Ryan Litt was just hoping to finish his first Supermodified feature on Friday, September 28. In two previous ISMA events, the Lyons, Ontario-based driver battled handling and mechanical problems, while finishing only a handful of feature laps in a supermodified prior to this year's event at Delware. This all changed on Friday night as Litt piloted the #07 owned by Dave Lair to a second place finish in the 50 lap feature event.
Litt started the night off with a fine second place run in the first heat race of the night, with top drivers such as visiting NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series star Johnny Benson, and Rob Summers finishing behind him. By virtue of finishing near the front of his heat, ISMA's handicapping system put Litt on the pole of the feature event, a situation which the sprint car veteran took full advantage of.
Litt took off at the drop of the green flag, knowing the fast cars would waste no time moving up from their handicapped starting positions in the middle of the field. Three brief caution periods slowed the event in the first ten laps, but Litt was able to reassert his lead after each of these slowdowns. An entertaining battle at the front started to take shape on the third restart, as former ISMA champion Dave McKnight and teammate Mike Lichty, along with all time ISMA feature win leader and 3-time ISMA champ Chris Perley had quickly advanced to the front of the pack. By lap 20, McKnight and Perley had started to put pressure on the #07, and the three drivers had opened up some distance on the rest of the field.
One final caution period slowed the field on the 23rd lap, and then the second half of the 50 lap feature was run entirely under the green flag. Litt managed to keep the obviously faster cars of McKnight and Perley behind him for longer than many onlookers thought, but on the 32nd lap, McKnight finally got by and began to stretch out the lead. Four laps later, Perley also got by, but then on the 40th lap, Perley slipped high in turn 4 and Litt quickly pounced, retaking the second position. The top three remained constant for the last ten laps, and with Mark Sammut and Mike Lichty finishing 4th and 5th, Perley was the only driver in the top 5 who doesn't call Ontario home.
McKnight commented on his pursuit of Litt in victory lane - "The battle with Ryan was great. He's an up and comer. I know the Litt family from way back and I'm happy for them. Ryan did a great job tonight. He kept it tight. He made me work the outside. He didn't give me an inch. That team definitely had a shot at the win."
After enjoying the moment at Delaware, it was time to get on the road and head to Berlin Raceway, near Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Ryan planned to do double duty – driving in both the ISMA Supermodified division, and the AVSS Sprint Car division. Unfortunately, the supermodified decided to be uncooperative, as the engine blew up in practice. This left Ryan and the team to concentrate on the sprint car for the evening. Things started off well, with the #07 BS&B Radiator/OTC-SPX Tools, Beast/Claxton sprinter sitting near the top of the speed charts in practice, but qualifying time trials provided a setback, as Ryan could only muster the 11th best time in the session. This put the team behind the 8-ball for the rest of the night, as there was no chance of being in the inversion for feature starting positions. Ryan went out for his heat and won it fairly easily, but in the feature the car was not handling very well and Ryan almost spun out a couple of times. With an epic battle going on for the AVSS championship title between Jeff Bloom and Jason Blonde, Ryan pulled into the pits rather than risking interfering with the outcome of the race, and so the #07 ended the season on a sour note, sitting in the pits before the checkered flag. It was at least an entertaining event, as Blonde and Bloom fought tooth and nail for the championship title, swapping positions in the top 5 numerous times before the race was over, with Bloom nipping Blonde at the finish line for 5th, but losing the championship title by 1 measly point.
The season started and ended on sour notes for Ryan and the team, but in between there were plenty of highlights, including an 11th place finish in the Little 500 in May, the first fast qualifier award of Ryan's sprint car career at the Fastest Short Track Show in the World at Toledo in June, a feature win on home soil at the Cayuga Speedway in July, and the 2nd place finish at Delaware last month. Ryan and the team would like to thank all their family, fans, and sponsors for their support of the 2007 campaign. Sponsors for the 2007 season included OTC/SPX Tools, BS&B Radiator, BRR Media, BOC Gases, Leaf Racewear, and Huron Produce. A special thanks also to Dave Lair for once again inviting Ryan to drive his Supermodified at Toledo, Delaware, and Berlin this season.
At this time, it is possible that Ryan and the team may compete in some special events in Florida in December, but that has not been decided yet. Plans for the 2008 season have not yet been finalized either, so check back next month for some possible news on those fronts.
For more information on Ryan, the car, and the team, including schedules, photos, merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan's official website at
www.RyanLitt.com .
From Tommy Goudge, PR Manager -
www.RyanLitt.com
