Archive for category: Tyler Ross

Tyler Ross has finished in the top ten in nearly fifty percent of the races he has entered in 2025, a statistic that many teams would be happy to own. 

For Ross, though, there is unfinished business.  He has yet to crack victory lane this year, something he knows his team is capable of.  They have proven it multiple times in recent years.

No matter how good your team is, winning is never guaranteed in 410 sprint car racing, but Ross and his team have been working hard all season to overcome hurdles that they are confident are standing between Ross Racing and their next checkered flag.

CUT SHORT IN JERSEY

To close out the month of September, Ross made the trip to Bridgeport Motorsports Park in Swedesboro, NJ, to take on the High Limit Racing series.  The one-hour tow was the shortest of the season for the Lincoln University, PA, driver who is accustomed to traveling anywhere from ninety minutes to nearly three hours to race.

“We have always been pretty solid at Bridgeport,” Ross commented.

“We brought our white car here for one final shakedown before the National Open at Williams Grove.  That’s really the event we have been preparing this car for all along.  We’ve been battling a brake issue with this car since we first rolled it out of the shop this year, so we want to get that resolved.”

The car was brand new from chassis to engine earlier this year and has shown promise in limited action, but the team has been working to resolve a brake issue on the car.  They have replaced the master brake cylinder, calipers, and other components, with no luck thus far. 

“People wonder how it can so long to resolve an issue like we’re having with the brakes.  There’s a lot of trial and error involved.  These systems are expensive, so you can’t just toss them aside and buy a new one.  You can come up with ideas and make changes in the shop, but troubleshooting really only happens when you are on the track.  If you figure three laps for hot laps, a couple laps for qualifying, ten more for a heat, and a 25-lap feature, our max for a night is about 40 laps…and those are almost all competitive laps.  Something is at stake every time we are trying to figure out the issue,” Ross explained.

Ross turned in a decent performance at Bridgeport, but was still dealing with some brake issues throughout the night.  He qualified 11th overall, finished 4th in his heat, and started 12th in the A-main.  A top-ten finish was certainly within reach.

The brake issue worked against Ross at the start of the A-main, and he fell to 15th in traffic.  Before he could rebound and regain the spots, the rains came and stopped the race after just ten laps.

CAN’T CATCH A ‘BRAKE’

To add to their challenges, upon returning to their shop and performing maintenance on the car to prepare for the coming weekend at Williams Grove, the team discovered a broken valve spring in the engine.  Likely another reason for the slow start in Bridgeport’s finale.

Fortunately, the engine builder was able to make the repairs quickly.  Ross and his team had the powerplant back in the car Thursday night, less than twenty-four hours before the National Open kicked off.

While that was good news, Ross was still fighting brake issues.  The team went over the entire system again and made some changes in hopes of finally eliminating the issue.

Friday night at Williams Grove, Ross timed 9th in his flight and started 5th in his heat.  The top five finishers would transfer directly to the A-main; however, the brake issue hindered Ross, and he slipped to an 8th-place finish.

Ross started on the pole of the B-main and only needed to maintain a top-four spot to advance to the feature, but the struggles continued.  He faded to a 6th-place finish.

“After the heat race, we went back to work on the brakes, but unfortunately, what we did made it worse.  I basically had no brakes at all in the B-main.  It may sound odd, but you can’t get around this place fast without brakes,” Ross explained.

“I knew the car was good, though.  It has a lot of speed in it.  I told my team if we got the brakes figured out, this thing (the white car) was going to be really, really good.”

UNEXPECTED FAVOR

“Leaving the track Friday night, Tyler Esh stopped me.  He recognized that we were having brake issues, so he told me he was going home and taking his Smith Titanium system off of his car to bring to our shop Saturday morning for us to put on our car,” Ross shared.

“I told him I appreciated that a ton.  We had tried everything and just couldn’t figure out the issue with our system.”

The brake system change was completed Saturday, along with the usual maintenance and race day prep, then it was back on the road to Williams Grove once again.

The loaned brake system did the trick.

Ross timed 5th quickest in a stacked flight that included names like Gravel, Kofoid, Dewease, Macedo, Wagaman, Dietrich, Rahmer, Dietz, Scelzi, Pursley, Peck, and more.  He went on to transfer through his heat race and earn the 13th starting spot in the National Open main event.

With 56 quality race teams on hand Saturday, it was no small accomplishment just to make the show, but he held his ground and brought the Bush Auto Group, Fastrak Express Inc., Stateline Truck and Trailer, Stoltzfus Farm Service No.5 home 13th at the end of the 40-lap event.

