan has spent much of his off-season recuperating from injuries sustained in a snowmobile accident over the winter. His girlfriend Andrea was also injured in the accident, but thankfully both have made full recoveries. Ryan and Andrea would like to thank everyone who sent them get-well wishes over the winter.
”It's been a long off season and I have been craving to go fast for months,” said Ryan, “Hopefully we have some good luck and the car works good, and we can come out of Auto City with a top 5. This season, along with going for wins, I really want to try to run consistently. We have had a little trouble with that in the past. We would have 2 or 3 good runs, and then 2 or 3 DNF’s. We need to get consistent and be up front and in a spot to win every time out.”
For Canadian fans interested in catching the AVSS season opener, the Auto City Speedway is located slightly North of Flint, just 80 miles West of the Blue Water Bridge border crossing at Sarnia/Port Huron. Other than Ryan’s home track - Delaware Speedway - Auto City is the closest AVSS venue to the #07 team’s headquarters near London, Ontario. The AVSS will visit Auto City twice more this season, on June 14th and July 19th.
What:
Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints Season Opener. www.SuperSprints.com
Where:
Auto City Speedway
10205 N Saginaw Rd.
Clio, MI, 48420
www.AutoCitySpeedway.com
When:
Saturday May 10th, 2008. Pit Gates open at 2:30 p.m., racing at 7:00 p.m.
Ryan and the team would like to thank their many loyal sponsors for helping to put the Claxton powered Beast chassis #07 Sprint Car on track this season, including OTC Tools, BS&B Radiator, Linde Gases, Linton Media, Huron Produce Ltd., and Leaf Racewear.
For more information on Ryan, the car, and the team, including schedules, photos, merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan’s official website at www.RyanLitt.com.
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Visit the Ryan Litt #07 Sprint Car at London Auto Expo |
From Litt Racing PR (March 25, 2008) by Tommy Goudge -
If you missed seeing the 2008 version of the Ryan Litt Racing BS&B Radiator, SPX-OTC Tools #07 Beast/Claxton Sprint Car on display at the CPT Racing Experience, you have another chance this weekend. The car will be on display at the London Auto Expo this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (March 28-30).
The event takes place on the Western Fairgrounds and admission is $10, with children 12 and under getting in for free. For more info on the show, copy and paste this link into your browser: http://www.westernfair.com/shows/london-auto-expo.html
Also on display with the sprint car will be the legendary “Time Machine”, a vintage dragster once campaigned by Ryan’s grandfather Alex, and Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame driver Scott Wilson, who went on to compete in the supermodified division at the Oswego Speedway after his drag racing career. The Time Machine was the first Canadian fuel car to reach 200 mph on Canadian soil (Mohawk Dragway – 1965), and Wilson was the first driver from outside the US to hold an NHRA top fuel title.
Ryan and the team would like to thank all their sponsors for their continued support during Ryan and the #07 Claxton powered Beast Chassis Sprint Car’s 2008 season, including OTC/SPX Tools, BS&B Radiator, Linton Media, Linde Gases, Xtreme Metalworx, and Huron Produce.
For more information on Ryan, the car, and the team, including schedules, photos, merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan’s official website at www.RyanLitt.com.
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Visit Ryan Litt at the CPT Racing Experience This Weekend…And See Him On Track in 2008! |
From Litt Racing PR (March 12, 2008) by Tommy Goudge:
The inaugural CPT Racing Experience will take place this weekend at the London Convention Centre, and like many in the Southern Ontario racing community, Ryan Litt will be on hand at the show! Fans will have the opportunity to get up close and personal with one of the Litt Racing team's sprint cars, as well as chat with Ryan and get one of his new autograph cards fresh off the presses.
The officially scheduled autograph times for Ryan are Saturday at 4:00 p.m. and Sunday at 3:00 p.m, and Ryan will also be on hand for a few hours before and after each scheduled session. For more information about the CPT Racing Experience, visit www.cptrace.com.
In other news this week, Ryan and the Litt Racing team are proud to announce their plans for the 2008 season. The #07 sprint car will compete in all Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints (AVSS) events in 2008, as well as selected USAC events. The team will once again utilize Beast chassis with power from Claxton Chevrolet engines. Sponsors supporting the team’s 2008 campaign are BS&B Radiator, OTC/SPX Tools, Linton Media, Huron Produce, Xtreme Metal Worx, and Linde Gases. Ryan will also compete once again in selected ISMA Supermodified events behind the wheel of the Dave Lair-owned Supermodified, which Ryan drove to a 2nd place finish at Delaware last fall.
For more information on Ryan, the car, and the team, including schedules, photos, merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan’s official website at www.RyanLitt.com.
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“Ryan Litt Injured in Snowmobile Incident” |
From Litt Racing PR (December 28, 2007) by Tommy Goudge:
Ryan Litt and his girlfriend Andrea were hit by an oncoming car while riding a snowmobile along the shoulder of a road not far from Ryan’s home last week.
Both were thrown from the sled and sustained injuries. Ryan suffered a broken hand which will likely require surgery, as well as a large wound in his midsection, requiring many stitches and staples. Andrea suffered a dislocated rib, pulled muscles, and lots of bruising.
The incident shouldn’t affect the Litt Racing team plans for racing in 2008 as Ryan should recover from his injuries in 6-8 weeks. If you would like to contact Ryan and Andrea to send them get well cards, you can do so at the following address:
Ryan Litt
RR #2
Springfield, Ontario, Canada
N0L 2J0
If you would like to contact Ryan by e-mail, you can do so by following the contact links on www.RyanLitt.com
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“Litt Lands LairJet on Podium at Delaware, Finishes Season at Berlin” |
From Litt Racing PR (October 22, 2007) by Tommy Goudge:
Ryan Litt was just hoping to finish his first Supermodified feature on Friday, September 28. In two previous ISMA events, the Lyons, Ontario-based driver battled handling and mechanical problems, while finishing only a handful of feature laps in a supermodified prior to this year’s event at Delware. This all changed on Friday night as Litt piloted the #07 owned by Dave Lair to a second place finish in the 50 lap feature event.
Litt started the night off with a fine second place run in the first heat race of the night, with top drivers such as visiting NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series star Johnny Benson, and Rob Summers finishing behind him. By virtue of finishing near the front of his heat, ISMA’s handicapping system put Litt on the pole of the feature event, a situation which the sprint car veteran took full advantage of.
Litt took off at the drop of the green flag, knowing the fast cars would waste no time moving up from their handicapped starting positions in the middle of the field. Three brief caution periods slowed the event in the first ten laps, but Litt was able to reassert his lead after each of these slowdowns. An entertaining battle at the front started to take shape on the third restart, as former ISMA champion Dave McKnight and teammate Mike Lichty, along with all time ISMA feature win leader and 3-time ISMA champ Chris Perley had quickly advanced to the front of the pack. By lap 20, McKnight and Perley had started to put pressure on the #07, and the three drivers had opened up some distance on the rest of the field.
One final caution period slowed the field on the 23rd lap, and then the second half of the 50 lap feature was run entirely under the green flag. Litt managed to keep the obviously faster cars of McKnight and Perley behind him for longer than many onlookers thought, but on the 32nd lap, McKnight finally got by and began to stretch out the lead. Four laps later, Perley also got by, but then on the 40th lap, Perley slipped high in turn 4 and Litt quickly pounced, retaking the second position. The top three remained constant for the last ten laps, and with Mark Sammut and Mike Lichty finishing 4th and 5th, Perley was the only driver in the top 5 who doesn’t call Ontario home.
McKnight commented on his pursuit of Litt in victory lane - "The battle with Ryan was great. He's an up and comer. I know the Litt family from way back and I'm happy for them. Ryan did a great job tonight. He kept it tight. He made me work the outside. He didn't give me an inch. That team definitely had a shot at the win."
After enjoying the moment at Delaware, it was time to get on the road and head to Berlin Raceway, near Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Ryan planned to do double duty – driving in both the ISMA Supermodified division, and the AVSS Sprint Car division. Unfortunately, the supermodified decided to be uncooperative, as the engine blew up in practice. This left Ryan and the team to concentrate on the sprint car for the evening. Things started off well, with the #07 BS&B Radiator/OTC-SPX Tools, Beast/Claxton sprinter sitting near the top of the speed charts in practice, but qualifying time trials provided a setback, as Ryan could only muster the 11th best time in the session. This put the team behind the 8-ball for the rest of the night, as there was no chance of being in the inversion for feature starting positions. Ryan went out for his heat and won it fairly easily, but in the feature the car was not handling very well and Ryan almost spun out a couple of times. With an epic battle going on for the AVSS championship title between Jeff Bloom and Jason Blonde, Ryan pulled into the pits rather than risking interfering with the outcome of the race, and so the #07 ended the season on a sour note, sitting in the pits before the checkered flag. It was at least an entertaining event, as Blonde and Bloom fought tooth and nail for the championship title, swapping positions in the top 5 numerous times before the race was over, with Bloom nipping Blonde at the finish line for 5th, but losing the championship title by 1 measly point.
