RYAN LITT: TOLEDO RUNNER-UP, AUTO CITY NEXT

by Tommy Goudge (June 24, 2010) – London, Ontario driver Ryan Litt and the #07L BS&B Radiator/OTC Tools Sprint Car team were in action at Toledo Speedway’s “Fastest Short Track Show in the World” on Friday, June 11, and came away pleased with a second place finish in the Sprint Car division.

The day began with Ryan qualifying third in Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints series time trials with a lap of 12.85 seconds around the high-banked half mile. Derek Snyder took fast time honours and also set a new track record at 12.65, well over 140 MPH.

“We had a really good car at Toledo,” says Ryan. “It was at the top of the charts all day. We were a tick tight in qualifying but still good enough to lock down third place. Congratulations to Derek and family for setting the new track record, it couldn't go to a more deserving bunch.”

Toledo has always been a good track for Ryan and the team, and they had high hopes for the feature race.

“We started fourth in the feature and moved into third on the first lap,” says Ryan. “I was really concentrating on trying to keep the tires under me so I could charge to the front near the end, but I think I waited a little too long. I was passing for second and slid high and (Jason) Blonde slipped by. I knew once he got to the lead he'd be gone, so I turned it up after that and got into second behind him.”

The race came down to the last few laps, and Ryan was going hard trying to get his first win of the season. Veteran driver and multi-time sprint car champion Jason Blonde was in front of him.

“We caught him in traffic with a few laps to go,” says Ryan. “The racing was really tight - the cars move around in dirty air a lot, so it definitely got wild with under five (laps) to go. We closed up the gap to about a car length and then got stuck behind two lapped cars who were racing each other. Overall it was a good night for us and hopefully the end of our bad luck that we've had throughout the year.”

Ryan also drove the #70 Supermodified for owner Gary Morton of Stouffville, Ontario at Toledo, as the Midwest Supermodified Association was in competition.

“I had a lot of fun running Gary’s super,” says Ryan. “It's always tough jumping in a new car for the first time and expecting to run with the regulars, but we were doing alright until the motor expired with two (laps) to go. Gotta thank Gary for hiring me to run his car - it was a blast.”

Supermodifieds and Sprints rarely run on the same night at the same track. Ryan relished the opportunity to do both at Toledo.

“It was one of the most humid days we've had yet, so running two cars was definitely a good workout,” says Ryan of doing double duty. “I don't think I had more than 10 minutes of rest all night, besides the rain delay. I love it though - the more laps I can turn, the better.”

Last weekend, Ryan had plans of travelling to Florida to compete for the DeCaire Motorsports team at Desoto Speedway. A bad forecast cancelled those plans, so Ryan’s next race will now be this Saturday, June 26 at Auto City Speedway near Flint, Michigan for round number four of the Must See Racing Xtreme Sprint Series season. Ryan has competed in five career events at the unique 7/16 mile oval, compiling one top five, three top tens, and one fast time award. His best feature finish at Auto City is fourth, on May 10, 2008.

“Auto City isn't one of my favorite tracks,” says Ryan, “But with this new format it should make it pretty exciting. It's usually a tough track to pass on, so hopefully we have some good luck and can start near the front.”

Auto City was once a hub of open wheel activity, but had just two open wheel races on the schedule last year (one of which fell to rain), and none for the 410 Sprints. This Saturday’s event is the only open wheel race scheduled this season at the track. A good purse – including $3,000 to the winner – has been posted, and an extra $1,000 will be added if the winner accepts the challenge of starting at the tail. A unique format is in place for the race, with time trials, heat races, twenty lap qualifying races, and a twenty lap feature scheduled. The race will also be taped for television broadcast, and a full pit area and large crowd are expected.

“With the increase in purse, and with the bonus, all of us drivers will be pushing it extra hard and raising the bar,” says Ryan. “I wouldn't be surprised to see another track record broken, and fans can be sure to catch a lot of side by side racing.”

WHAT
“Must See Twin 20’s”
MustSeeRacing.com Xtreme Sprint Series 2010 Season Round #4
www.MustSeeRacing.com

WHERE
Auto City Speedway
10205 North Saginaw Road
Clio, MI 48420-1681, United States
Phone: (810) 687-7384 or (810) 686-9500
e-mail: racetrackinfo@aol.com
On The Web: www.AutoCitySpeedway.com

WHEN
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Pit Gates open @ 12:30 p.m., Practice @ 2:30 p.m., Spectator Gates open @ 4:00 p.m., Qualifying @ 5:15 p.m., Racing @ 7:00 p.m.

Ryan and the team would like to thank all their sponsors for their support during the 2010 season, including OTC Tools, BS&B Radiator, Linton Media, Linde Gases, Leaf Racewear, and Xtreme Metal Worx.

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