“Saturday was huge for us.  We haven’t been great at Williams Grove this year.  We put it in the show and had a shot at a top ten finish against this field.  I’m feeling pretty good about what our team accomplished,” a very happy Ross said.

“With the brake issues resolved, I was kinda learning the car all over again in the heat.  Obviously, it has had speed all along, but I can drive it differently with brakes, so we had to make some adjustments after the heat.” 

“I can’t thank Tyler Esh enough for loaning us his Smith Titanium brake system.  It solved our problem and gave us a chance tonight.”

“Rick Ciarrocchi bought this new motor for us this year, specifically because he had a goal of making the National Open.  I’m proud that we checked off that goal for him.”

It was especially satisfying for Ross and his team, not only because of overcoming the brake issue, but because they have been through so much other adversity in 2025 as well.

The team struggled early in the season and made the decision to change shocks mid-season.  They have also had multiple truck issues, making it a challenge to find a way to get to the track at times.

“Everything combined to put a lot of pressure on me and the entire team.  Moral has been down.  Honestly, it was affecting the team to the point we weren’t sure what we were going to do in 2026,” Ross admitted.

“When we thank all the people who support us, it’s not just words.  We are talking about people like Tyler (Esh), Rick (Ciarrocchi), and all the other people who contribute to our program.  If they don’t do what they do for us, we literally would not be here.”

“Saturday night took a huge weight off everyone’s shoulders.  I can’t tell you how much that run meant to all of us.”

One race really can make all the difference.

Fans can follow Ross Racing on Facebook for the latest schedule updates and other news.

RECENT RESULTS: (starting position in parentheses)

• Date/Location:  September 27, 2025 / Bridgeport Motorsports Park, Swedesboro, NJ
  • Event:  High Limit Racing
  • Results:  Qualifying 11th, Heat 4th (3), A-main 15th (12)

• ---

  Date/Location:  October 3, 2025 / Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, PA

  • Event:  National Open Prelim / World of Outlaws
  • Results:  Group Qualifying 9th, Heat 8th (5), B-main 6th (1)

• ---

  Date/Location:  October 4, 2025 / Williams Grove Speedway, Abbottstown, PA

  • Event: National Open Finale / World of Outlaws
  • Results:  Group Qualifying 5th, Heat 4th (3), A-main 13th (13)

After an average weekend in the middle of August, Tyler Ross rebounded at the Kramer Klash on August 23rd to log his fourth top-five finish in six races.

Tyler and the Ross Racing team were hopeful that it would give them the momentum they needed heading into Lincoln Speedway’s two-day Labor Day Duel event over the holiday weekend.

BACK ON TRACK

Ross executed a nearly perfect night at the Kramer Klash, qualifying the Bush Auto Group, Fastrak Express Inc., Stateline Truck and Trailer, Stoltzfus Farm Service/Kubota ™️, Betts Garage No.5 near the top of his group, taking the win in his heat race, then wrapping up the night with a podium finish.

Sure, he was aiming for two spots better, but getting back to finishing inside the top five for the fourth time in three weeks provided a much-needed reassurance to him and his team that they were indeed on the right track heading into the Labor Day Duel.

At Saturday’s Labor Day Duel preliminary, Ross turned a decent qualifying run into a runner-up finish in his heat race to earn a top-ten starting spot in the night’s main event.

Early in the A-main, Ross was forced to take evasive action to miss another car that got into the fence.  The situation cost him a handful of spots, dropping him to 14th.  He was able to fight back to an 11th-place finish by the checkered flag.

“We have been looking for that little bit extra in the car, and we just went the wrong way Saturday night.  We felt like we were okay with the change early in the night, so we stuck to it for the feature, but we missed it.  Being off that little bit made it hard to get the positions back and recover from the early setback.  If we hadn’t lost those spots early, I believe we were capable of another top-five run,” Ross explained.

STICK WITH IT

Ross’s qualifying laps at Sunday’s finale put him in a bit of an early hole when he and the team struggled to find what they needed to get a bite on the unusually slick and tricky surface.

“We weren’t good enough to capitalize on the track going away as fast as it did (in qualifying). We were still off a little in the heat, but we took a big swing for the B-main and feature,” Ross said.

The changes worked.  Ross took the win in the B-main, then charged from 20th to 13th in the A-main to salvage a decent night for his team.

“The adjustments we made before the B-main were what we needed for the heat, so we were too late in that sense, but I was happy to rebound like we did on a track like that,” Ross shared.

