Archive for category: Tyler Ross

After the 2025 edition of Pennsylvania Speedweek wrapped up for Tyler Ross and team, the speed they found at the end of the series continued into the second half of the month. Running only a few more races to round out the month, Ross showed good speed and proof that what they were chasing with the new race car during Speedweek, was starting to come around.

For kinks still being worked out on the brand new car, the 5 team had a good end to the month of July. Picking back up at Williams Grove Speedway on July 18th, Tyler was able to add another top 10 finish to the 2025 resume, finishing in the 10th position. Not only was this a good result, it showed the team had found something at the Mechanicsburg ½ mile, as it was the first top 10 at Williams Grove all season.

The next night shifted over to the Lincoln Speedway. Again, Tyler and the 5 car showed speed and the ability to run up towards the front. With a strong 6th-3rd run in his heat, followed up by a 9th-5th run in the feature, Ross was happy with how the car was performing. “We’re still figuring out the new car and motor program, but we’re not far off at all.” This finish would mark Tyler’s 3rd top 5 finish of the season and his third top 10 in a row. Consistency was starting to find the Lincoln University driver, and his team. “The team is just working really hard to find speed and I see it paying off,” stated Ross. He went on to mention that “just racing more is always a big help.” This was his 25th race of the season and he seemed to be finding his stride and a little more confidence in his equipment.

A big test would come just a few days later, as the World of Outlaws came to the BAPS Motor Speedway. The beginning of the night went well for the team, as Tyler was able to post a strong qualifying effort and put himself on the pole of his heat. A slight miscalculation on the start of the heat dropped Ross back a row, as he got called for a jump. “That’s on me,” said Tyler, “I didn’t realize they moved the line further off turn four, and I went where we usually do.” Even with some adversity, he was able to secure a transfer spot in the heat and would roll off 19th in the feature. At the end of the 30-lap feature, Ross would end up 18th.

When asked about something that was brought up by a fellow competitor on the broadcast in regards to restarts, Ross was in agreement that there were some games being played. “I think the Outlaws could be a little more consistent with their jump calls throughout the night,” mentioned Ross. “Being in the mid-pack on restarts, it was pretty wild back there. I think it caught all us locals off on restarts because it’s not something we’re used to.” Many drivers were either making moves before the green came out and jumping rows, or losing spots due to being moved out of the way. “I told my guys, I felt like I passed 20 cars in the race and only improved one spot.”

All in all, still a successful night to be able to compete and show speed against some of the toughest competition in the country. “The whole pace of a race is different with those guys, and it doesn’t matter if you’re up front or in the back, you gotta go.” Even though the streak of top tens had come to an end, this did mark the first World of Outlaws show Ross had qualified for in 2025. A great improvement from previous efforts and proof that the car and driver had found something.

The team would take the weekend off and not compete at the Williams Grove Summer Nationals, due to a prior commitment for the driver. Future race plans are still to be determined, but wherever the 5 car unloads next, it seems that they will be in contention for good results and maybe even the checkered flag.

RECENT RESULTS: (starting position in parenthesis)

• Date/Location:  July 4, 2025 / Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, PA
• Results:  Qualifying 11th, Heat 4th (4), A-main 10th (11)

• Date/Location:  June 28, 2025 / Lincoln Speedway, Abbottstown, PA
• Results:  Heat 3rd (6), A-main 5th (9th)

• Date/Location:  July 23, 2025 / BAPS Motor Speedway, York Haven, PA
• Event:  World of Outlaws Bricker’s Bash
• Results:  Group Qualifying 2nd, Heat 5th (1), A-main 18th (19)

Tyler Ross has had good speed all season long, but hasn’t been able to put a full night together and show the results his team is capable of.

Most race nights this season have followed one of two paths.  He has been good early, then stumbled late.  He has struggled early, then shone late.

Saturday night at Lincoln Speedway’s Steve Smith Tribute and Pennsylvania Sprint Speedweek tune-up, Ross forged a new path.  He and his team were good from qualifying through the final checkered flag.

QUICK RESULTS:

• Date/Location:  June 21, 2025 / Lincoln Speedway, Abbottstown, PA
• Event:  Steve Smith Tribute
• Stats:  Qualifying 5th, Heat 3rd (1), A-main 2nd (8)

MINOR HICCUP

Ross hit the track about halfway through the qualifying order and laid down a lap that was good enough for 4th quickest at the time, and it held up pretty well.  He ended up 5th quickest overall.

The only hiccup for Ross Saturday night was finishing 3rd in his heat race after starting on the pole.

“We just missed it a little bit, and I wasn’t able to get the start I needed.”, Ross explained.

“Fortunately, I was able to at least battle back to 3rd and keep us in a decent position for the feature.”

CONFIDENCE BOOSTER

Ross started 8th in the 35-lap main event that honored Steve Smith, winner of 150 sprint car races and nine track championships at Lincoln Speedway, including six consecutive titles in the 1970s at Lincoln Speedway.

