Driver Stories from Joanne!
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Joanne Cram was kind enough to share some driver stories she did in 2007 for RaceTalk newspaper. We thought it might be fun to look back on them, as many of you can’t make it to Knoxville on a regular basis. Though some of the material may be dated, you may learn something about these drivers.
Did you know Ricky Logan was a pilot, that Ryan Anderson missed much of last year due to back problems, or that 2007 360 Rookie of the Year and Car Owner Champion, Bryan Dobesh, blames his weekly jaunts to Knoxville on former competitor Jon Agan? Read on…
Ricky Logan #10 410 Sprint
When Ricky Logan isn’t flying around Knoxville Raceway, he is literally, flying everywhere else! Logan received his pilot’s license in 2005 and hasn’t stopped flying since. In fact, he’s got his own plane and hopes to be able to fly charter flights in the future.
Logan has had an impressive career as a racer. Right out of high school, Ricky began driving for a living and hasn’t looked back since. For the past twenty years, Logan has driven across the country in many different states, and even out of the country- down under in New Zealand where he spends at least part, if not all, of his winters driving and where he has three track records.
It all began when Ricky’s dad, Glen, used to be a car owner. He owned sprints in the early days, and while Ricky was growing up around them, he decided that he wanted to be part of the racing action. At the age of nine, Logan began driving 2 cycle go-karts around Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Oklahoma. Over the years he drove karts, Logan racked up seven national event wins, and three track titles in the same year.
At the age of fourteen, Logan began driving his dad’s late model- because his dad thought they were safer than sprint cars. In his 2nd race out at I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ricky introduced the racing world to who he was. He won his heat that night and finished 3rd in the feature. This was enough to get the attention of National Speed Sport News, and Logan landed his face on the cover of the publication. Logan and his nearest competitor battled all season long for the 1st place title in the point’s race. With 6 weeks of racing to go, Logan was injured in a horrible wreck that would find him sitting out, recovering for the rest of the season. Even with his six-week absence, Logan finished 3rd in points that season.
His late model career continued on for three more seasons, finding Logan mostly traveling around to different tracks, different states, different race series, and different racing events. One series Logan competed with was the NCRA, a series much like the World of Outlaws for late models. Ricky finished 7th in overall points at the age of 15, was the youngest driver ever to qualify for a NDRA (National Dirt Racing Association) feature event, and had a high finish of 7th place in a race. The following year, Logan continued to run wherever the races took him. Logan’s final year of late models found him sitting out a lot so he could enjoy the high school scene of his senior year since he had missed so much school over the past three seasons of racing.
The end of Logan’s senior year found him in a 410 sprint car for the last few races of the season. That following season, Ricky was out of high school and off racing. He began his season racing for himself, mostly at I-30 Speedway in Little Rock where he ran 3rd in points that year. He had a great sponsor that had helped him get the sprint car program off to a good start. Three to four weeks into the season however, Ricky was offered a ride that was too good to pass up. He hired a driver to finish the commitment with his current sponsor for the remainder of the season, and jumped into the hired ride. That would be Ricky’s first and last season as a car owner/driver.
In 1991, Logan was hired to drive for Daryl Sauicer, the owner of DSR Fuel Pumps, and the two paired up to hit the World of Outlaws circuit in Florida where Logan finished 6th at the only World of Outlaws race that was run in a dome. The plan was to head back to Memphis after Florida and get ready to run the remainder of the season with the Outlaws. With a road trip full of bad luck and mishaps, the team made it back to Memphis and Daryl decided to quit racing and put his efforts into his fuel pump business, which has turned out to be a leader in the industry. Sauicer and Logan remain good friends.
Ricky then decided to try his luck in Indy, and went out to drive a midget with a series that was running the Thursday Night Thunder on ESPN. Logan got into the Subaru RND car. The car itself should have been a top runner, but every time Logan felt the car was going to be good, it would break early in the race. After the frustrating stint in the midget, Logan thankfully took a ride from Bob Weikert of Pennsylvania, where Ricky drove for most of the summer. The two parted shortly before the Nationals, and Ricky decided to go out to Knoxville anyhow, with or without a ride. While Logan was spending his first two nights at the Knoxville Raceway Campgrounds, he met up with Daryl Sauicer again to watch the races. Daryl in turn, introduced Ricky to Gil Sonner. While walking around the in field enjoying a good night of Saturday night Nationals racing, Logan heard his name over the loud speaker being paged to come to the tower. Sonner explained that his driver had just quit the ride, and he needed a driver to get in and drive the 47 car for the C main! Logan of course had to start at the tail of the race since he wasn’t the original driver of the 47 car, but he was ecstatic none the less for the opportunity to get in and drive at the prestigious Knoxville Nationals. Logan finished 10th after a bad restart and a quick introduction to Mr. Doug Clark. Logan learned fast that you don’t mess with Clark’s restarts, as Ricky was put to the back of the field!
