11/22/2024
Ryker Pace
Pace and Lewis to drive for Mounce/Stout at Chili Bowl
TULSA, Oklahoma (November 23, 2024) - Having wrapped up the 2024 Tulsa Speedway sprint car points championship, 18-year old Ryker Pace intends to capitalize on his recent success by participating in the upcoming Chili Bowl Nationals.
The Collinsville, Oklahoma native will pilot a midget for Jay Mounce and Gavin Stout of Owasso in January.
“We will be racing with Mounce/Stout Motorsports this year,” Pace said. “Me and Brandon Lewis worked something out with them. It is a great opportunity and I am super excited. They have a ton of success and look forward to racing a car with that caliber of speed. It will be on me to see what we can do.”
Pace acknowledges Brandon Lewis’s pivotal role in making this opportunity a reality.
“Brandon is making this possible,” explained Pace. “We discussed it and he wanted to run the Chili Bowl and wanted me to drive it as well. He gathered sponsorship from, A-1 Auto Body, Squeaking Clean Auto Detailing, and B.A.D. Diagnostics for the 2025 Chili Bowl.
Lewis will also climb behind the wheel of a Mounce/Stout midget with Pace at the Chili Bowl.
Pace believes that driving for Mounce/Stout Motorsports will provide him with the optimal platform for achieving success.
“This will be all brand new to me. I think it will be my best shot,” Pace said of Mounce/Stout who entered seven midgets in last years Chili Bowl. “Having this big of a team and crew behind me will mean a lot for my confidence. Having their feedback will help with my driving.
“Jay has a ton of experience and has coached guys like Chase McDermand and he turned out really well.
“I will be in a Spike SR11. It will be my best shot at the Chili Bowl so far. We are going to get a few practice sessions then run the Chili Bowl.”
Last season, Pace gained his initial experience at the Chili Bowl while driving for the Hunt brothers. He secured a third-place finish in his preliminary night heat and an eleventh-place finish in the B main. Pace is determined to enhance his performance from that experience.
“It was a learning curve for sure,” Pace said of his debut last January. “I was super nervous going into it. Hopefully this year with an experienced team behind me it will take some of the nerves away so I can focus on driving.”
Transitioning from a sprint car to a midget car presents a distinct set of challenges for even the most seasoned open-wheel racer.
“They are very light and have a lot of power so the power to weight ratio is very different then a sprint car that is bigger and slower,” Pace said of the midget.
“They are fast paced and the most fun thing I have ever driven.”
Having concluded the season with a championship and a couple of victories,
Pace is eager to capitalize on this success.
“We had a good year so hopefully we can carry the momentum forward to the indoor season.”
A-1 Auto Body
Squeaky Klean auto detailing
B.A.D Diagnostics
918 Motorsports
Article Credit: John Rittenoure
Submitted By: Shane Pace