The season started and ended on sour notes for Ryan and the team, but in between there were plenty of highlights, including an 11th place finish in the Little 500 in May, the first fast qualifier award of Ryan’s sprint car career at the Fastest Short Track Show in the World at Toledo in June, a feature win on home soil at the Cayuga Speedway in July, and the 2nd place finish at Delaware last month. Ryan and the team would like to thank all their family, fans, and sponsors for their support of the 2007 campaign. Sponsors for the 2007 season included OTC/SPX Tools, BS&B Radiator, BRR Media, BOC Gases, Leaf Racewear, and Huron Produce. A special thanks also to Dave Lair for once again inviting Ryan to drive his Supermodified at Toledo, Delaware, and Berlin this season.
At this time, it is possible that Ryan and the team may compete in some special events in Florida in December, but that has not been decided yet. Plans for the 2008 season have not yet been finalized either, so check back next month for some possible news on those fronts.
For more information on Ryan, the car, and the team, including schedules, photos, merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan’s official website at www.RyanLitt.com.
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Doubleheader Weekend Will Conclude 2007 Season For Ryan Litt |
From Litt Racing PR (September 26, 2007) by Tommy Goudge -
Mother Nature decided to intervene with the Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints event at Dixie Motor Speedway last week, but Ryan Litt and the #07 BS&B Radiator, OTC-SPX Tools crew are determined to finish the 2007 season on the race track.
The weekend will get underway at the team’s home track – Delaware Speedway – this Friday night, September 28. The ISMA Supermodified tour will be making another visit to the ½ mile track located just outside London, Ontario, after a successful comeback last season which had been more than 20 years in the making. A very large crowd witnessed the event last September, but unfortunately Ryan was not able to perform very well in front of his home fans that night, as his ride for the night suffered some mechanical issues.
The car, owned by long-time Supermodified owner Dave Lair, was making its return to competition that night, after suffering extensive damage the previous season, and some of the kinks were not worked out at the time. This time around, the car has a handful of races under it’s belt, including an event in June at Toledo with Ryan behind the wheel, and a 7th place in the prestigious Oswego International Classic 200 just a few weeks ago with Bobby Haynes, Jr. at the controls.
Ryan and “The LairJet” were able to get some laps in at Delaware last week in a test session which also included full time ISMA competitor and fellow London-area open wheel driver Mark Sammut. Ryan was able to run comparable lap times to Sammut – who is currently 3rd in the points on the ISMA circuit – in the test session, and feels confident that he will be able to put in a good showing at Delaware on Friday night.
After the Delaware event, the team will make its way to the Berlin Raceway in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to compete in a very special event on Saturday night. The event will feature 3 open wheel divisions – the ISMA Supermodifieds, AVSS Sprint Cars, and USAC Regional Midgets. Ryan will be competing in 2 of these 3 divisions, as he will be back in action in the LairJet, and also competing in the AVSS portion of the event in the family-owned sprint car. Ryan has tasted success at Berlin before in the sprint car, including a feature win there last season, and hopes to transfer what he has learned about the track over to the Supermodified division.
What:
International SuperModified Association (ISMA) race #14.
www.ISMASupers.com
Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints (AVSS) race # 22.
www.SuperSprints.com
Where:
Delaware Speedway
1640 Gideon Drive
Delaware, ON
N0L 1E0
www.DelawareSpeedway.com
Track Phone: (519) 652-5068
Berlin Raceway
2060 Berlin Fair Drive
Marne, MI 49435
www.BerlinRaceway.com
When:
Friday, September 28th, 2007 @ Delaware:
Spectator Gates open @ 4:00 p.m., Racing @ 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 29th, 2007 @ Berlin:
Gates open @ 12:00 p.m., Practice @ 1:30 p.m., Time Trials @ 5:00 p.m., Autograph Session at 6:00 p.m., Racing @ 7:00 p.m.
Ryan and the team would like to thank all their sponsors for their continued support during Ryan and the #07 Claxton powered Beast Chassis Sprinter’s 2007 season, including OTC/SPX Tools, BS&B Radiator, BRR Media, BOC Gases, and Leaf Racewear.
For more information on Ryan, the car, and the team, including schedules, photos, merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan’s official website at www.RyanLitt.com.
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7th For Ryan Litt at Berlin; Dixie Up Next |
From Litt Racing P.R. (September 12, 2007) by Tommy Goudge:
After taking the entire month of August off, Ryan Litt and the BS&B Radiator, OTC-SPX Tools #07 were back in action with the Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints series at the Berlin Raceway in Michigan on September 1st. For most of the evening, the car was just mediocre and the team experimented with various setups while Ryan set the 9th fastest lap of the time trial session, and finished 5th in his heat.
In the feature, Ryan started 9th, but quickly slid back to 15th at the start after getting loose in turn 1. At one point, race leader Jeff Bloom was within a straightaway of lapping the #07, but the setup suddenly came alive for Ryan and he began passing cars at will, eventually getting all the way up to 7th at the end. The top 6 cars were all running very close together, racing in one of the most competitive features seen in AVSS in quite some time, and numerous onlookers remarked after the race that with a few more laps, Ryan may have had a shot at the win!
Up next for the Litt Racing Team is a trip to Birch Run, Michigan’s Dixie Motor Speedway. Historically, the high banked 4/10’s mile oval has sometimes caused problems for Ryan and the team, but with a 5th place at Dixie last September and a 7th place there this past June, the team is hoping to continue the positive trend.
Unfortunately, the originally scheduled second half of the weekend will not run as planned, as the September 15th event at the Cayuga Speedway has been cancelled. The event will not be made up. This leaves a September 29th ISMA/AVSS doubleheader event back at Berlin as the likely finale to the Litt Racing Team’s season, with a possible ISMA appearance at the Delaware Speedway the night before.
Ryan and the team would like to congratulate Dave Lair (owner) and Bobby Haynes (driver) on their fine 7th place run in the 51st annual International Classic 200 at Oswego Speedway on Labour Day weekend. Ryan has driven the "Lairjet" in the past, and hopes to be back at the controls at Delaware in a couple of weeks.
What:
Auto Value Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints series Round 19.
Where:
Dixie Motor Speedway
10945 Dixie Highway
Birch Run, MI 48415
www.DixieMotorSpeedway.com
When:
Friday, September 14, 2007. Spectator Gates Open @ 5:00p.m., Time Trials @ 6:00 p.m., Racing @ 7:30 p.m.
Ryan and the team would like to thank all their sponsors for their continued support during Ryan and the #07 Claxton powered Beast Chassis Sprinter’s 2007 season, including OTC/SPX Tools, BS&B Radiator, BRR Media, BOC Gases, and Leaf Racewear.
For more information on Ryan, the car, and the team, including schedules, photos, merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan’s official website at www.RyanLitt.com.
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Ryan Litt Attempts to Bounce Back on Home Soil After Crash at Winchester |
From Litt Racing P.R. (July 25, 2007) by Tommy Goudge:
The first laps of feature races have not been kind to Ryan Litt in recent weeks. In USAC competition at Toledo in early July, the #07 BS&B Radiator, OTC-SPX Tools Beast/Claxton sprinter was caught up in a wreck on the frontstretch as the green flag waved. This past Sunday, the young Canadian driver once again crashed on the opening lap of a feature, this time at the treacherous Winchester Speedway in Indiana.
The day started out well for Ryan and the team at Winchester as the #07 was in the top 10 in practice lap times, and Ryan was able to run the 5th fastest time in Time Trials. After the dice roll, the inversion was 6, which put Ryan on the outside pole to start the 30 lap “King of the Wings” feature event. When the green flag dropped, Litt got out to an early lead and raced into turn 3 with Jimmy McCune challenging on the bottom of the track. Unfortunately, a part of the suspension broke on the left front of the #07, sending Ryan into the wall hard and collecting fellow racers Jason Blonde and Kevin Feeney in the process. All escaped without injury, thankfully, as Winchester is one of the fastest short tracks to be found anywhere in the world.
Litt and the team will attempt to put their bad luck behind them as they head back to Canada to defend home turf at the Cayuga Speedway Park this Saturday evening. The event will be the first of two scheduled at Cayuga for the Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints series, returning to the big 5/8’s mile speedway for the first time since their first and only appearance at the track, in 2001. Ryan has logged quite a few laps around Cayuga in testing sessions, but never in racing competition, while father Wade competed in a handful of ISMA Supermodified events at Cayuga, located near Hagersville, Ontario.
What:
Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints event #14 – www.SuperSprints.com
Where:
Cayuga Speedway Park
901 Indian Line Road
Hagersville, Ontario
N0A 1H0
Track Phone: 905 768-1177
www.CayugaSpeedwayPark.com
When:
Saturday, July 28th, 2007
Gates open @ 11am, Qualifying @ 5pm, Racing @ 7:30pm
Ryan and the team would like to thank all their sponsors for their continued support during Ryan and the #07 Beast/Claxton Sprinter’s 2007 season, including OTC/SPX Tools, BS&B Radiator, BRR Media, BOC Gases, Leaf Racewear, and Kolors by Kropy.
For more information on Ryan, the car, and the team, including schedules, photos, merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan’s official website at www.RyanLitt.com.
