Busy Stretch for Ross: Pabst Light Appearance, Top-Five Highlight Mixed Stretch

It’s been a busy three weeks for Tyler Ross, filled with rainouts, a sponsor appearance, a top-five finish, and a tough night that he isn’t afraid to own up to.

Pabst Light Takes Center Stage at Valley Green Beverage

On August 15th, Tyler and the entire race team spent three hours at Valley Green Beverage for a Pabst Light and Ace Distributing appearance, bringing the race car along for fans to see up close. Tyler and his crew met and greeted fans throughout the event, signed autographs, handed out hero cards, and took photos with fans — including plenty of kids who left with a hero card in hand. Tyler’s new line of Pabst Light T-shirts also made their debut, with several selling on-site. Tyler and the team said meeting fans and connecting with the community remains one of their favorite parts of the sport, and they’re grateful to Pabst Light and Ace Distributing for making it happen.

Heat Race Win Sets Up Top-Five Run at Clinton County

Hours after wrapping up the Valley Green Beverage appearance, Tyler was back behind the wheel that night at Clinton County Speedway in Mill Hall, PA — a track he’s raced only a handful of times, and just once before in his own car. With 36 cars on hand split into two qualifying flights, Tyler timed in 5th quickest in Flight A.

Starting 2nd in his 10-lap heat race, Tyler took the point with three laps remaining and drove to the win. In the 35-lap A-main, he started 6th and worked forward steadily to a 4th-place finish.

The team made the trip to Clinton County looking to log laps, and Tyler said the result reflected a strong overall night for the crew.

“I probably had a top-three car, but I was pretty conservative with the car and my driving style,” Tyler said.

“I just wanted to take the solid finish and roll it in the box in one piece.”

A Tough Night at Williams Grove

Not every night goes to plan, and Tyler isn’t sugarcoating what happened last Friday night at Williams Grove Speedway. With 35 cars entered and split into two qualifying flights, Tyler timed in 16th in Flight B. He started 8th and finished 6th in his heat, missing the transfer to the A-main, then rallied from 6th to 4th in the B-main to punch his ticket into the feature. Tyler started 24th in the 30-lap A-main, but pulled pitside after 12 laps and was scored 23rd in the final rundown.

“We flat-out sucked in qualifying. We were off, and it’s a bit embarrassing,” Tyler said candidly.

“We made changes and earned our way into the show.  I think a lot of the improvement might have been that I just got up on the wheel a bit more.  I don’t have a lot of laps at Williams Grove compared to other tracks, so I feel like I’m still figuring out how to approach laps there.  I probably need to push the car a little harder.”

Tyler also pointed to a bigger-picture challenge that’s been shadowing the team over the past six weeks — a stretch marked by rainouts and gaps in the schedule that have made it tough to find and maintain a rhythm.

“It’s not an excuse,” he said. “I’ve been doing this a long time and should be able to manage that, but drivers are human, and the mental side of the sport is different for everyone.”

A Shoutout to Williams Grove Speedway

Ross Racing wants to publicly thank Williams Grove Speedway for stepping up and covering damages the team incurred during a push truck incident last month at the World of Outlaws event — a gesture the team says didn’t go unnoticed.

“Justin (Loh, General Manager) came to our pit right away that night after it happened and said they would take care of it, and they did.  We appreciate them for doing the right thing.  Not all organizations will step up like that.”

Looking Ahead

Tyler and the team are back at it this weekend with a doubleheader, racing August 29th at Lincoln Speedway and August 30th at Selinsgrove Speedway in the Bush Auto Group, Fastrak Express, Stateline Truck & Trailer, Stolzfus Farm Service,  Pabst Light, Betts Garage No.5.  Tyler is looking forward to the trip to Selinsgrove — a track he enjoys racing but hasn’t visited in a 410 in some time.