Nick Fillman/USAC ECSC
Throughout the rest of the 2019 season we will be presenting different stories about some of our drivers who race with the Rapid Tire USAC East Coast Sprint Car Series, to try and give you the fans a look into who some of our drivers are, and what lead them to where they are today.
Our first driver conversation is with Ryan Quackenbush, who recently turned 19 years old and has been a regular with the USAC Series since its inception. Quackenbush has been behind the wheel of a race car since he was eight years old, starting off in go karts. From there, Quackenbush made the move to Slingshots, 600cc micro sprints, to 358 sprint cars before ultimately ending up with the USAC East Coast Sprint Cars and running with the URC 360 sprint cars.
Quackenbush started out at the Lincoln Speedway running their 358 division before switching to the 360 classes and touring around with the different series. Recently, the Quackenbush family moved from their home in New York, to Shermans Dale, Pennsylvania to be closer to central Pennsylvania and most of the events that USAC and URC have on their schedules.
I asked Ryan what lead to the decision to run Sprint cars and here’s what he had to say: “We were from modified country, and we didn’t really like Modifieds.” Quackenbush explained. “We have a smaller crew, and we felt that the sprint cars were easier to maintain for us, and this is the road we took” said Quackenbush.
Coming from the 600cc micro sprint ranks, Quackenbush said the decision to try wingless racing was easy: “We bought the 358 and we thought the winged deal was fun, but when the USAC deal popped up we went and tried it, and we fell in love from the first race.”
Ryan Quackenbush has been a series supporter since its inception, I asked Ryan what it would mean to him to get a win with such a legendary organization like USAC: “It would be huge” Said Quackenbush, “To have your name associated with USAC would be amazing.”
Quackenbush has been a fast learner with the sprint car, and was even the 2018 URC Rookie of The Year. So far this season, Quackenbush has made every USAC East Coast show and sits 7th in the points standings. Quackenbush has had mixed results with some unfortunate crashes that have lead to DNF’s, but has been all around the top ten with a season high 7th place run at the Big Diamond Speedway in May.
The Ryan Quackenbush Racing team would like to thank all of their sponsors: 24/7 Connect, Franks Fine Swine Jerky, and Sienkwicz Contracting. ?
Follow along with Ryan Quackenbush and their 2019 season by liking their Facebook Page: Ryan Quackenbush Racing.