DAVENPORT, Iowa — Iowa stock car racer Terry Ryan passed away July 13 at the age of 88. Ryan had competed in United States Auto Club and NASCAR competition during his speed career.
Ryan began his driving days in the novice stock car ranks at Iowa dirt tracks around 1967. He had gotten the “racing bug” as a teenager serving on the pit crew of midget racing great Mel Kenyon. in 1968, he won the three-way track championship at Davenport, Maquoketa, Iowa and East Moline, Ill. He moved up into the dirt late models in 1969.
In 1971, Ryan, behind the wheel of an ex-Whitey Geken-driven, 1969 Chevelle, now owned by Davenport’s Don Hobbs, made his first USAC start at Iowa’s Knoxville Raceway, starting and finishing fifth in the 100-lap race. He made 13 starts in USAC action the following year and finished 13th in the points. Ryan ended up 21st in the USAC standings in 1973 and 10th in 1974.
Now driving for Bill Monagahan’s Davenport-based WAM Racing, Ryan captured his first USAC stock car victory at Michigan International Speedway in 1975, driving a Chevrolet. He finished eighth in the USAC points in 1976, fourth in 1976, not ranked in 1977, second in 1979, sixth in 1979 and fourth in 1980 – his final year racing in USAC. Ryan would end up with five career USAC victories – the last one coming in 1980 at the one-mile dirt Illinois State Fairgrounds oval in Springfield.
Ryan and WAM Racing began competing in NASCAR Grand National competition in 1976. In February at Daytona International Speedway, Ryan started on the front row outside of fellow Iowa driver Ramo Stott after several faster cars were disqualified after qualification runs.
He would go onto to finish fifth in his rookie start. Ryan made a total of five NASCAR starts in 1976 and seven in 1977 with four “top 10” finishes over the two-year period in the WAM Racing Chevrolet No. 81.
A truck driver by trade, Ryan began again racing late models locally even pulling off a feature win in 1991 and also did some modified and vintage stock car racing.