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Ryan Litt Hopes to Carry Toledo
Momentum to Dixie and Berlin |
From Litt Racing PR (June 28, 2007) by Tommy Goudge -
Even though he didn’t take feature win honours at Toledo Speedway’s “Fastest Short Track Show in the World” on June 15th, Ryan Litt did have a good night and hopes to carry some of that success with him as the season continues. In AVSS sprint car time trials, the Lyons, Ontario-based driver captured the fast time award in time trials with his #07 BS&B Radiator, OTC-SPX Tools Beast/Claxton sprint car, the first of his sprint car career. Ryan also won his heat, but had some trouble advancing through the pack in the feature race and had to settle for a 5th place finish.
Ryan also competed in the ISMA Supermodified portion of the event, which has become an annual favourite at Toledo, but did not fare as well in that division as handling and mechanical woes ended the feature race for the Dave Lair-owned Super after just a handful of laps.
This weekend Ryan will be competing in a big doubleheader weekend in Michigan at Dixie Motor Speedway and Berlin Raceway. Last season saw some gremlins surface a couple of times at Dixie for Ryan and the team as their best finish in 3 races was a 5th place on September 8th after setting the 2nd fastest lap in time trials that night. Berlin, on the other hand, has become one of Ryan’s favourite venues over the past couple of seasons as the fast and tricky 7/16’s mile oval has produced some of the team’s best finishes, including a 4th place last June and a feature win last September. On top of that Ryan nearly took home a feature win in June of 2005 after just a handful of winged sprint car starts, as he led quite a few laps before eventually finishing 2nd.
What:
2007 Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints Series Rounds 7 and 8.
www.SuperSprints.com
Where:
Dixie Motor Speedway
10945 Dixie Highway
Birch Run, MI 48415
www.DixieMotorSpeedway.com
Berlin Raceway,
2060 Berlin Fair Drive,
Marne, MI 49435
www.BerlinRaceway.com.
When:
Dixie - Friday, June 29, 2007. Spectator Gates Open @ 5:00p.m., Time Trials @ 6:00 p.m., Racing @ 7:30 p.m.
Berlin - Saturday, June 30th, 2007. Pit and Spectator Gates open at 12:15 p.m., Practice at 2:00 p.m., Time Trials at 5:30 p.m., and Racing at 7:00 p.m.
Ryan and the team would like to thank all their sponsors for their continued support during Ryan and the #07 Claxton powered Beast Chassis Sprinter’s 2007 season, including OTC/SPX Tools, BS&B Radiator, BRR Media, BOC Gases, and Leaf Racewear.
For more information on Ryan, the car, and the team, including schedules, photos, merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan’s official website at www.RyanLitt.com.
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Ryan Litt Ready for Little 500 |
From Litt Racing P.R. (May 22, 2007) by Tommy Goudge – The Little 500 is not your average sprint car race. In fact, it’s not even your average motor race. With 33 traditional sprint cars - each pushing out upwards of 850 horsepower - taking the green flag 3-abreast to begin 500 gruelling laps on a high banked ¼ mile oval, complete with pit stops in cars that were never designed for pit stops, the Little 500 is not your average anything.
The historic Anderson Speedway in Anderson, Indiana is the venue, and the 59th Annual Pay-Less Little 500 is the event. The Little 500 purposely shares many similarities with the Indianapolis 500, including the format for time trials, and how the starting grid lines up. To even qualify for the event – which is the world’s richest pavement sprint car event with a total purse of nearly $123,000 - in the unique 4 lap time trial format is an accomplishment in and of itself.
In his Little 500 debut in May 2005, Lyons, Ontario, Canada’s Ryan Litt managed to come home with a 7th place finish after qualifying 18th – pretty good for a rookie with very little experience in a full size sprint car and a hastily assembled pit crew. Last season, with more sprint car racing experience under his belt and better team preparation, Ryan improved his time trial effort, qualifying 11th, but did not finish the race and was credited with 25th. This year Ryan will be gunning for his first top 10 qualifying effort and his first top 5 finish in the gruelling event.
Before the Little 500, teams will have a chance to tune up for the race on Wednesday night, May 23rd in the rain-postponed USAC National Sprint Car Series Glenn Neibel Classic Banjo 100 – just one fifth of the distance the drivers will face on Saturday night, May 26th. On Thursday May 24th it will be time for pole day/first round qualifying for the big show. Friday May 25th features final round qualifying for the big race, and Saturday is the big day.
What:
59th Annual Pay Less Little 500.
www.andersonspeedway.com/little_500.htm
Where:
Anderson Speedway,
1311 Martin Luther King Boulevard,
Anderson Indiana 46016-3964
www.andersonspeedway.com
When:
Saturday, May 26th. Pre-race festivities @ 7:00 p.m., command to start engines @ 8:00 p.m.
Also:
USAC National Sprint Car Series Glenn Neibel Classic Banjo 100, Wednesday May 23rd, Spectator Gates open @ 5:00 p.m., time trials @ 5:35 p.m., racing at 7:00 p.m.
www.usacracing.com
Ryan and the team would like to thank all their sponsors for their continued support during Ryan and the #07 Beast/Claxton Sprinter’s 2007 season, including OTC/SPX Tools, BS&B Radiator, BRR Media, BOC Gases, Leaf Racewear, and Kolors by Kropy.
For more information on Ryan, the car, and the team, including schedules, photos, merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan’s official website at www.RyanLitt.com.
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GLEN NEIBEL CLASSIC POSTPONED; Ryan Litt Begins 2007 @ Winchester Next
Sunday |
From Litt Racing PR (April 12, 2007) by Tommy Goudge -
Due to a forecast of rain, snow, and cold temperatures, the Glen Neibel
Classic Banjo 100 at Anderson Speedway featuring the USAC National Sprint
Car series has been postponed. The event will now replace the 50 lap USAC
event slated for Wednesday, May 23rd. Ryan Litt and the #07 BS&B Radiator,
OTC SPX Tools Beast/Claxton sprint car will now make their season debut next
weekend in the "Rich Vogler Classic" at Winchester Speedway featuring the
USAC National Sprint Car series.
What:
USAC National Sprint Car Series "Rich Vogler Classic"
www.USACRacing.com
Where:
Winchester Speedway
2656 W IN-32
Winchester, IN 47394
www.WinchesterSpeedway.com
When:
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Pits Open @ 8:00a.m., Grandstands @ 9:30 a.m., Racing @ 2:00 p.m.
Ryan and the team would like to thank all their sponsors for their continued
support during Ryan and the #07 Beast/Claxton Sprinter's 2007 racing season,
including OTC/SPX Tools, BS&B Radiator, Velocity Wings, BRR Media, BOC
Gases, Leaf Racewear, and Kolors by Kropy.
For more information on Ryan, the car, and the team, including schedules,
photos, merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan's official
website at www.RyanLitt.com.
|
Ryan Litt Set to Kick Off 2007 Season at Anderson |
From Litt Racing PR (April 11, 2007) by Tommy Goudge -
Ryan Litt and the #07 BS&B Radiator, OTC-SPX Tools Beast/Claxton sprinter
are set to make their 2007 season debut this Sunday at Anderson Speedway in
Indiana. The event is the 100 lap Glen Neibel Classic, featuring the USAC
National Sprint Car division. The Glenn Neibel Classic and Anderson
Speedway have been good to Ryan in the past. The Lyons, Ontario native won
his first USAC Ford Focus Midget series feature during the Classic in 2004,
finished 7th as a rookie in the Little 500 at Anderson in 2005, and won his
first USAC National Sprint Car series heat race at Anderson last May.
The Anderson event is the first of 17 events that Ryan and the team have
picked out to compete at this season. The slate consists of all USAC
National Sprint Car series events on paved tracks, as well as a selection of
Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints (AVSS) events when time allows.
More AVSS and/or HOSS dates may be added on later in the season, but the
main focus for the team is the USAC portion of the schedule.
Ryan and the team would like to welcome and thank their sponsors for their
support of the 2007 season. They include OTC/SPX Tools, BS&B Radiator,
Velocity Wings, BRR Media, BOC Gases, Leaf Racewear, and Kolors by Kropy.
The chassis for 2007 is once again Beast, with engines again provided by
Claxton.
What:
8th Annual Glenn Neibel Classic featuring the USAC National Sprint Car
Series.
www.USACRacing.com
Where:
Anderson Speedway,
1311 Martin Luther King Boulevard,
Anderson Indiana 46016-3964
www.andersonspeedway.com
When:
Sunday, April 15th. Spectator Gates open/Practice @ 11:15 a.m., Qualifying
Time Trials @ 12:30 p.m., Racing @ 2:00 p.m.