As he has done often this season, Ross went forward.  He quickly cracked the top five on lap three.

Ross hung around 4th and 5th for the bulk of the race until a late-race restart with ten laps remaining provided a great opportunity to get more.  He charged from 4th into the runner-up spot in one corner and went on to hold off numerous challenges from Ryan Newton.

Ross tried to chase down leader Troy Wagaman Jr., but the gap was too much to close under green flag conditions.  He went on to secure the 2nd-place finish, his first podium of the season.

“I wish we had not missed it in the heat.  Feel like if we could have started a row or two better in the feature, we might have had something for Troy.”, Ross shared.

“We’ll certainly take a second, though.  We’ve had speed all year, but we had not been able to put a full night together and reach the podium until tonight.  Feels good to see all the hard work my team has put in paying off.”

“It’s going to be a busy week coming up.  I’m really happy to have some type of confidence going into it.”

Ross now sits 5th in Lincoln Speedway’s 2025 championship points standings.

UP NEXT

Ross has firmed up plans for at least four PA Sprint Speedweek races.  He will enter races two through five of the ten-race series:  Lincoln Speedway (6/28 & 6/30), BAPS Motor Speedway (6/29), and Grandview Speedway (7/1).

The team is still evaluating its options for the second half of the series.  They will share those plans when the decision is finalized.

For those wishing to stay informed about Ross’s season, results, and schedule, updates can be found on Addicted2DirtPR.com. Additionally, followers can track Ross Racing’s activities via their Facebook page.

If you compiled a list of 410 sprint car teams capable of competing for top five finishes and wins, yet often find themselves falling short despite their potential, it would probably be a long one.

Tyler Ross and the Ross Racing team have to be at or near the top of that list so far in 2025.  The Lincoln University, PA product was coming off arguably his best 410 sprint car campaign in 2024 and was well-positioned for a breakout season.

The stats aren’t bad at all.  A lot of teams would take seven top ten finishes in sixteen races.  

For Ross, though, the expectation is top fives, wins, and most of all, consistency.  Those goals are still well within reach.

THERE’S A BRIGHT SIDE

Tuesday night, Ross returned to Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville, PA, to compete with the High Limit Racing series.  In 2024, he earned a front row starting spot and recorded a top ten finish at the event.

Ross appeared poised to repeat the performance and quickly erase some of his early 2025 frustrations.  He qualified 9th in the stout 30-car field and backed it up with a runner-up finish in his heat race.  He would start the A-main from inside row five.

At the halfway mark of the 35-lap feature, while in a back-and-forth battle for the 10th spot the motor started to sour under the hood of the Ross Racing, Bush Auto Group, Fastrak Express Inc., Stateline Truck and Trailer, Stoltzfus Farm Service/Kubota, Betts Garage No.5.  To prevent further damage, Ross retired from the event.

“That was tough.  We needed a good run to help boost the team’s confidence.  Although we didn’t end up with a good result, we are happy to show the speed we had all night long until we had the engine malfunction.”, Ross shared.

“We are going to focus on the night as a whole and not worry about what the result says. There were a lot of things we did well that we have been struggling with in the past few races.”

QUICK RESULTS:

• Date/Location:  May 7, 2025 / World of Outlaws at Lincoln Speedway, Abbottstown, PA
• Stats:  Group B Qualifying 17th, Heat 7th (10), B-main 8th (10)

• Date/Location:  May 17, 2025 / Lincoln Speedway, Abbottstown, PA
• Stats:  Qualifying 3rd, Heat 2nd (4th), A-main 8th (5)

• Date/Location:  May 18, 2025 / BAPS Motor Speedway, York Haven, PA
• Stats:  Group 3 Qualifying 6th, Heat 6th (6), B-main 1st (3), A-main 19th (21)

• Date/Location:  May 20, 2025 / High Limit Racing at Grandview Speedway, Bechtelsville, PA
• Stats:  Qualifying 9th, Heat 2nd (2), A-main 24th (9)

DIALING IT IN

In early May, Ross took on the World of Outlaws at Lincoln Speedway.  The team was still shaking down a car they had just put together and had only raced once.  A poor qualifying result put the team behind from the start, and ultimately Ross ended his night in the B-main.

“We were just off all night.  If you don’t qualify well with these guys, it’s hard to climb out of the hole.  The good news is we learned some things about what this car wants.”, Ross said. 

Ten days later, Ross bounced back at Lincoln’s Fallen Firefighters race.  He timed well and made the redraw with a 2nd-place finish in his heat race.  Ross started 5th in the finale but missed the setup just a little and ended up 8th.

The following night at BAPS Motor Speedway, Ross failed to transfer through his heat as a result of a self-described “driver error”.  He went on to win the B-main to get in the show.  He managed a 19th-place finish.

“Right now, my guys are really working hard to get me comfortable and confident behind the wheel.  I’ve been off since the wrecks early in the year.  I need to do a better job, and I think we will be right on track.”, Ross shared.