After that Nationals, Logan and Sonner continued the year driving together, running some World of Outlaw shows. The summer of 1993 was a wet one for the Sonner/ Logan team, as they attempted to run for points at Knoxville Raceway. With all the rain, they barely got in ten races. After the Nationals that year, Gil and Ricky parted ways.
The next few years of racing found Logan bouncing around, driving wherever and whatever. He ran some 360 and 410 stuff here and there. He drove for Bill Campbell’s Putnam Chevrolet 360 out of Missouri as well. That would prove to be a great pairing, as the two have continued to race special shows and races ever since.
In 1997, a real estate developer out of St. Louis hired Logan to drive for his sprint car team in its infancy. The team had been struggling in its initial year, and Logan was hoping to turn the program around. He did just that, as he won 18 features between the Missouri, Arkansas, and Illinois areas. During that winter, the team was to put a 410 team together for the following summer of 98. However, a NASCAR opportunity opened up for the car owner, and the team changed directions and Ricky went with them. Logan was hired to be the development driver and raced 6 races; 2 ARCA, 3 Winston West, and 1 Truck race. Shortly after that, the team fell apart.
In 1999, Logan was driving again for Bill Campbell. The team won 12 of 16 races that summer, running wherever they felt like racing.
The summer of 2000 found Logan driving with the inaugural Gumout series, the would-be “starter” series of the World of Outlaws. The team out of St. Louis was running hard with the series and was up to 5th in points. About half way through the season though, the money ran out and the team had to head home. Logan and the team decided to try to stick together long enough to finish the season running the Nationals, and he again returned to Knoxville a couple weeks before the big race. However, that would be a short-lived plan of action, as there was another funding issue, which forced Logan to quit on the Tuesday before the Nationals. This would turn out to be a blessing in disguise, as another opportunity would present itself. When Jay Jonas of Avenger Chassis found Logan without a ride, he approached the owners of a spare car that was in the trailer near the Avenger display. The owners agreed to put Ricky in their car, Don Ott brought an engine for Logan to run, and Ricky pulled enough tools and equipment together to have a very shabby and last minute car ready to run for the Thursday night qualifying race. Logan qualified 11th that night and was running 4th in his heat from the back when a seal in the fuel pump blew. Not bad for a last minute thrash to get a car out!
The owners of that 3s car were Mike and Kathy Hurlbert of New Mexico. They and Ricky decided that they had what it took to make a successful team and continued to race together for the remainder of the season-running top 10s with the World of Outlaws. They returned to Knoxville where they ran for points for the next two seasons of 2001 and 2002, finishing 8th and 3rd in points, respectively. Also in that 2001 season, Logan had a 3rd place finish at the World of Outlaws show in Fort Worth
and was named the first Mr. Sprint Car during the week of the Nationals that year.
The following year of 2003 found Logan driving the 17g Gifford car, as the Hurlbert’s needed to focus on matters in New Mexico. The Logan/Gifford combination finished 3rd in points that season at Knoxville. 2004, however, didn’t find the team doing so well. They parted ways part way through the 2004 season. In 2005. Logan paired up with Vander Ecken’s number 10 car, and finished 3rd in points. Last season, Logan raced all over, flying to different races. He won 8 races driving at special shows.
2007 has found Logan back with the number 10 team vying for a consistent year and running for the point’s race at Knoxville. There wasn’t a lot of time to get the team ready, but they put it all together and are a top force to compete against in the 410 class this season already. Logan’s goals for this year are to continue to build the number 10 team and to win the point’s championship.
Sponsors of the Vander Ecken/ Logan number 10 car include Lucas Oil, where Logan was the first ever driver to be sponsored by the company out of Corona, California, since 1989. Good Year, Clark Construction, and Iowa Diamonds are also on board this season helping out the number 10 car. Crew this year include Steve Fitzpatrick, Mike Vander Ecken (owner), Mark Lambert, Aaron Hubler, “Big Nick”, Tom and Matt.
When Logan isn’t driving sprint cars, he is flying his plane that resides at a hanger at the Knoxville Airport. Ricky also enjoys water and snow skiing, when he can find the time to fit them into his busy schedule. His family includes his fiancé Laura Archer, his mom and dad, Linda and Glen Logan, and an older sister living in St. Louis, Lisa.
