3/1/2016
Tony Rost
A Special Announcement from Tony Rost Motorsports
(Manhattan, KS) Tony Rost Motorsports would like to take a moment to make a very special announcement regarding plans for 2016 and beyond. Following a 2015 season that included a lot of learning in making the transition from 305 to 360 Sprint Car competition there are a few big decisions that had to be made.
The season was highlighted by first career A-feature runs at both Knoxville Raceway and with the American Sprint Car Series National Tour (I-80 Speedway). The 2015 season also included struggles including accidents at Eagle Raceway with USAC and Lucas Oil Speedway with the WAR Sprint Car Series.
“The start of 2015 was kind of a weird year for us. We started the year off struggling to make the transition to 360’s and the crash at Wheatland (Lucas Oil) kind of set us back and into recovery mode for a while. We didn’t really get our feet back under us until we got to Knoxville and made some strides. After that we had a solid Northern Swing with USAC and were able to find speed the rest of the year and be able to qualify for more main events. Qualifying for the ASCS National show right out of my heat race really built a lot of confidence for me.”
With all of that said, it is time for Tony to take a step back as he pursues his Doctorate in Physical Therapy and will spend the next three years at The University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, NE. With the increased work load and time necessary in being a doctoral candidate it is only prudent to devote as much energy as possible to this pursuit. “At this point in my life my education has to come first and I need to build a solid foundation under my feet. Once I take care of that the racing will follow and I’ll be able to compete on the level that I want to.”
TRM would like to thank its supporters for the 2015 season: Royal Purple, MyRacePass, Driver Websites, Ti22 Performance, BullyBrand, SchureBuilt Suspensions, and Polar. This is certainly not the end of Tony’s driving career but yet a slightly different step and TRM hopes to work with these wonderful partners again in the future. After 9 years of full time racing it will certainly be an adjustment not racing at all, but one that will only benefit Tony and the team going into the future. “While I won’t be in the car or at the track as much I will certainly be keeping tabs on the sport and hope to gain some perspective from the outside so that I can come back stronger than ever when the time comes." Rost goes on, “This will be a good time to sit back, plan and set some goals for the future.”
There are also an exorbitant amount of people to thank:
My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I’m nothing without Him.
My parents. None of this would have been possible without their support and encouragement.
Special thanks to Justin Gregg, owner of Red Rocket RaceCars who gave me a shot when I was in high school and helped us to a record-breaking season and coming within 1 point of a NASCAR Division III National Championship. Without his help and guidance, I definitely would not have made it up to sprint cars and be the person I am today.
Special thanks to Jon Agan. He was an extremely helpful source of technical help, equipment, and sort of a mentor to me when I transitioned from 305 to 360 sprint cars.
Nathan Moore. Has been a great mentor and friend. Nathan was the guy who got me into sprint car racing. I wrenched for him at 2014 Indiana Sprint Week and he convinced me to start racing wingless.
Larry Fosler and Brandon Smetter. These two helped me transition from modifieds into sprint cars. When I first started racing sprints I didn't know the difference between a torque ball and torsion bar and these two really helped me out.
John DeWaard, Stephen Yamber, and Bob Maupin - my main crew guys. They worked their tails off in the shop and at the track. Without their help I would have not been able to race at all.
So with that said, Tony Rost and the TRM crew would like to wish everyone a safe and enjoyable 2016 season and hope to see everyone back at the track at some point in the not too distant future. In the meantime, look for Tony’s signature black and green #99 sprint car in the new Big Ant Dirt Track Racing video game for PS4, Xbox One, and PC! Tony Rost Motorsports is backing this game and will have a team featured in the game.
See ya at the track!
For media and interview availabilities or to follow more from Tony Rost search @ROSTedFlakes on Twitter, tonyrost on Instagram, and Tony Rost (Athlete) on Facebook.
Release Courtesy: Just Dirt Sports Marketing
Article Credit: Just Dirt Sports Marketing
Submitted By: Tony Rost