SOLID PRO CUP TOP FIVE LEAVES HEAVNER WANTING MORE
Written By: McCallister Precision Marketing
August 5th, 2010 (Newton, IA) Ryan Heavner has seen his share of ups and downs this season in his USAR Pro Cup Series rookie season. He’s had mechanical failure before the green at Hickory (NC) Motor Speedway and finished inside the top-ten at Rockingham (NC) Speedway and Gresham Motorsports (GA) Park.
Last weekend at Iowa Speedway, however, Heavner showed race fans that he is 110% serious about winning, and just as focused on that goal.
The Lincolnton, NC driver mixed it up with the best in the business and ended up with a fourth-place result to show for it.
“It is definitely my kind of race track,” Heavner said Friday night – after his first start at Iowa. “it is fast and demanding – as far as performance. It’s good when you hit your marks.”
Qualifying for The Blue Ox 150 was rained-out, and the field was lined-up corresponding to their current series championship standings. That meant the the teen star started in the ninth position, and he was quickly racing with Logan Ruffin and Chase Elliott for the third spot. The three nationally-known rookies continued to impress fans in that battle as the laps clicked off.
Heavner held third before a scheduled pit stop shuffled him back to sixth. Although happy about the performance of his new BF Goodrich rubber, the loss of track position would prove fatal for any hopes of a top-three finish.
The fog rolled into Iowa Speedway, by way of turn three, late in the race. Series officials put out the caution and then the red flags while waiting for visibility to improve, but to no avail. The race was called official at lap 121 with Heavner riding fourth.
“I wasn’t happy to see the fog,” said Heavner – who never seems to be satisfied with less than a win. “I wanted to go the distance and see where we could have ended up. I had a really good car. When I took on that second set of tires, they were all that I needed. With a very close battle for third, fourth, and fifth, I really thought that if I could have got around the 31 of Logan Ruffin, I could have finished second – if a caution had played in our favor.”
While young Heavner wants more and continues to be plagued by weather, mechanical issues, and other factors, he was quite excited after the event and his first-ever Pro Cup top-five. The entire Kirk May Racing Team shared the mood, and seemed relieved to have rebounded and proven their determination to win.
The finish will keep Ryan inside the top-ten in USAR Pro Cup Series standings, and keep the possibility of the 2010 series Rookie-of-the-Year title alive. Heavner is currently second to Logan Ruffin in the ROY chase.
The USAR season rolls on, with the next event scheduled for August 14. Unfortunately, that race is one Heavner is not exactly looking forward to.
“Next up is a trip to Langley and, quite frankly, it’s my least-favorite track,” said Heavner of Langley (VA) Speedway. “That track is flat and hard to get a hold of. However, I am still hoping to finish higher than our last time there – when we had mechanical failure.”
Heavner finished 14th at Langley on May 29, in his first start there.
The driver remains confident that he can improve his result at the Virginia track, and has great marketing opportunities available for that and other events remaining in 2010. To find out how Ryan and his team can help you to grow your business and market to new demographics, please contact Tonya McCallister by telephone at (803) 361-6199, or by email at [email protected].
To contact Ryan Heavner, or fore more information, please contact Michael Hughes by email at [email protected]. Other contact options are available online at www.z3sports.com.
Ryan Heavner and Kirk May Racing would like to thank all of their team partners for the 2010 racing season. These include; Elite Auto Collision (Athens, Georgia), Dupont, Lawing Marble, McCallister Precision Marketing, LJ DeZigns, and WaltersWebDesign.com.
For more information on Ryan Heavner and/or Kirk May Racing please visit www.RyanHeavner.com.