WORLD OF OUTLAWS LATE MODEL DRIVER RYAN GUSTIN

By Cyndi Stiffler

Dirt Empire spent the season on the road with Ryan Gustin as our contributing writer, Cyndi Stiffler, tracked what it is really like during a racing season in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series - Thanks for allowing us to tag along, Ryan!

THIS WILL BE our final piece of this series, and to those that have been following this all year, you will definitely have to follow the Reapers social media’s pages and website to see how the season will end. The team has one last swing this weekend with three races in the Midwest on tracks that Gustin has plenty of laps on and has podium finishes.

Then from there, they roll right in to the World Finals where the season will conclude in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Reaper is sitting in a solid fourth place right now in the World of Outlaw points, and it would take a lot of interesting circumstances for him to better that spot, but you just never know in racing, and his fan base will be cheering that effort on till the end.

When Dirt Empire and I discussed doing this piece last year at PRI, I knew immediately whom I would do it on. There were only a few drivers that I knew well enough to even take on the task, but Gustin was the new guy, trying to get established in the late model world, trying to earn respect and gain knowledge from the ground up.

I first met Ryan over 15 years ago now, when he was racing modifieds and he was still just a kid. My husband and eventually my daughter were racing modifieds and we make numerous trips over the years to the Midwest and raced with the USMTS, where Ryan was two-time champion with more than a 100 wins. Since we were UMP racers, the adjustment and struggle was real, but drivers and teams like Gustins and many others made that transition better by extending so many kindnesses our way. Over the years, I have watched Ryan’s modified career in amazement. He was simply one of the best to ever wheel in that division. When he got the opportunity to drive late models, he never hesitated, and a world of fans stood in the background looking on, knowing the Reaper would make his mark, to which he has proven true to their point.

The transition into late models, and especially the renowned World of Late Models, no doubt was a bit humbling after his career in the modifieds but true talent and determination always rises to the top. Ryan and his rookie team jumped in with both feet and have notched their mark and presence into this elite group. Perhaps if Ryan had just a tad more luck this year the standings may have shown a different picture. Numerous nights, not only did he have the lead but in some cases by 2-3 seconds over the field, only to lose a tire, or some other incident beyond his control. One thing is for sure; those that watched him nightly will verify, this team has steadily increased their knowledge and sheer speed this year.

He’ll end the season with at least 40 top tens, 20 top fives, and five feature wins this season. They improved their World of Outlaw point’s standings by two spots this year, and I predict this team will most definitely be in the hunt for a championship in the very near future.

I want to extend my thanks to Ryan, Kendra, and the crew for all their support on these articles. My personal experience in both racing and promoting is that most of the time what the fans see and what the reality actually is can be polar opposites. This series of articles was to present the behind the scenes of a young team that is most definitely notching their name in the late model world. The title might be slightly misleading in that outside of the two visits to Sharon Speedway this year, I did not travel with the team. Photographers were kind enough to update me weekly with photos, and through plenty of texts and phone calls with Gustin and his team we were able to bring you this inside look of the Reaper team.

While this life is a dream come true for those that live it, it also brings many other obstacles the average fan may not see. Ryan, his family, crew, owners and sponsors are deeply grateful for all their supportive fans and the numerous ways that support is shown as they travel across the country chasing dreams, wins and championships.

To keep updated you can follow Gustin’s journey on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and his website www.ryangustin. com. Tune into DirtVision to watch all the World of Outlaw events.