TULSA, Okla. — Having wrapped up the Tulsa Speedway sprint car points championship, 18-year old Ryker Pace intends to capitalize on his recent success by participating in the upcoming Chili Bowl Nationals.
The Collinsville, Okla. native will pilot a midget for Jay Mounce and Gavin Stout of Owasso in January.
“We will be racing with Mounce/Stout Motorsports this year,” Pace said. “My partner Brandon Lewis and I worked something out with them. It is a great opportunity an I am super excited. They have a ton of success and look forward to racing a car like that. It will be on me to see what we can do.”
Pace acknowledges Brandon Lewis’s pivotal role in making this opportunity a reality.
“Brandon is making this possible,” explained Pace. “We discussed it and he wanted to run the Chili Bowl and wanted me to drive it. His companies, A-1 Auto Body, Squeaking Clean Auto Detailing, and B.A.D. Diagnostics are sponsoring me.”
Lewis will also climb behind the wheel of a Mounce/Stout midget with Pace at the Chili Bowl.
Pace believes that driving for Mounce/Stout Motorsports will provide him with the optimal platform for achieving success.
“This will be all brand new to me. I think it will be my best shot,” Pace said of Mounce/Stout who entered seven midgets in last years Chili Bowl. “Having this big of a team and crew behind me will mean a lot for my confidence. Having their feedback will help with my driving.
“Jay has a ton of experience and he has coached Chase McDermand and he turned out real well.
“I will be in a Spike SR11. It will be my best shot at the Chili Bowl so far. We are going to get a few practice sessions then run the Chili Bowl.”
Last season, Pace gained his initial experience at the Chili Bowl while driving for the Hunt brothers. He secured a third-place finish in his preliminary night heat and an eleventh-place finish in the B main. Pace is determined to enhance his performance from that experience.
“It was a learning curve for sure,” Pace said of his debut last January. “I was super nervous going into it. Hopefully this year with a experienced team behind me it will take some of the nerves away so I can focus on driving.”
Transitioning from a sprint car to a midget car presents a distinct set of challenges for even the most seasoned open-wheel racer.
“They are very light and have a lot of power so the power to weight ratio is very different then a sprint car that is bigger and slower,” Pace said of the midget. “They are fast paced and the most fun thing I have ever driven.”
Having concluded the season with a championship and a couple of victories, Pace is eager to capitalize on this success.
“We had a good year so hopefully we can carry the momentum forward to the indoor season.”