Here is the entire schedule for the #07 this season:
Date, Series, Track
4/15 USAC Anderson Speedway (Glenn Neibel Classic)- - - -
4/22 USAC Winchester Speedway (Rich Vogler Classic)- - - -
5/5 USAC Iowa Speedway (USAC Triple Crown)- - - -
5/23 USAC Anderson Speedway - - - -
5/26 USAC Anderson Speedway (Little 500) - - - -
6/8 AVSS Delaware Speedway - - - -
6/15 AVSS Toledo Speedway (Fastest Short Track Show in the World)- - - -
6/16 USAC O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis - - -
6/29 USAC Richmond International Raceway - - - -
7/6 USAC Toledo Speedway (Buckeye Nationals)- - - -
7/7 USAC Mansfield Motorsports Speedway (Buckeye Nationals)- - - -
7/22 AVSS Winchester Speedway (King of the Wings)- - - -
7/28 AVSS Cayuga Speedway - - - -
8/4 USAC Salem Speedway (Joe James/Pat O'Connor Memorial)- - - -
9/1 AVSS Berlin Raceway - - - -
9/15 AVSS Cayuga Speedway - - - -
9/29 AVSS Berlin Raceway - - - -
For more information on Ryan, the car, and the team, including schedules,
photos, merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan's official
website at www.RyanLitt.com.
|
Ryan Litt to Make Supermodified Debut Friday Night; Back in Sprint Car Saturday at Berlin |
From Litt Racing PR (September 25, 2006) by Tommy Goudge:
Ryan Litt is making a habit of celebrating career firsts at his hometown track, the Delaware Speedway. Last season, Ryan made his debut behind the wheel of a winged sprint car at the ½ mile oval near London, Ontario, and earlier this season, Ryan scored his very first feature win in a sprint car at Delaware. Now the 19 year old from Lyons, Ontario will take on the fastest and most sophisticated short track racing division in the world this Friday night when the International SuperModified Association tour makes its first visit to Delaware Speedway since 1984.
Ryan will be making his Supermodified debut as a hired gun for veteran driver and car owner Dave Lair in the event, which is scheduled for this Friday, September 29th. Ryan’s father Wade also competed in the Supermodified division before retiring from driving 3 years ago to help further his son’s racing career.
“I grew up watching supermodifieds,” said Ryan when asked for his thoughts on the event. “They were always my favourite type of race car - along with sprint cars - and for as long as I can remember I have wanted to race one. It's really neat finally getting the chance to do it at my hometown track - and the place I won my first sprint car race - so I’m looking forward to it. Hopefully if this works out, Dave will let me run his car a few more times. I would really love to try Oswego (Speedway) and The Classic, so we'll see what happens.”
Nobody is quite sure what to expect from the “Lair Jet”, which hasn’t raced since last year’s Oswego International Classic when veteran driver Justin Belfiore was caught up in a frightening incident which severely damaged the car. Much of the time since has been spent repairing and replacing components on the car, so part of Friday’s practice session will be used to shake the car down and make sure everything is in proper working order.
After Delaware, Ryan will be back in his regular ride, the #07 BS&B Radiator, OTC/SPX Tools Beast/Claxton sprint car, for the final event of the Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints series season on Saturday night at the Berlin Raceway near Grand Rapids, Michigan. Ryan’s last visit to Berlin on Labour Day weekend produced a feature win, his second of the season. In the most recent AVSS event on September 8th at the Dixie Motor Speedway in Birch Run, Michigan, Ryan came home 5th in the feature event, his career best at that venue.
The ISMA Supermodifieds will also be part of the big Open Wheel Extravaganza show at Berlin on Saturday night, so there is a slight possibility that Ryan may be able to do double duty and race both the Super and the Sprint on the same night, depending on how things go on Friday night.
What:
International SuperModified Association (ISMA) race #14.
www.ISMASupers.com
Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints (AVSS) race # 22.
www.SuperSprints.com
Where:
ISMA –
Delaware Speedway
1640 Gideon Drive
Delaware, ON
N0L 1E0
www.DelawareSpeedway.com
Track Phone: (519) 652-5068
AVSS –
Berlin Raceway
2060 Berlin Fair Drive
Marne, MI 49435
www.BerlinRaceway.com
When:
ISMA -
Friday, September 29th, 2006. Spectator Gates open @ 4:00 p.m., Driver Autograph session @ 6:30 p.m., Racing @ 7:00 p.m.
AVSS -
Saturday, September 30, 2006. Spectator gates open @ 12:15 p.m., Time Trials @ 5:45 p.m., Racing @ 7:00 p.m.
Ryan and the team would like to thank all their sponsors for their continued support during Ryan and the #07 Beast/Claxton Sprinter’s full time campaign on the AVSS tour and their quest for the Rookie of the Year title this season, including OTC/SPX Tools, BS&B Radiator, Velocity Wings, BRR Media, BOC Gases, and Leaf Racewear.
For more information on Ryan, the car, and the team, including schedules, photos, merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan’s official website at www.RyanLitt.com.
|
Ryan Litt Gets Back to Victory Lane at Berlin |
From Litt Racing PR (September 5, 2006) by Tommy Goudge:
After a string of bad luck and mechanical failures, Ryan Litt and the BS&B Radiator OTC/SPX Tools crew brought the #07 Beast/Claxton Sprint Car back to victory lane for the second time this season on Saturday night at the Berlin Raceway. Heading into Berlin, one of Ryan’s favourite tracks, the Lyons, Ontario driver and his team were looking to regain the form that carried them to the lead in the Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints series Rookie of the Year standings earlier in the season before some bad finishes allowed Chad Goff to overtake them.
The first practice session of the day did not provide much hope as the #07 only ran a lap good enough for 13th fastest, but in the second practice session after some adjustments, Ryan was up to 2nd fastest. In time trials Ryan was able to run the 6th fastest lap of the session, something he has accomplished on 3 other occasions this season. Qualifying in the top 6 in AVSS competition is important because a driver is guaranteed to be involved in the inversion for the feature event this way, no matter what is rolled on the dice.
On this night, top qualifier Curt Shumaker rolled an 8, placing Ryan on the inside of the 2nd row for the feature. 2 accidents on the first lap, including a very scary crash and fire involving AVSS competitor Ryan Davis, delayed the feature by an hour. The entire Litt racing team would like to extend good wishes to Davis, as well as Dorman Snyder, Aaron Katz, and some other drivers who were involved in bad crashes at Berlin on Saturday. All the drivers will thankfully make speedy recoveries and hopefully be back in action soon.
Once the feature finally got underway, Ryan found himself riding in the 2nd position behind legendary veteran driver Jeff Bloom for the first half of the 30 lap race. On the 15th lap, Bloom slipped slightly in lapped traffic and Ryan was able to get by, taking a lead he would never relinquish. It was not easy, however, as Bloom and ’05 AVSS champion Cameron Dodson began to reel the #07 back in during the last few laps of the event, but Ryan was able to hold on for the victory.
”After the green flag, I followed Bloom for a while.” Said Ryan after the race. “I was being patient and saving tires, but I knew I had something for him.”
”Well we got into lapped traffic and he started slowing and he drifted a little high coming off turn 4 and I knew it was my opportunity to pass him, so I slipped by him down low and never looked back”
”The last 5 laps were a handful though. I ran over debris and when I came in (after the feature) the left rear tire was damaged and down to 4 pounds, which made the car very unstable. I’m so happy to get another win. I had to work hard for this one. Jeff Bloom is no rookie, and definitely not a person that is easy to run down and pass.”
”We made some big time changes to the body work and front end and they really seemed to pay off. We’ll see if we can’t pull off a couple more (wins) to end the season now.”
Only 2 events remain on the 2006 AVSS schedule now, with what was scheduled to be the season finale this Friday night at the Dixie Motor Speedway. The season finale will instead be back at Berlin on Sept. 30th, an event which was rescheduled after the rainout on May 13.
This past week, Ryan was a featured guest on www.FlatFootRacin.com. Visit the website and click “Driver Interviews” to view the article.
What:
Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints series Round 21.
www.SuperSprints.com
Where:
Dixie Motor Speedway
10945 Dixie Highway
Birch Run, Michigan 48415
www.DixieMotorSpeedway.com
When:
Friday, September 8, 2006. Spectator Gates Open @ 5:00p.m., Time Trials @ 6:00 p.m., Racing @ 7:30 p.m.
Ryan and the team would like to thank all their sponsors for their continued support during Ryan and the #07 Beast/Claxton Sprinter’s full time campaign on the AVSS tour and their quest for the Rookie of the Year title this season, including OTC/SPX Tools, BS&B Radiator, Velocity Wings, BRR Media, BOC Gases, and Leaf Racewear.
For more information on Ryan, the car, and the team, including schedules, photos, merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan’s official website at www.RyanLitt.com.
|
Ryan Litt Hopes to Get Back On Track at Berlin |
From Litt Racing PR (August 31, 2006) by Tommy Goudge - After starting strong, Ryan Litt has had a second half he’d rather forget, but he and the #07 BS&B OTC/SPX Tools crew have had some time off recently and are refreshed and ready to get back in the saddle at Berlin Raceway this weekend.
There have been a couple of bright spots for the team, but for the most part, July and August have not been kind to the team. Mechanical gremlins and other issues have helped to take Ryan out of the lead in the standings for the Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints series Rookie of the Year award. Ryan is still in 4th in the driver’s standings, 4 points ahead of Johnny Scherer going into the last 3 events of the season, starting with this weekend at Berlin Raceway.
Berlin, located just outside of Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been good to Ryan in the past. It was the site of his first top 5 in winged sprint car competition – a 2nd place last season – and most recently a 4th place finish on June 24th this season when the AVSS tour last visited the historic 7/16’s mile oval.
What:
2006 Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints Series Round # 20
www.SuperSprints.com
Where:
Berlin Raceway,
2060 Berlin Fair Drive,
Marne, MI 49435
www.BerlinRaceway.com.