“We stuck with our changes even after the rework, knowing the track would end up back to the way it was.  The adjustments we made were what I was looking for, and I feel like we could have run up front if we were able to start up front. Sometimes you have to try things to be better. But sometimes you miss it.  I know 13th doesn’t sound great, but from where the night started to where we finished, I’m looking forward to the next race.”

Ross will take this weekend off, then plans to return to Lincoln Speedway on September 13th for the Weldon Sterner Memorial.

APPRECIATION

“The team and I would like to give a special shout-out to Tim Eldreth and Eldreth Environmental for allowing our team to borrow his truck the past few races while ours is out of service.  We truly appreciate it,” Ross said.

“I can’t thank all of our partners and supporters enough.  We mean it when we say we couldn’t do this without them.  Please tell all our partners listed at the bottom of this release that you appreciate them being involved in racing.  Give them your business anytime you are able.”

“I want to thank Bush Auto Group, Fastrak Express Inc., Stateline Truck and Trailer, Stoltzfus Farm Service/Kubota ™️, Betts Garage, and all of our product partners who keep us going.”

Fans can follow Ross Racing on Facebook for the latest schedule updates and other news.

RECENT RESULTS: (starting position in parentheses)

• Date/Location:  August 23, 2025 / Lincoln Speedway, Abbottstown, PA
  • Event:  Kramer Klash
  • Results:  Group Qualifying 4th, Heat 1st (1), A-main 3rd (3)

• ---

  Date/Location:  August 30, 2025 / Lincoln Speedway, Abbottstown, PA

  • Event:  Labor Day Duel Prelim
  • Results:  Group Qualifying 7th, Heat 2nd (3), A-main 11th (9)

• ---

  Date/Location:  August 31, 2025 / Lincoln Speedway, Abbottstown, PA

  • Event:  Labor Day Duel Finale
  • Results:  Qualifying 19th, Heat 8th (7), B-main 1st (1), A-main 13th (20)

Tyler Ross stayed hot over the weekend, bagging two more top five finishes, including a runner-up run at Lincoln Speedway (PA), in the Bush Auto Group, Fastrak Express Inc., Stateline Truck and Trailer, Stoltzfus Farm Service/Kubota ™️, Betts Garage No.5.

CONSISTENCY IS KEY

Friday night at Williams Grove Speedway, Ross kicked the weekend off with a runner-up finish in his heat, which in turn provided a top-five starting spot for the 25-lap feature under the handicapping format.

After slipping back a spot early, the Lincoln University, PA driver rebounded to settle into 4th on lap five.  He briefly lost the spot with six laps remaining but again recovered to score the 4th place finish, his best of the season at the legendary Central Pennsylvania oval.

“Handicapping at the Grove helped put us in position to start near the front. We needed good, solid laps, and I think we achieved that. I needed to put myself in better positions on the track, and I think we would have had a shot at the podium,” Ross explained.

Ross kept the momentum going in the right direction Saturday night, leading off his night with an impressive drive from 6th to a win in his heat race.

“The track was slicker than normal for the heat race tonight (at Lincoln).  I was able to make my way to the front quickly.  I feel we’re good when the track gets slick early in the night, so that worked in our favor for sure,” Ross commented. 

Ross didn’t miss a beat in the A-main.  He worked his way to the lead on lap sixteen from the 6th starting spot, and held a firm but narrow grip on first for nearly ten laps until Freddie Rahmer wrestled the top spot away in lapped traffic with six laps remaining.

“We’re getting there.  I had a better car last night, but lapped traffic didn’t help me.  We will keep digging,” Ross commented.

Ross is definitely ‘getting there’.  He has five top-ten finishes in his last six races, including three top-fives.

RECENT RESULTS: (starting position in parentheses)

• Date/Location:  August 1, 2025 / Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, PA
  • Results:  Heat 2nd (3), A-main 4th (5)
• Date/Location:  August 2, 2025 / Lincoln Speedway, Abbottstown, PA
  • Results:  Heat 1st (6), A-main 2nd (6)

Fans can follow Ross Racing on Facebook for the latest schedule updates and other news.

While rolling a fresh car out of the trailer at the beginning of the year is a normality for most, some like Tyler Ross and the 5 team, choose to roll out a fresh piece for Speedweek. 

After having a strong couple of weeks leading up to PA Speedweek, confidence was high as Tyler’s last three starts resulted in top 10 finishes. The challenge of duplicating the current performance with a new car was something that the Lincoln University native showed the capability to do over the course of Speedweek, even with some up-and-down results.

