Racing Scene
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Los Angeles, CA. – Versatile Ryan Partridge is branching out this season. He is racing both stock cars and modifieds in a pair of competitive, respected touring series. This season he has won features in both divisions. He even made his series debut and won a Southwest Tour Truck 30-lap feature during March. Ryan has been chief driving instructor for years at the Irwindale Speedway-based LA Racing Experience. The Rancho Cucamonga resident turned 28 on May 17 and is dedicated to his racing career.
Last year Ryan raced as a rookie on the touring NASCAR K & N West Pro Series and competed at numerous tracks he had never seen. He led 321 laps of the 1,899 he completed and won one feature at Colorado National Speedway. He earned one pole, six top fives and ten top tens. Ryan had a chance at winning the driving championship entering the final race. He finished a close third with 498 points to champion Chris Eggleston's 511. Fellow rookie Noah Gragson was second with 504 and was the rookie of the year. Series rookies finished second through fifth in final points.
After racing in 14 K & N races this season Ryan hopes to advance to one of three NASCAR national series. Ryan calls himself “just a poor boy without deep pockets”. He needs a sponsor or car owner who values driving talent and ability to win more than money a driver might bring to a team. Ryan has a standard two-year driver development contract to drive one of Bob Bruncati's Sunrise Ford Fusions only through the 2016 K & N West season. He intends to make the most of the opportunity and his second visit to some of the speedways.
On May 7 Ryan set fastest qualifying time, led 127 laps and won the K & N West 150 at Tucson in the No. 9 Fusion. He cut five points from Todd Gilliland's point lead and now trails the 16-year old rookie from North Carolina 138-134. The leading duo will continue their championship battle May 21 at San Bernardino's quarter-mile Orange Show Speedway, the track closest to Ryan's home. Gilliland has not raced at that track. Gilliland won the first two K & N West features in Bill McAnally's NAPA Toyota and placed second at Tucson. Ryan led 33 laps and finished second in the 2016 K & N West Irwindale 150 (March 19) and Bakersfield 150 (April 2) after leading 45 laps.
To expand his racing in 2016, Ryan bought a Racecar Factory-built modified to race on the 12 event Lucas Oil Modified circuit. He competes as an owner/driver whenever his primary racing series (K & N) is idle. The two series have only two conflicting dates—May 21 (K & N at San Bernardino and modifieds in Las Vegas), plus June 11 (K & N at Dacono, Colorado where Ryan won last year) and modifieds at Madera).
Other remaining K & N races are: June 25 (Sonoma road course), July 9 (Post Falls, Idaho), July 29 (Iowa Speedway), August 13 (Monroe, Wash.), August 27 (Roseburg, Ore.), September 10-11 (Tooele, Utah road course), September 24 (Meridian, Idaho) and October 15 (Roseville, Calif.). K & N West competes at 12 different speedways in seven states. One hour taped delayed TV shows of each race are shown on NBCSN.
Remaining Lucas Oil Modifieds 75 or 100-lap races on Ryan's schedule are: July 23 (Salt Lake City), August 20 (San Bernardino), September 17 (Bakersfield), October 8 (Madera), October 29 (Lake Havasu) and November 19 (Las Vegas). The modified series competes at eight different speedways in four states. One hour tape delayed race shows are shown on MAVTV.
On February 27 at Kern County Raceway Park, a banked half-mile in Bakersfield, Ryan conserved his 8” tread Hoosier tires and won an exciting non-point 80-lap feature with his own No. 9 Sunrise Ford sponsored modified. The race had 25 starters. Ryan used late-race passes on restarts to advance. He took second on the inside at a restart. He took first from two-time series champion Austin Barnes via an outside pass entering the first turn and earned $5,000.
Ryan missed the March 19 modified point-race at Lake Havasu City, Arizona because he raced in the K & N West 150 at his home track in Irwindale. He finished a close second to Gilliland. On April 9 at Tucson, Ryan raced his Lucas Oil Modified in a 75-lap feature and won it for a $1,500 payday.
On April 30 Ryan used his IS home-track familiarity during qualifying to set a new Lucas Oil Modified Series one-lap track record on the banked half-mile. He ran a lap of 18.470 (97.455 mph) in a 27-car field. He started eighth and finished second, 0.493 in back of winner Travis Thirkettle. He has raced in two of three 2016 point races and ranks 12th with P 1-2 finishes. Articulate, personable Ryan assists other drivers during Friday night open practices at Irwindale. He gives personal assistance to school students who use his instruction to race Saturday nights.
Ryan's Irwindale Speedway record is impressive. His 51 feature victories at IS came in six divisions--INEX Legend Cars, Irwindale Race Trucks, NASCAR Super Late Models and Late Models, S2 Cars (spec late models), and SWT touring trucks. He ranks second to Rip Michels, who won 67 features. Ryan won his first of three track championships in 2010—the Super Truck title. He also won the 2013 and 2014 NASCAR Whelen All-American Racing Series Irwindale and California State championships driving Steve Latina's No. 48 Toyota Camry. He concentrated on the touring K & N West Series in 2015.
NASCAR drivers with Irwindale roots who have advanced to one of the three NASCAR national series in recent years include: 2015 Daytona Xfinity winner Ryan Reed, Cole Custer, Dylan Kwiesnewski, Brandon Davis and Dylan Lupton. Based upon his admirable record, Ryan Partridge should be the next driver to move east and make a name for himself on the national stage.