When:
Saturday, September 2nd, 2006. Pit and Spectator Gates open at 12:15 p.m., Practice at 2:35 p.m., Time Trials at 5:45 p.m., and Racing at 7:00 p.m.
This Saturday night at Berlin is $1 beer and $1 hot dog night so come out and cheer on Ryan and the team while keeping your hard-earned money in your pocket at the same time!
Ryan and the team would like to thank all their sponsors for their continued support during Ryan and the #07 Beast/Claxton Sprinter’s full time campaign on the AVSS tour and their quest for the Rookie of the Year title this season, including OTC/SPX Tools, BS&B Radiator, Velocity Wings, BRR Media, BOC Gases, and Leaf Racewear.
For more information on Ryan, the car, and the team, including schedules, photos, merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan’s official website at www.RyanLitt.com.
|
Ryan Litt Runner-Up at Salem; Auto City Next |
From Ryan Litt Racing PR (July 11, 2006) by Tommy Goudge -
Ryan Litt didn’t know what to expect as he and the #07 BS&B Radiator, OTX/SPX Tools Sprint Car team made the long haul to the Salem Speedway in Southern Indiana from their Lyons, Ontario home for the 9th round of the Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints championship tour. Salem has gained a legendary reputation during more than 50 years of racing history as being treacherous, unforgiving, and very, very fast. Hoping simply to get some experience at the high banked speed plant, Ryan and the team ended up heading home with a 2nd place finish under their belts.
The evening began well as Ryan ran the 5th fastest lap in time trials, guaranteeing him a spot in the feature starting grid inversion. Next was heat race action, with Ryan starting on the 2nd row and leading by the time the first lap was complete. Eventual feature winner Kevin Feeney slipped by halfway through the heat and Ryan was able to bring the car home in 2nd. After driver introductions and the traditional AVSS 3-wide parade lap, it was time to go racing, with Ryan once again starting on the 2nd row on the outside. On the first lap, Ryan put his car right up against the outside wall in turn 3 and made the pass for the lead in turn 4. On the 8th lap, Feeney once again slipped by to put Ryan into the 2nd position where he rode comfortably for most of the rest of the race. Near the end of the race, points leader Tommy Fedewa began to put pressure on Litt for the 2nd position but was not able to get past as Ryan came home with his 3rd top 5 finish of the AVSS season.
”We had a pretty good night”, said Ryan afterwards, “In both the heat and feature we started on the 2nd row and had the lead by the time we came around to complete the first lap. Feeney just had the car to beat and could make his way up front – he was flying.”
”I felt comfortable out there, which was nice (since it was my first visit), and the (new) engine ran great. The highlight of my of my day was bumping the right rear off the wall between (turns) 3 & 4 as I made the pass for the lead - it felt like a cushion on a dirt track. I was actually the only one to put a tire mark on the wall during the whole night. Salem is probably one of my favourite tracks now and I can’t wait to run Winchester!”
Before Winchester however, there are 2 other AVSS events in between, including 1 coming up this weekend as the AVSS tour makes it’s 3rd and final stop of the season at the Auto City Speedway near Flint, Michigan on Saturday night, July 15. With 10th and 7th place finishes in his first two visits there, Ryan is confident that he can bring home another good finish at the tricky, odd shaped 7/16’s mile oval.
What:
Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints Series 2006 Season Round #10
www.SuperSprints.com
Where:
Auto City Speedway
10205 N Saginaw Rd.
Clio, MI, 48420.
www.AutoCitySpeedway.com
Track Phone: (810)-686-9500
When:
Saturday, July 15th, 2006. Pit and Spectator Gates open @ 2:30 p.m., Time Trials @ 5:00 p.m., Racing @ 7:00 p.m.
Ryan and the team would like to thank all their sponsors for their continued support during Ryan and the #07 Beast/Claxton Sprinter’s full time campaign on the AVSS tour and their quest for the Rookie of the Year title this season, including OTC/SPX Tools, BS&B Radiator, Velocity Wings, BRR Media, BOC Gases, and Leaf Racewear.
For more information on Ryan, the car, and the team, including schedules, photos, merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan’s official website at www.RyanLitt.com.
|
Blown Engine Sidelines Ryan Litt at Dixie and Angola; Salem Next |
From Ryan Litt Racing PR (July 5, 2006) by Tommy Goudge:
Two burnt pistons spoiled what was shaping up to be another consistent weekend for the #07 BS&B Radiator, OTC/SPX Tools Sprint Car and its rookie pilot Ryan Litt on Friday night at the Dixie Motor Speedway during the 7th round of the Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints series schedule.
The evening began with the 8th fastest lap in time trials for the 19 year old from Lyons, Ontario, but went south from there as problems began to surface in the heat race, before finally completely ending the team’s night shortly after the green flag flew in the feature event. On Saturday night at the Angola Motor Speedway, long-time AVSS competitor “JohnBoy” Hotchkiss was gracious in allowing Ryan to drive his #75 Stickney Farms Vortex Sprinter for the evening to keep the rookie of the year quest alive, but once again mechanical gremlins plagued Ryan and company.
”We burnt 2 pistons up on Friday night at Dixie (on the 07),” said Ryan later. “I’d like to thank John for allowing me to drive his car. Unfortunately they were having fuel problems with the 75 - mainly the fuel filter plugging up. It stopped running completely in the feature when I was running about 12th, right behind Bill Tyler. I can’t wait for Salem though since we’ve got a new motor coming from Claxton, so we should be rockin’ around the high banks - should be fun!”
The problems have allowed Chad Goff to pull within 5 points of Ryan’s 3rd spot in the AVSS driver’s standings as well as the Owens Petroleum Rookie of the Year standings. The busy summer schedule for the drivers and teams of AVSS continues this Saturday night at the historic highbanks of Salem Speedway in Southern Indiana. Following that event, another single event weekend will take place on July 15 back at the Auto City Speedway.
What:
Auto Value Super Sprints Series Round #9.
www.SuperSprints.com
Where:
Salem Speedway
2729 W State Road 56
Salem, Indiana 47167
www.SalemSpeedway.com
When:
Saturday July 8, 2006. Pit Gates open @ 2:00 p.m., Spectator Gates @ 3:30 p.m., Practice @ 4:00 p.m., Time Trials @ 5:30 p.m., Racing @ 7:00 p.m.
Ryan and the team would like to thank all their sponsors for their continued support during Ryan and the #07 Beast/Claxton Sprinter’s full time campaign on the AVSS tour and their quest for the Rookie of the Year title this season, including OTC/SPX Tools, BS&B Radiator, Velocity Wings, BRR Media, BOC Gases, and Leaf Racewear.
For more information on the AVSS series, visit www.SuperSprints.com, featuring a schedule, results, forum and lots of great photos, including some of the #07 Sprinter, as well as many other features.
For more information on Ryan, the car, and the team, including schedules, photos, merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan’s official website at www.RyanLitt.com.
|
4th Place for Ryan Litt at Berlin; Dixie, Angola Up Next |
From Ryan Litt Racing PR (June 25, 2006) by Tommy Goudge – After a small hiccup last weekend, Ryan Litt and the #07 BS&B Radiator/OTC SPX Tools Sprinter got back on track on Saturday night at the Berlin Raceway in Marne, Michigan. One of the best short track racing venues in the country, Berlin is always a favourite stop on the Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints tour with drivers and fans alike. It also happens to be one of Ryan’s favourite stops as it is the site of the Lyons, Ontario, Canada driver’s first laps led in sprint car feature competition, and the site of his best finish last season – a 2nd place on this very same weekend one year ago.
The event began well with Ryan running the 7th fastest lap in time trials. This improvement over his usual time trial performances would come into play later in the evening. Next up was the heat race, in which Ryan started 3rd, took the lead a few laps in, and drove away with a convincing victory.
Come feature time, Ryan was able to start outside pole in the 2nd position as the inversion on this night, determined by a roll of the dice by fast timer Dorman Snyder, was 8. On the initial start, Ryan got the jump on polesitter Chad Goff and pulled ahead coming out of turn 2, but a spin deeper in the pack negated this and forced a complete restart. Goff would not be fooled twice and took the lead off the restart with Ryan falling into 2nd. Eventual race winner Brian Lay came through the field quickly and passed Ryan for the 2nd position a few laps later, but shortly thereafter Ryan was able to put the #07 in front of Goff again while racing through lapped traffic and began to settle comfortably into 2nd position as nobody was in the same area code as Lay on this evening.
The very fast and tricky Berlin Raceway surface began to make its presence felt with 10 laps to go as Ryan began to experience severe tire wear - the left rear so badly worn in fact that it began to go flat. Over the last 10 laps, the hard charging cars of veteran drivers Jason Blonde and Tommy Fedewa were able to get by the ill-handling #07 machine, but Ryan was able to nurse the car home to a 4th place finish – once again the highest finishing rookie of the year candidate - despite the basically flat left rear and the right rear worn down to the cords.
