Tyler Ross Scores Runner-up Finish in Steve Smith Tribute, Heads Into PA Speedweek With Momentum

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.