Ryan Anderson, #71R 410 Sprint
Have you noticed that the familiar white number 71R has been absent from your weekly race program? It has now been six weeks since Ryan Anderson has been able to race, since being stricken with a herniated disc in his back. Ryan has been in physical therapy and has been seeing a doctor to determine whether or not he will need surgery this fall to repair his back. Anderson claims the back issues are from years of wear and tear, but I’m sure a little sprint car racing probably didn’t help the situation either! Anderson, who is originally from Phoenix, Arizona, now lives in Charter Oak, Iowa, about three hours from Knoxville Raceway. Even though he has been unable to complete the season racing, he and his brother, Troy have not missed a race.
Ryan began his racing career driving drag cars in the mid 80’s. He got involved through a neighbor back in Phoenix, helping him with his car. Ryan then got his own dragster and began racing the 160 mph cars as well. In 1989, Anderson bought a mini sprint to get his feet wet in sprints and raced for three years. Ryan then began to help Marty Wilcox on his sprint car program for four years. It is Marty who helped Ryan get involved in sprint car racing as well. Marty has won at least three SCOA Championships and has a lot of knowledge to offer. Wilcox even comes up to the Nationals and helps Ryan out. Ryan went back to the drags and continued to help work on the sprint car.
Then in 1997, the Anderson family moved to Iowa. Ryan says he was looking to get out of the big city, and knew he wanted to move somewhere that had more sprint car racing, as Phoenix didn’t have a lot to offer. The following year, Anderson bought his own sprint car from Motter, the #71 that Stevie Smith drove. The number stayed, and the crew got the car ready to run for the 1999 season. His first race out was at Eagle in a 360, and impressively, Ryan made the feature. However, he ended up hitting the infield burm and turned his car over. A frustrating first night out, it didn’t discourage Anderson. He went back to Eagle three times, then came to Knoxville. That first season, Anderson raced here and there, getting as much seat time as he could. He also ran Des Moines, where he says he ran pretty well. Anderson ran Sioux Falls and had a few top tens up there as well. Knoxville was the challenge though. Ryan says the track is the hardest to figure out, and so he focused on Knoxville, running every weekend here. Anderson won a race in 2001 and another in 2002, finishing 9th and 6th in points, respectively. His 2003 season wasn’t what he was hoping for though, with a lot of frustration that year in the 360.
Anderson ran the 360 for three or four years until he moved up to the 410 class. He got the 410 at the tail end of 2003, running a few races at the end of the year at Oskaloosa, and began racing it full time the following year at tracks like Jackson, Minnesota, Eagle Raceway in Nebraska, and of course at Knoxville. He brought his 360 out for any races in between the 410 races also. Anderson likes driving both cars, but prefers the 410’s power and the challenge of trying to master it. He also says the 410 has been more fun to drive. In 2004 and 2005, Anderson missed a few weekly races both seasons to run World of Outlaw shows that were closer to his home, so wasn’t in the running for points at Knoxville. Last season however, Ryan was 12th in points overall. He was hoping to better that this season and break into the top ten with his RPM and Moyle powered Eagle chassis, but with his back injury, that goal is not achievable this season.
This season, Anderson has raced five 360 races with all top ten finishes, in addition to his weekly 410 competition at Knoxville. Ryan raced at McCool Junction twice, Rising City, Denison, and Kansas City.
In Ryan’s future, he would like to possibly run more wingless sprints, and compete with a Nationally touring series, such as the ASCS or the All Stars. He owns his own trucking business called Anderson Transport, and that has allowed him to be a little flexible with his racing schedule. Ryan’s brother, Troy and dad, Marty also drive for his company, and are major parts of the crew as well. Troy does the weekly maintenance, and Marty drives the truck. Ryan’s wife, Julie is also involved in the business and the sprint car crew as well. Travis Sanders helps out on the 71R also. Behind the scenes, Ryan’s mom, Gloria does a lot of after racing clean up- cleaning up the car and trailer after races.
Anderson’s biggest accomplishments in sprint car racing thus far include his two 360 wins at Knoxville. He also made the World of Outlaw’s feature twice at Eagle Raceway in 2004. In 2005, Anderson made the feature of the non- winged show at Oskaloosa in only his second or third time out without a wing. Last year, Ryan won the B Main at the World of Outlaw’s race at Jackson, and then finished 14th in the A Main.
When Ryan isn’t working or racing, he’s working or racing. He says he doesn’t have much time for anything else. Maybe now that he is in recovery mode with his back he can take up a new hobby, but it will surely be out the door when next race season comes around!
Sponsors this year include RPM, Jocko’s, Anderson Transport, and Quality Truck Service. Ryan also wanted to give a special thanks to Jerrell Slinkard for allowing the Anderson team to use his shop and stay at his home during some of the longer two day shows and during the Nationals. The 71R has t-shirts for sale as well and you can find the Anderson’s around the pits if you’re interested in getting one.