The Top 5 finish should keep Ryan solidly 3rd in the points standings and leading the Owens Petroleum Rookie of the Year standings as well going into this weekend’s doubleheader for the AVSS series. Friday night the tour moves to the beautiful high banked 4/10’s mile Dixie Motor Speedway in Birch Run, Michigan before heading South to the semi-banked 3/8’s mile Angola Motor Speedway in Angola, Indiana on Saturday night. For Canadian fans wishing to see Ryan compete, Dixie Motor Speedway is just about 90 miles from the Port Huron/Sarnia border crossing. The track was renovated and expanded a few years ago and is now a beautiful and fast high banked 4/10’s mile oval with one of the best lighting systems you are likely to see at a short oval track. Ryan suffered mechanical failure in his first visit to Dixie in August of last season, but came back in September with a strong 10th place finish in the AVSS season finale and has never visited Angola before, but expects to be a force to be reckoned with at both venues this weekend.
What:
Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints series Rounds 7 and 8.
www.SuperSprints.com
Where:
Dixie Motor Speedway
10945 Dixie Highway
Birch Run, Michigan 48415
Angola Motor Speedway
2850 North 600 East
Fremont, Indiana 46737
When:
Dixie Motor Speedway: Friday, June 30, 2006. Spectator Gates Open @ 5:00p.m., Time Trials @ 6:00 p.m., Racing @ 7:30 p.m.
Angola Motor Speedway: Saturday, July 1, 2006. Gates Open @ 2:00 p.m., Practice @ 3:00 p.m., Time Trials @ 4:30 p.m., Racing @ 7:00 p.m.
Ryan and the team would like to thank all their sponsors for their continued support during Ryan and the #07 Beast/Claxton Sprinter’s full time campaign on the AVSS tour and their quest for the Rookie of the Year title this season, including OTC/SPX Tools, BS&B Radiator, Velocity Wings, BRR Media, BOC Gases, and Leaf Racewear.
For more information on Ryan, the car, and the team, including schedules, photos, merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan’s official website at www.RyanLitt.com.
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A Weekend of Ups and Downs for Ryan Litt |
From Litt Racing PR (June 20, 2006) by Tommy Goudge - The high hopes of the Litt Racing team for this past weekend were temporarily dashed when a broken crankshaft spoiled the party on Friday night at the Toledo Speedway. Heading into the weekend 3rd in AVSS points and riding a streak of 3 straight top 10 finishes in AVSS events, including a feature win, Ryan Litt and the #07 BS&B Radiator/OTC-SPX Tools crew were fairly confident going into the weekend.
The evening at Toledo began rather typically with Ryan laying down the 11th fastest lap in time trials out of 27 cars on hand, then finishing 3rd in his heat. Starting 11th on the grid in the feature, Ryan appeared to have a good chance of keeping his string of Top 10 finishes alive before the aforementioned engine problems ended Ryan’s race prematurely. Amazingly, due to heavy attrition at the tough high banked Toledo track, a 13th place finish was salvaged as the #07 was one of the last to drop out of the event.
After an engine change in the parking lot of their hotel on Saturday morning, it was on to Baer Field Speedway in Fort Wayne, Indiana that night. The evening did not begin very well as Ryan fought handling woes in warm ups and qualifying, managing to run only the 13th fastest lap out of the 18 cars on hand. However, the team had things figured out come heat race and feature time as Ryan won his heat, then started 13th in the feature and moved up 6 positions to finish 7th by the time the checkered flag fell.
Consistency has become the hallmark of the #07 team this season as they have qualified 12th, 6th, 13th, 11th, and 13th in the 5 AVSS races run so far, along with 4 top 10 finishes out of the 5 races as Ryan and the team are able to adjust the car well enough to move up through the field come feature time. With some more time trial experience, and just track time in general, the team is confident that they will be able to start further up in the features and perhaps get some good finishes as the season progresses.
Ryan and the #07 both managed to come out of the weekend still 3rd in both driver points and owner points standings, although the gap between them and the leader Tommy Fedewa grew ever so slightly. Ryan and the team will be in action for a 5th straight weekend this coming Saturday night at the Berlin Raceway in Marne, Michigan just outside of Grand Rapids. Berlin was the site of one of Ryan’s best races in a sprint car as he finished 2nd in this very same event one year ago, and led his first sprint car feature laps that night as well.
What:
2006 Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints Series Round # 6
www.SuperSprints.com
Where:
Berlin Raceway,
2060 Berlin Fair Drive,
Marne, MI 49435
www.BerlinRaceway.com.
When:
Saturday, June 24th, 2006. Pit and Spectator Gates open at 12:15 p.m., Practice at 2:30 p.m., Time Trials at 5:30 p.m., and Racing at 7:00 p.m.
Ryan and the team would like to thank all their sponsors for their continued support during Ryan and the #07 Beast/Claxton Sprinter’s full time campaign on the AVSS tour and their quest for the Rookie of the Year title this season, including OTC/SPX Tools, BS&B Radiator, Velocity Wings, BRR Media, BOC Gases, and Leaf Racewear.
For more information on Ryan, the car, and the team, including schedules, photos, merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan’s official website at www.RyanLitt.com
|
Litt Takes First Sprint Car Win at Home Track |
Ryan Litt took home his first feature win in a full size sprint car on Friday night, and his timing for it couldn’t have been better. At Delaware Speedway, just 30 miles from his home in Lyons, Ontario, the 19 year old took over the lead on lap 10 of the 30 lap feature, after AJ Lane and Bill Tyler made contact racing for the lead, and held the lead the rest of the way to score a popular win with the hometown fans.
As the evening progressed, Ryan was running competitively, but probably wouldn’t have been picked as the winner either. Ryan qualified the #07 BS&B Radiator, OTC/SPX Tools Beast/Claxton Sprinter 6th out of 23 cars in time trials, and finished 5th in his heat race. In the feature, after the customary Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints series inversion of the top qualifiers, Ryan was able to start in 3rd place and rode there until the top 2 cars tangled on the 10th circuit. Ryan survived a few more cautions and a late race charge through lapped traffic by fellow Owens Petroleum Rookie of the Year contender Chad Goff to bring the #07 to victory lane for the first time.
”I’m so happy to win at Delaware,” said Ryan of his first win. “There was a good crowd and they were really loud and happy with the outcome – it was really neat.”
There wasn’t much time to celebrate the victory however as the AVSS series moved 2 hours to the West on Saturday night to the Auto City Speedway in Flint, Michigan. The #07 was 12th fastest in time trials out of the 26 cars in attendance, and finished 4th in his heat. 12th quickest in time trials meant Ryan could not be involved in the invert for the feature on this night and started 12th in the 21 car feature field. A relatively uneventful race saw the #07 quietly move forward into the 7th spot by the time the checkered flag flew 30 laps later.
”We figure our wide axel isn’t good for short tracks (like Auto City),” said Ryan afterwards, “So next time we race there and at other tight tracks we’re going to run a narrower axel. We just can’t make the car as good as it needs to be (to run up front) on the short tracks. It’s great on the big tracks though – I can’t wait for Toledo and Fort Wayne this weekend.”
Next up for Ryan and the rest of the travelling stars of the AVSS is another busy doubleheader weekend, this time at the Toledo Speedway in Ohio on Friday night, and the Baer Field Speedway in Fort Wayne, Indiana on Saturday night. Ryan was 5th fastest in time trials and 6th in the feature at Toledo last season in just his 2nd start in a winged sprint car. Baer Field, on the other hand, was the site of “the big wreck” which destroyed the #07 last season, necessitating a complete rebuild before another race could be run. Ryan and the team are confident that they can improve on their results from last year at both venues.
What:
2006 Auto Value Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints series rounds 4 and 5.
Where:
Toledo Speedway
5639 Benore Road
Toledo, Ohio 43612
Track Phone: (419)-727-1100
www.arcaracing.com
Baer Field Speedway
Winters Road
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46819
Track Phone: (260)-747-RACE
www.baerfieldspeedway.com
When:
Toledo Speedway – Friday June 16th, 2006. Pit Gates Open @ 1:00 p.m., practice and spectator gates @ 3:00 p.m., Time Trials @ 5:30 p.m., Racing @ 7:30 p.m.
Baer Field Speedway – Saturday June 17th, 2006. Gates open @ 4:00 p.m., Time Trials @ 5:00 p.m., Racing @ 7:00 p.m.
Also:
The race at Toledo is part of a special event called “The Fastest Short Track Show in the World” featuring the ISMA Supermodifieds along with the AVSS Sprint Cars. It is one of the most unique racing events of the season and always features lots of great racing and a few surprises. With the NASCAR tour just down the road at the Michigan International Speedway, 2 time Nextel Cup champion Tony Stewart has been able to attend the last 2 events as a spectator. Racing along with ISMA is special for the Litt racing team as Ryan’s father Wade competed on the ISMA tour in the past and the show is an opportunity to catch up with old friends.
Ryan and the team would like to thank all their sponsors for their continued support during Ryan and the #07 Claxton powered Beast Chassis Sprinter’s full time campaign on the AVSS tour this season, as well as in some special events, including OTC/SPX Tools, BS&B Radiator, Velocity Wings, BRR Media, BOC Gases, and Leaf Racewear.
For more information on Ryan, the car, and the team, including schedules, photos, merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan’s official website at www.RyanLitt.com.