To start out the team’s campaign, they ventured to the BAPS Motor Speedway. Having seen rain ruin the first two nights of the 10-day series, the driver and team were eager to get on track, and for good reason. 

“We took a brand new car and motor package to BAPS,” and speed showed immediately. After being quickest in warmups and 5th quickest in group time trials, Ross was able to qualify for the feature through his 2nd-place heat finish. Tyler would roll off 7th and finish just outside the top 10 in 11th, after running inside the top 10 for the first half of the race. 

“We missed the setup a little bit in the feature, but we knew where we missed it.” Even with a small setback in the feature, Ross didn’t seem too disappointed, stating that it was “understandable with having an all-new piece.”

The next night, the team headed to the Lincoln Speedway with the new car. However, Ross indicated that it might not have been the best move. 

“We as a team made a mistake by not taking the car we just ran second with (6/21 at Lincoln).” The new car was able to time in 11th and make a run into the transfer spot in the heat. Unfortunately, luck ran out halfway through the heat, when Ross and Jordan Thomas made contact down the front stretch, sending both cars spinning and nearly upside down. Luckily, minus a few fixable parts and the wing, the car was okay. 

“Having the wreck racing for a qualifying spot in the heat is what cost us our night.” Rolling off deep in the B Main, Ross was able to show speed, making moves and advancing up to 10th, but still falling short of making the show.

A few nights rest and regrouping, followed by the team returning to the Williams Grove Speedway on Friday, after Grandview rained out on Tuesday. 

“We went to see how the new car and motor ran again,” stated Tyler. With a similar qualifying effort to that of their last race, Ross would make a 6th to 6th run in the heat and showed dominating speed in the B Main, winning that event and transferring to the main event. Ross decided to start and run a few laps to feel out the car in feature action, but would pull in after seven laps, “just to save equipment.”

The 5 team would then attend the finale of PA Speedweek at the Path Valley Speedway. A stark outlier on the schedule, being one of the smallest tracks in the region. Even with it having been over 3 years since 410 sprint cars had raced at the Spring Run, PA track, it looked as though Ross never missed a beat. 

“We had good speed all night.” Tyler was able to time in 2nd quick in group B and made the redraw with a 4th place heat finish. Drawing the 3rd position, Ross would battle in the fast-paced feature and ultimately come home 8th. Garnering his eleventh top 10 finish of the year, but the driver felt it could have been better. 

“I just felt like I cost us a better finish as a driver, not putting myself in the right positions on the track and losing spots quickly in the race.” With such a fast pace and lap cars coming into play almost immediately, it certainly proved to be a tricky track to know where to be and when.

Wrapping up what felt like a short Speedweek with all the rain, Ross went on to mention that he and the team “have something to work with, even though the results might not be what we wanted, but we learned what we need to do better.” Having to battle with making the new car behave how he wanted and also manage the new bugs with it, Ross noted how the team’s Speedweek schedule worked in their favor. 

“We do Lincoln through Grandview, then take a few days off and regroup both with equipment and ourselves. Most, if not all of us on the team, still work during the week, so we don’t want to wear our guys out.”

Having a little extra time to work on the car and recharge helped the team to maintain speed throughout the week. And those recharges help as the team moves into the rest of the month of July, with some bigger shows coming up throughout the next few weeks and months. 

As of now, plans for the next few nights are to be determined, but the team can show up to whatever race may come, with confidence in their equipment and ability to make speed on a wide variety of tracks as they did during Speedweek.

RECENT RESULTS: (starting position in parenthesis)

• Date/Location:  June 28, 2025 / Lincoln Speedway, Abbottstown, PA
• Results:  Rain

• Date/Location:  June 29, 2025 / BAPS Motor Speedway, York Haven, PA
• Results:  Group Qualifying 5th, Heat 2nd (2), A-main 11th (7)

• Date/Location:  June 30, 2025 / Lincoln Speedway, Abbottstown, PA
• Results:  Group Qualifying 11th, Heat 10th (6), B-Main 10th (18)

• Date/Location:  July 1, 2025 / Grandview Speedway, Bechtelsville, PA
• Results:  Rain

• Date/Location:  July 4, 2025 / Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, PA
• Results:  Group Qualifying 11th, Heat 6th (6), B-main 1st (1), A-main 24th DNF (21)

• Date/Location:  July 5, 2025 / Path Valley Speedway, Spring Run, PA
• Results:  Group Qualifying 2nd, Heat 4th (4), A-main 8th (3)