Kirk Ryan Jr. is a 24-year-old out of Lewisberry, PA. Racing
has been a part of his life since he was born. His father Kirk
Ryan Sr. drove a 1974 Spitfire in the SCCA series then moving
to Dirt Track to compete in the thunder car division. Kirk Sr.
passed on the racing desire to his son. At the tender age of
five he introduced Kirk Jr. to his first real taste of speed,
a 50cc Yamaha dirt-bike. Running in the Northeast Division, District
6, of AMA Motocross. One of his greatest honors was being ranked
number one in the Northeast Division. This landed him a position
at the AMA, Loretta Lynn Nationals, where he placed seventh in
the U.S. . Continuing through the 60cc ranks, and the 80cc ranks
he continued to amass numerous victories, along with many broken
bones. His retirement from moto-cross came at the ripe old age
of thirteen after a doctors warning from an accident that broke
both his legs and gave him a reverse dislocation and fracture
of the shoulder.
At the age of fourteen, with his Doctors advice, Kirk Jr. began
racing alcohol Sr. Champ-Karts, where he had 6 major wins. These
were miniature sprint cars with 5 hp alcohol motors. Before too
long he was itching for something bigger and faster. At the age
of sixteen, he sat behind the wheel of a 1986 Chevelle Enduro
car. He didn't finish even one race because of his aggressive
driving style; he literally drove the wheels right off of it
forcing him to leap into Limited Late Models. By seventeen he
was racing with top drivers in the Harrisburg and York area to
land him the title of 2001 Silver Springs Late Model Rookie of
the Year at Silver Springs Speedway, Mechanicsburg Pa. With that
title under his belt, in 2002 Kirk Jr. moved to the Super Late
Models with a Magnum Chassis. That year at Hagerstown Speedway
in Hagerstown , Maryland , he has earned six top ten finishes
with three top five finishes which won him the 2002 Super Late
Model Rookie of the Year, and fifteenth in points. At Selinsgrove
Speedway in Selinsgrove , Pennsylvania , he earned four top ten
finishes and two top five finishes in 5 starts. At Susquehanna
Speedway, with their limited schedule, he had four top tens with
three top five finishes, ending up third in points. In his sophomore
season in Super Lates you could say he had the sophomore jinx
with numerous mechanical failures, engine failures and brain
failures that kept him from continuing the success that he had
the two prior years. In 2004 is when Kirk came alive getting
his first two victories, and establishing a name for himself
making him one of the toughest drivers to beat week in and week
out in this region. |