“Last night (at Grandview), we finally felt like we were where we needed to be.  We’re hopeful we can carry that run we had going into the upcoming races.”

UP NEXT

Ross and his team are currently weighing their options for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend and expect to announce their plans soon.

Follow Ross Racing on Facebook to keep up with the latest announcements, schedule information, and news.

Tyler Ross has spun off four top ten finishes in a row in Central Pennsylvania 410 sprint car racing, quickly putting a couple of early-season crashes behind him.  The next step for the team from Lincoln University, PA is to crack the podium and find their first win of the season.

“I’m happy with the consistency. Of course, we’d like to run these top tens into top 5s, but that will come. There are things we need to improve on, but I feel like we’re heading in the right direction.”, Ross commented.

Ross does have one top-five this season, and another potential one slipped away after a controversial call by an official sent him to the rear of the field during the team’s first race of the season.

QUICK RESULTS:

• Date:  April 13, 2025
• Division:  410 Sprint Cars
• Location:  BAPS Motor Speedway, York Haven, PA
• Stats:  Heat 4th (5), A-main 9th (14)

Over the past two weekends, Ross has been in competition at Lincoln Speedway and BAPS Motor Speedway.  In both events, he raced from outside the top ten to 8th and 9th place finishes, respectively.

Each time they hit the track, Ross and his team are improving as the night goes on.  In his last four main events, he is +21 positions, passing nearly two dozen cars to secure those top ten finishes.

Ross has been moving forward early in the evening, too.  In eight heat races this season, he is +9 positions.

“With the two time trial shows we’ve had at BAPS, we’ve been a tick off. The first time was just after the crashes, and the car wasn’t quite right.  This past weekend was a driver error in time trials that put us behind. That’s something I need to clean up here pretty quickly as we approach more time trial shows.”, Ross shared. 

“I feel like if we can get to a better starting position, we will get those better finishes. All in all, I’m happy to have speed and consistency.”

In 2024, time trial events helped Ross shine, showing his speed with solid qualifying runs and positioning himself for great feature results.  It’s likely he will regain that form and create those opportunities again this season for himself and his team.

Tyler will be back in action this Saturday at Lincoln Speedway in the Ross Racing, Bush Auto Group, Fastrak Express Inc., Stateline Truck and Trailer, Stoltzfus Farm Service/Kubota, Betts Garage No.5.

The start of the 2025 season has shown promising signs for Tyler Ross.  In both events he has entered at Lincoln Speedway in Pennsylvania thus far, he has passed cars and moved forward each time he has hit the track.

His start lays a solid foundation for a potential breakout season, showing both his level of comfort in the car and his team’s approach to race day changes are on point.

“I feel like we have good speed, and I can put the car wherever it needs to be. I think just a better starting position would make a huge difference.”, Ross shared following his second outing of the young 2025 season.

Ross was referring to the luck of the draw used to set heat race starting spots for the two events thus far.  Given the speed the car has so far, he is confident he will be in good shape when time trials are used to set lineups.

Coming off a four-month break, being sharp and comfortable behind the wheel doesn’t necessarily come easy, but Ross is feeling great so far this year.

“Honestly, this is the most comfortable I’ve been in a car starting the season. The car is good, and I’m probably more focused as I’ve ever been.”, Ross commented.

“I think we’re all just focused on our jobs at the track. Everyone knows what needs to be done with no questions asked.”

That is a sign of a team who is leaning on the experience from competing together for a full season in the Ross Racing, Bush Auto Group, Fastrak Express Inc., Stateline Truck and Trailer, Stoltzfus Farm Service/Kubota, Betts Garage No.5 in 2024.

QUICK RESULTS:

• Date:  March 9, 2025
• Division:  410 Sprint Cars
• Location:  Lincoln Speedway, Abbottstown, PA
• Stats:  30 cars, Heat 3rd (6), A-main 4th (8)

The question now is whether Ross’s success on the early season daytime surfaces will carry over when temperatures warm up and competition switches to nighttime racing surfaces.

Ross believes it will.

“It’s important to have speed on the daytime surfaces. Yes, it is different, but if we can get around in the slick, I’m confident when the tracks have more moisture, we will be just as fast.”, he said.

The Lincoln University, PA native plans to race at several different tracks in the region in 2025 in an effort to continue to learn and improve his program.  He feels his speed at Lincoln Speedway (PA) will translate to other speedways.

“We keep our stuff pretty basic, and I think our baseline is really good right now. As long as we keep our focus I feel like we should be competitive wherever we show up.”, Ross commented.

As Ross stated during the offseason, his approach is to continue to do what his team did in 2024 and build on that.

“We need to continue to qualify well and work hard to stay up front consistently throughout the night and the season.  If we do that, the wins will come.”, Ross said.

“I want to thank our partners who give us what we need to perform.  We’re going to do our part to make the most of those resources and make sure they benefit from our partnership.  I hope everyone goes out and supports our partners anytime they can.”