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Ryan Litt Scores First Career AVSS Win at Delaware Speedway |
By Duane Turner: Ryan Litt from Lyons, Ontario, Canada held off a late race charge by Chad Goff to claim his first career AVSS feature win. "This is definitely the biggest win for me. This is my first sprint car win, and we got it on my home track so it makes it even bigger." Stated Litt in the Delaware Speedway victory lane. "I know this track pretty good, but I did not expect to win. I just tried not to get nervous, or to pressure myself. Just be laid back in the car, and do what I am use to doing. It paid off I guess."
AVSS veteran and former champion Bill Tyler would start the 30-lap contest on the pole position with A.J. Lane alongside. As the field roared down the front straight and into turn one, a couple cars made contact forcing some others to check up. Harry Parish was left with no where to go, and jumped a wheel of another sprint car sending him into the front stretch wall. Parish would not be able to continue.
On the second attempt, Tyler jumped out to the early lead. Lane settled into second with Ryan Litt right behind. Jeff Bloom and Tommy Fedewa completed the top five after the opening lap. Fast qualifier Chad Goff made his presence felt early when he passed Fedewa on the second lap to take over fifth. On lap eight, the leaders began to enter lapped traffic which bunched the top six positions nose to tail. On lap 10, the caution came out as Ben Hidy would spin in turn four.
On the lap 10 restart, Lane closed in on Tyler for the lead. As the duo entered turn three, Tyler pushed up the racetrack, allowing Lane to pull alongside. Tyler would get the bite coming out of turn four, and pulled back into the lead down the front straight. Lane made another move to the inside of Tyler in turn one, but Tyler was already there, and the leaders made contact sending both cars for a spin in turn two. With the leaders spinning, fourth place Bloom, and eighth place Troy Underwood would get together as they tried to avoid the carnage. Both cars would be done for the evening.
With the first, second, fourth and eight place cars involved, Litt would acquire the lead with Goff, Fedewa, Hank Lower, and Mike Ling in the top five. The lap 11 restart had Litt getting a huge jump over Goff. Fedewa kept pace with Goff, as Curt Shumaker made a pass to take over the fifth position. One lap later, Lower would spin in turn one, breaking a shock ending his evening. During the caution period, fifth place Mike Ling would take the Tracy Rice owned #10 pit side ending his race.
The restart had Litt up front, with Goff, Fedewa, Shumaker and Jimmy McCune in the top five. As Litt took the green flag, he once again began to pull away from second place running Goff. The battle for fourth heated up as McCune made a move past Shumaker on lap 14. As the laps began to wind down, Goff began to close in on the race leader. With five laps to go, Goff pulled up to Litt's rear bumper as the duo raced through lapped traffic. Over the course of the final four laps, Litt was able to maintain his lead and bring home his first career win. Goff, Fedewa, McCune, and Shumaker were the top five. Jason Blonde, Tim Ryan, A.J. Lane, Bill Tyler and Dennis Craft would round out the top 10.
Rookie of the Year contender Chad Goff scored his first Hamilton Trucking fast time award with a time of 16.121. 111.656 miles per hour, or 179.696 kilometers per hour. Harry Parish, Bill Tyler and Dennis Craft took the heat race wins. For more information on the Auto Value/ Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints, log on to the official web site at www.supersprints.com
Race Summary:
Hamilton Trucking Time Trials: 1) 9 Chad Goff 16.121 (111.656 mph) 2) 4 Troy Underwood 16.182 3) 37 Hank Lower 16.221 4) 26 Jeff Bloom 16.250 ) 42 Tommy Fedewa 16.282 6) 07 Ryan Litt 16.285 7) 84 A.J. Lane 16.314 8) 24 Bill Tyler 16.323 9) 71 Curt Shumaker 16.355 10) 10 Mike Ling 16.361 11) 55 Jason Blonde 16.400 12) 19 Jimmy McCune 16.400 13) 8 Ryan Davis 16.782 14) 87 Landon Hidy 16.849 15) 70 Dennis Craft 16.964 16) 31 Harry Parish 16.972 7) 69 Tim Ryan 16.995 18) 7 Tyler Underwood 17.095 19) 97 Ben Hidy 17.282 20) 20 Aaron Katz 17.329 21) 35 Mike Katz 17.346 22) 34 Johnny Scherer 17.964 23) 57 Brian Welch 18.641
United Trailers Heat Race 1 (2:16.342): 1) 31 Harry Parish 2) 10 Mike Ling 3) 84 A.J. Lane 4) 8 Ryan Davis 5) 26 Jeff Bloom 6) 9 Chad Goff 7) 34 Johnny Scherer 8) 97 Ben Hidy
Dowker Engines Heat Race 2 (no time) 1) 24 Bill Tyler 2) 69 Tim Ryan 3) 42 Tommy Fedewa 4) 4 Troy Underwood 5) 55 Jason Blonde 6) 20 Aaron Katz 7) 57 Brian Welch 8) 87 Landon Hidy
Access Mortgage and Financial Heat Race 3 (2:17.253): 1) 70 Dennis Craft 2) 71 Curt Shumaker 3) 19 Jimmy McCune 4) 37 Hank Lower 5) 07 Ryan Litt 6) 7 Tyler Underwood 7) 35 Mike Katz
Auto Value/ Bumper to Bumper A-Main: 1) 07 Ryan Litt 2) 9 Chad Goff 3) 42 Tommy Fedewa 4) 19 Jimmy McCune 5) 71 Curt Shumaker 6) 55 Jason Blonde 7) 69 Tim Ryan 8) 84 A.J. Lane 9) 24 Bill Tyler 10) 70 Dennis Craft 11) 7 Tyler Underwood 12) 34 Johnny Scherer 13) 20 Aaron Katz 14) 97 Ben Hidy 15) 87 Landon Hidy 16) 57 Brian Welch 17) 37 Hank Lower 18) 10 Mike Ling 19) 26 Jeff Bloom 20) 4 Troy Underwood 21) 35 Mike Katz 22) 8 Ryan Davis 23) 31 Harry Parish
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Local Racer Makes Homecoming |
By Tommy Goudge
Ryan Litt doesn't have the opportunity to race in front of his friends,
family, and home fans very often. The nineteen year old from Lyons,
Ontario competes on the Auto Value Super Sprints tour based in Michigan
these days and normally has to travel at least 3 hours to race. This is
not the case this Friday night, June 9th however, as the AVSS tour will
make a stop
at the Delaware Speedway, just thirty miles from the Litt racing team's
shop.
Local racing fans may remember Ryan from his days racing in the Junior
Dragster division at St. Thomas Dragway, the Micro-Sprint classes at
Wonderland Speedway, and the Street Stock division at Delaware Speedway.
After success at Wonderland which included 31 feature wins in 4 seasons,
and a full season of street stock racing at Delaware under his belt, Ryan
and family decided to move into the world of United States Auto Club Midget
cars in 2003. Ryan and the team spent 2 full seasons competing with the
USAC Ford Ford Focus Midget Midwest Region tour. Ryan won 2 features and
finished 4th and 3rd in the points standings during those seasons.
During 2004, Ryan also made his debut in a sprint car, competing in USAC
National Sprint Car series events at Anderson, Indiana, and Nashville,
Tennessee. Producing over 800 horsepower and weighing only 1200 pounds,
Sprint Cars are some of the fastest cars in short track racing. The
learning curve was steep for Ryan, and for the team, but in 2005 they began
to figure things out. In early May of 2005, Ryan came back to the Delaware
Speedway for the first time to race with the AVSS tour and with a wing on
the car for the first time. Winged Sprint Cars are the ultimate short track
racing machine - the wing produces down-force which helps the car to take
corners at a high rate of speed.
Later on in May with the wing taken off - USAC does not allow wings - Ryan
took home a 7th place finish in the prestigious Little 500 at Anderson
Speedway in Indiana, missing the rookie of the race award by just 1 spot.
Running in selected winged events later in 2005, Ryan garnered a 6th place
finish at Toledo, Ohio and a 2nd place finish at the Berlin Raceway near
Grand Rapids, Michigan. At Berlin, Ryan actually led much of the feature
race before a late caution period allowed the field to catch up. Ryan also
got a taste of adversity in 2005 as a scary crash at the Baer Field
Speedway in Indiana forced the team to completely rebuild the car. The
rest of the season was a bit of a struggle as the problems stemming from
the crash at Baer Field resurfaced at other events, but there were some
bright spots, and Ryan gained valuable experience behind the wheel of a
winged sprint car.
So far this season, only one AVSS event has been run as rain has cancelled
2 other scheduled events. At Auto City Speedway in Flint, Michigan on May
6th, Ryan brought the #07 BS&B Radiator, OTC-SPX Tools car home in 10th in
the feature event, which also puts him in 10th place in the AVSS points
standings going into Round #2 at Delaware this Friday night.
Ryan is excited about his chances at Delaware as some test laps early this
spring produced some great lap times, and he thinks a win in front of his
hometown fans is not out of the question.
