The pandemic derailed plans to race weekly at Knoxville and Ayrton Gennetten was thrown into the deep end against the World of Outlaws. His fourth start in a 410 came at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Pevely, Mo., with predictable results.
However, the following weekend the Outlaws were at Lake Ozark Speedway and on familiar turf, he put his car in the show both nights. In his heart he knew that this was one way to get better, but admits it is a hard road “when you race with them (the Outlaws) night in and night out.”
Over the course of the year, he made around 15 starts with the 410 sprint car with 12 coming against the Outlaws. Not turning his back on the 360, he won a pair of ASCS Warrior region features en route to claiming the series championship. Putting a title on the resume was a nice bonus.
Perhaps it wasn‘t clear at the moment, but Ayrton Gennetten and the entire family operation had reached a crossroads.
In 2006, sadly, Gene Gennetten drowned at the Lake of the Ozarks. In the greatest of ironies, a man who built boat docks couldn‘t swim. As a result, Beaver Gennetten shouldered even more responsibility. So like those days when he was trying to juggle his own racing career and work, he had come full circle with his son.
Ayrton Gennetten enrolled at State Fair Community College but school didn‘t interest him and he was convinced that he wanted to give racing a legitimate shot.
When he broke the news to Beaver and Sherri Gennetten, they were less than thrilled. Reliving the moment Ayrton Gennetten said, “At first they thought it was a really bad idea. I told them you have only one opportunity to chase a dream and this is mine; so, I‘m going to do it.”
Equally predictable, once the couple saw their son‘s resolve to chase that dream, they also threw their full weight behind the project.
The 2021 season started in fine fashion. In April, Gennetten traveled to the Midwest Open Wheel Association event at Tri-City Speedway in Illinois and won for the first time in a 410 sprint car. What made the victory particularly sweet is that his father and grandfather had won at the track.
Before the year was out, the third-generation wheelman had also won at State Fair Speedway and Randolph County Raceway — both places where all three generations of Gennettens had triumphed.
When the calendar turned to June, he won again with MOWA at Iowa‘s Lee County Speedway and carried Scott Bonar‘s 360 sprint car to victor at East Moline (Ill.) Speedway. There was plenty of reason to smile, but there was also an important caveat.
“We were doing pretty good and were pretty fast,” Ayrton Gennetten said. “But the thing is we couldn‘t really race a lot because my dad was always busy with his business.”
A new twist was added to the story in July. To the surprise of many Brian Brown and Morgan parted ways. Not only had the duo had great moments, but they had one of the longest-standing mechanic-driver relationships in the sport.
“I called him and told him I was interested,” Ayrton Gennetten said. “At the time he wasn‘t looking to do anything yet. He told me he was taking his time and weighing his options. I asked him a few more times and I kind of gave up and decided he really wasn‘t that interested. Then my dad talked to him and he decided to give it a try.”
Beaver needed to be sure he had the right man to shepherd his son‘s career and allow him to take a looser grip on the reins.
“When this all went down, I was going to this place in Kansas City where we are doing a big project,” he recalled. “I had to stop on the side of the road and talk to Chad for two hours from 7 to 9 at night in a parking lot. I didn‘t know Chad all that well, but I knew of him.”
By the time the conversation concluded, the elder Gennetten was convinced they had hit the bullseye. Now months after the deal was made, he says with relief, “This has made a huge difference in my life having a guy take care of all this stuff and work with Ayrton.”
For those watching this unfold from the sidelines a few eyebrows were raised. Morgan had been with a driver who had won a ton of races, been close to winning the Knoxville Nationals and was a proven commodity. By extension, Morgan was a high-profile crew chief.
There was no question that Ayrton Gennetten‘s star was ascending, but Morgan was in essence betting on the come. There was a lot for Morgan to sort out and he really was unsure about jumping back into the fray.
“I was mixed,” Morgan acknowledged. “I had been grinding it out for a while and my confidence was a little beat up. I just wasn‘t sure what I wanted to do. It has to be the right situation and your heart has to be in it completely because it is a big sacrifice for everybody. My wife puts up with a lot and she has been supportive.
“But with Brian‘s deal the shop was a quarter mile from my house, so if I wasn‘t in the shop at least I could be home with her even though I traveled a lot. But then this is something I have given my whole life to, and I still wanted to race. I love to compete and go out and see what you got. I think I did my deal with Brian for so long I thought maybe it was time to go out and see where I was at.”