Bryan Dobesh #2 360 Sprint
Bryan Dobesh has become a Knoxville Raceway regular competitor this season. Hailing from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, this is a pretty big commitment. With a six-hour drive each way, Dobesh’s team faces a long haul every weekend. Dobesh claims it is Knoxville native, Jon Agan, who is to blame for this weekly decision to run Knoxville. The two met a few years back at the Sioux Falls Swap Meet that is held each winter where Dobesh has bought car parts from Agan. Agan kept on Dobesh to run Knoxville, so this year, Bryan decided to give it a try. He says the competition is so much more difficult in Knoxville, as opposed to the other weekly shows he’s run in the past. This new challenge has been something Dobesh has taken on full speed. With one win already this season, Dobesh is hoping to finish in the top 5 in points and receive the 2007 Rookie of the Year honors for Knoxville Raceway.
Bryan’s family has been a race family since the early 80’s, when his father used to race go-karts. Dobesh’s uncle build go-kart motors as well, so the whole family got involved. Bryan grew up watching his favorite local driver, Butch Hanson, whom Dobesh’s dad sponsored also. In 1983, Dobesh’s family and some other race enthusiasts pooled their funds and built the Brookings Go-Kart Track/ University Plains Speedway, where the Dobesh family continued to race. Bryan’s brother, Ron began driving karts and Bryan would help work on them. At the age of 11, Bryan himself began driving karts and won the Rookie of the Year honors and achieved 3rd in track points. For the next few years, the family took time off to sort out track politics, and Bryan came back to the sport in 1990. Bryan continued to watch racing from a distance, and Sammy Swindell was always his favorite driver. In fact, that is how the number 2 came to life on his car. Bryan said that since Sammy will always be number 1, he’d be number 2 then.
Again, Bryan’s brother Ron was the first of the two brothers to drive something new. In 1992, Ron began driving sprint cars and Bryan began helping him with the car. Bryan worked on the sprint until 1997, when he decided to race IMCA Modifieds. He raced several different tracks over his four year Modified career, gaining experience from each track he raced at. In 1998, Dobesh mainly raced 1-90 Speedway and finished 4th in points that year. Over the four years of driving IMCAs, Bryan won as many races.
The year of 2001 found Dobesh driving a 360 sprint at I-90 Speedway where he was the Rookie of the Year, and finished 2nd in points. In 2002, both Dobesh brothers were competing in the 360 class, with Bryan racing at many different tracks to gain experience on different track surfaces. He had one win at Lake County Speedway in Madison, South Dakota that season.
In 2004, Bryan traveled with the WISSOTA series and others again gaining more track experience. His most memorable weekend that year was a win at Red River Valley Speedway in Fargo, North Dakota. Not only was it memorable because it was an Outlaw show, but he had a caliper break on the rear end of the car and had no brakes. On the following lap, there was a red. The Dobesh team patched the problem and put him back out on the track with less than stellar brake performance. He still pulled off the 1st place finish and Dobesh was excited to have the Outlaw crowd see his big win. That season also found Bryan with three other weekly wins at I-90 Speedway.
Bryan raced for points in 2005 at I-90 Speedway and was 2nd that season by one point. He had two wins, and won the Husets Gold Cup 360 show.
Last season, Dobesh raced a lot of ASCS, and at Hartford and Jackson. He had two ASCS wins- one at Northern Plains and another at the Husets Full House of Sprints Race. Bryan also won again at Jackson and I-90 Speedways again.
This season has found Dobesh running his big Max, Borthen Racing Engines car weekly at Knoxville and early on in the season, he got his first win, which Bryan says is his biggest accomplishment. Long term goals include running a 410 eventually.
Helping out on the car this season are some Knoxville locals, as well as Sioux Falls natives making the trek. Jon Agan has let Dobesh use his shop to work on the car while its in town, and Luke Hielman is also on hand locally. Travis and Steve Bott are cousins of Bryan’s wife and travel with the team from South Dakota weekly.
When Bryan isn’t racing, he is spending time with his wife, Julie, and their two daughters; Avery who is four years old, and Claire who is a year old. Bryan’s mom and dad, Ron and Susan also follow his career closely, as well as his brother Ron and younger sister Megan. During the winter, Bryan also enjoys snowmobiling, but one expensive hobby is more than enough! He also works as a home and business designer during the week.
The team has t shirts for sale, and you can follow Dobesh’s racing by logging onto bryandobesh.com. Sponsors of the number 2 car include Stencil Construction, CNC Motorsports (cncmotorsports.com), Ron’s Auto Repair, Ethanol (driveethanol.org), Napa of Brookings and Sioux Falls, Subworks, Brookings Auto Mall, Alternative Back Care Clinic, FC Mods, Simpson Racing Products, V-Mac Racing Products, and BMI Racing Products.
(Pictured): Charter Oak, Iowa's Ryan Anderson
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