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Kalamazoo Rained Out; Homecoming At Delaware Part of Doubleheader Weekend Next For Ryan Litt |
From Litt Racing P.R. (Monday June 5, 2006) by Tommy Goudge – Mother Nature struck once again this past Saturday night at the Kalamazoo Speedway in Western Michigan as the Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints event was rained out. The rain can’t put a damper on Ryan Litt’s spirits however as the 19 year old is excited about the next event on the AVSS schedule – his home race at the Delaware Speedway, just 30 miles from his home in Lyons, Ontario, Canada on Friday, June 9th. The event will be the only visit by the AVSS tour to Canada this season and Ryan and the #07 BS&B Radiator/OTC-SPX Tools team are excited to be performing in front of their home fans, family, and friends.
Delaware is a special place for Ryan for another reason besides being his home track. The ½ mile paved oval was the site of his very first event behind the wheel of a winged sprint car last May. Ryan was 16th fastest in time trials that night, finished 3rd in his heat after leading briefly, and finished 14th in the feature after a late race spin took him out of contention for a top 10 finish – Not too bad for a rookie. With more winged races under his belt since then and some test laps at Delaware this spring, Ryan is quite confident that he will be able to improve on last year’s results.
There will be no rest for the drivers and teams of the AVSS as the tour gets back into action the night after Delaware at the Auto City Speedway near Flint, Michigan on Saturday night, June 10th. Auto City is the only track that has staged an AVSS event this season so far without interference from Mother Nature. The AVSS season opener took place at Auto City on May 6th and Ryan brought the #07 home in the 10th position that evening after struggling to get a handle on the quirky 7/16’s mile oval for most of the night. Ryan and the team are looking forward to getting back to Auto City now that they have figured out the odd-shaped track.
For Canadian fans interested in “doing the double” with Ryan and the team this weekend, the Auto City Speedway is located slightly North of Flint, Michigan, just 80 miles West of the Blue Water Bridge border crossing at Sarnia/Port Huron. Other than Delaware, Auto City is the closest AVSS venue to the #07 team’s headquarters near London, Ontario. The AVSS will visit Auto City once more this season, on July 15th.
What:
Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints Series 2006 Season Rounds #2 and #3
Where:
Delaware Speedway
1640 Gideon Drive
Delaware, Ontario
N0L 1E0
www.DelawareSpeedway.com
Track Phone: (519)-652-5068
Auto City Speedway
10205 N Saginaw Rd.
Clio, MI, 48420.
www.AutoCitySpeedway.com
Track Phone: (810)-686-9500
When:
Delaware – Friday June 9th, 2006. Pit Gates open @ 4:00 p.m., Spectator Gates open @ 6:00 p.m., Time Trials @ 7:00 p.m., Racing @ 8:00 p.m.
Auto City – Saturday, June 10th, 2006. Pit and Spectator Gates open @ 2:30 p.m., Time Trials @ 5:00 p.m., Racing @ 7:00 p.m.
Ryan and the team would like to thank all their sponsors for their continued support during Ryan and the #07 Claxton powered Beast Chassis Sprinter’s full time campaign on the AVSS tour this season, as well as in some special events, including OTC/SPX Tools, BS&B Radiator, Velocity Wings, BRR Media, BOC Gases, and Leaf Racewear.
For more information on Ryan, the car, and the team, including schedules, photos, merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan’s official website at www.RyanLitt.com.
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Ryan Litt Ready for Little 500 |
From Litt Racing P.R. (May 24, 2006) by Tommy Goudge – The Little 500 is not your average sprint car race. In fact, it’s not even your average auto race. With 33 traditional sprint cars - each pushing out upwards of 850 horsepower - taking the green flag 3-abreast to begin 500 gruelling laps on a high banked ¼ mile oval, complete with pit stops in cars that were never designed for pit stops, the Little 500 is not your average anything.
The historic Anderson Speedway in Anderson Speedway is the venue, and the 58th Annual Pay-Less Little 500 is the event. The Little 500 purposely shares many similarities with the Indianapolis 500, including the format for time trials, and how the starting grid lines up. To even qualify for the event – which is the world’s richest pavement sprint car event - in the unique 4 lap time trial format is an accomplishment in and of itself.
In his Little 500 debut last May, Lyons, Ontario, Canada’s own Ryan Litt managed to come home with a 7th place finish – pretty good for a rookie with a hastily assembled pit crew and very little experience in a full size sprint car. This season, with more sprint car racing experience under his belt, a better prepared pit crew, and a new sponsor in OTC/SPX Tools on board, the 19 year old has his sights set squarely on a top 5 finish or better. It may be a lofty goal, but given last year’s result, definitely not an unattainable one.
Before the Little 500, teams will have a chance to tune up for the race on Wednesday night, May 24th in a USAC National Sprint Car event featuring a 50 lap feature – just one tenth of the distance the drivers will face on Saturday night, May 27th. On Thursday May 25th it will be time for first round qualifying for the big show. Friday May 26th features second and final round qualifying for the big race, and Saturday is the big day.
What:
58th Annual Pay Less Little 500. www.andersonspeedway.com/little_500.htm
Where:
Anderson Speedway,
1311 Martin Luther King Boulevard,
Anderson Indiana 46016-3964
www.andersonspeedway.com
When:
Saturday, May 27th. Spectator Gates open @ 2:30 p.m., pre-race festivities @ 7:00 p.m., command to start engines @ 8:00 p.m.
Also:
USAC National Sprint Car 50, Wednesday May 24th, Spectator Gates open @ 5:00 p.m., time trials @ 5:45 p.m., racing at 7:00 p.m. www.usacracing.com
Ryan and the team would like to thank all their sponsors for their continued support during Ryan and the #07 Beast/Claxton Sprinter’s full time campaign on the AVSS tour this season, as well as in these special events, including OTC/SPX Tools, BS&B Radiator, Velocity Wings, BRR Media, BOC Gases, and Leaf Racewear.
For more information on Ryan, the car, and the team, including schedules, photos, merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan’s official website at www.RyanLitt.com.
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10th place for Ryan Litt at Auto City; Berlin Next |
From Ryan Litt Racing P.R. (May 11th, 2006) By Tommy Goudge: The Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints series has a rule which says all drivers must start at the rear of each race they compete in during their first night of competition. While Ryan Litt is not really a rookie in sprint cars anymore, having competed part time with various series over the past 2 seasons, he is competing for the AVSS rookie of the year award this season and therefore had to follow the rookie rule. This meant the 19 year old from Lyons, Ontario, Canada and his #07 BS&B Radiator/OTC-SPX Tools Sprinter would have to start at the back of the 3rd Heat despite Time Trialing 11th out of 24 cars.
Starting at the back of Heat Race #3 with fellow Rookie of the Year candidate Chad Goff, Ryan fought an ill-handling race car and was only able to finish 7th, short of the 5th place transfer spot directly to the A-Main. In the B-Main, Ryan was able to squeak into the 5th and last transfer spot and earn a starting spot in the A-Main. Starting shotgun on the field in 21st, Ryan was able to charge all the way through the field during the non-stop 30 lap A-Main to finish in 10th position, becoming the race’s highest finishing rookie in the process.
Summing up his first visit to Auto City Speedway, Ryan had this to say:
"We had a pretty good day. We had to change the setup around quite a bit and we were off until feature time - we seemed to be pretty close then. It took me some time to learn the fast way around Auto City. It's a real tricky place - oddly shaped and pretty tight.
“Contending for rookie of the year meant I had to start near the back of the race so that made it really tough to get up front, but we'll take a top 10 and look to be up front at Berlin. I have to thank all my sponsors and my crew for working so hard to get the car good at the end."
The 10th place finish means Ryan also sits in 10th place in the AVSS drivers standings going into Round #2 of the AVSS season at Berlin Raceway near Grand Rapids, Michigan this coming weekend. Berlin is one of Ryan’s favourite tracks and it is the site of Ryan’s best finish in a full size sprint car – a 2nd place in June of last season during only his 2nd start in a winged sprint car.
What:
Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints series Round #2. www.Supersprints.com
Where:
Berlin Raceway, 2060 Berlin Fair Drive, Marne, MI 49435. www.BerlinRaceway.com.
When:
Saturday, May 13th, 2006. Pit and Spectator Gates open at 12:30 p.m., Practice at 2:30 p.m., Time Trials at 5:30 p.m., and Racing at 7:00 p.m.
Ryan and the team would like to thank all their sponsors for their continued support during Ryan and the #07 Beast/Claxton Sprinter’s full time campaign on the AVSS tour this season, including OTC/SPX Tools, BS&B Radiator, Velocity Wings, BRR Media, BOC Gases, and Leaf Racewear.
For more information on Ryan, the car, and the team, including schedules, photos, merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan’s official website at www.RyanLitt.com.
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Ryan Litt Geared Up For AVSS Season Opener |
From Ryan Litt Racing P.R. (April 30, 2006) By Tommy Goudge:
After what has seemed like an interminate off-season, Ryan Litt and the OTC/SPX Tools, BS&B Radiator #07 Sprint Car team from Lyons, Ontario, Canada will finally get their season started at the Auto City Speedway near Flint, Michigan this Saturday night, May 6th. The event will be the first of a full schedule of 21 events for the Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints series in 2006. Ryan and the #07 car will be racing in all 21 of these events in the hopes of claiming the Rookie of the Year title, and hopefully some feature wins too.
Ryan and the team are exc | | |