1/23/2015
Tony Rost
Bigger Means Better for Tony Rost in 2015
(Utica, Nebraska) Utica, Nebraska’s Tony Rost is living the dream of many young men and women that work so hard in motorsports. The 2013 NASCAR Division III Dirt National Championship Runner- Up made the move to Sprint Cars for 2014 competing in winged 305 competition as well as removing the wing for races with the WAR Series and United States Auto Club. His rookie year would be considered successful by most, including setting a track record at Eagle Raceway in Eagle, Nebraska and his first career non wing top 5 at the Jesse Hockett/Daniel McMillin Memorial. But the ever-competitive Rost refuses to slow down.
For the 2015 racing season Tony Rost is moving up to the 360 division in a big way with the acquisition of a Maxim Chassis as well as an Ostrich Racing Engines 360 engine. “I'm really excited about the opportunity to move up to the 360 sprints. I never intended to stay in the 305 sprints very long and viewed it as a good stepping stone to 360's. Our schedule contains a good mix of wing and non-wing racing with the Nebraska 360 Sprint Series, ASCS, WAR series, and USAC National Sprint Car Series.” That transition will begin April 3rd and 4th at the “Spring Meltdown” at I-80 Speedway. This event will see Rost’s debut with the Nebraska 360 Sprint Series in a return to a track he has been victorious at previously in the Sport Modified.
Stiff competition is surely in the cards right off the bat as barely a month into the season the stars of the USAC National Sprint Car series will make the trek west for competition at Eagle Raceway and Tony’s home track, Junction Motor Speedway. Eagle and Junction were the venues of Rost’s first career non-wing races and first endeavor with USAC in 2014 with the rookie driver picking up top 15 finishes in both events. The team has 9 scheduled non-wing events for the 2015 campaign with both USAC and the WAR series including the prestigious Jesse Hockett/ Daniel McMillin Memorial at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri September 25th and 26th. “I had an absolute blast piloting the non-wing car and felt that it fit my driving style a little better than the wing car. Our results improved from week to week as we learned more about setting up a non-wing car and I became more confident as a driver. At the end of the year I managed to win the B main at the Hockett/McMillin Memorial race at Lucas Oil Speedway and went from 17th to 5th in the main event. That was all with a sealed RaceSaver 305 engine. Most of the WAR cars were 360's and a few 410's were there as well. The smaller engine hurt us during qualifying but when the track slicked off, we were right in there with the rest of the field. Taking the wings off compensated for a lot of the horsepower difference.”
One the wing side of things, I-80 Speedway could prove to be a special place for the Tony Rost Motorsports crew in 2015 as several special events are planned at the speedway in 2015. Tony plans to compete in the Charlie Clark Memorial, the annual Alphabet Soup race, Bobby Parker Memorial, Cornhusker Classic at the speedway and the track could be the sight of Rost’s debut with the ASCS National Tour, while a return to action at Junction Speedway will be a welcomed reprieve from travel. “Competing with the NE 360 series and ASCS will give me the opportunity to come back to two of my favorite tracks - Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Nebraska, and I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Nebraska. JMS is located just 25 miles from our shop and is considered my "home track." That's where I competed for 3 years in the NASCAR Sport Modified division. I won a track championship there in 2012 and made a run at the NASCAR Division III National Championship in 2013 racing at JMS and I-80 Speedway. When we made the switch to sprint cars I didn't race at I-80 and only got to run Junction once so my friends and fans really didn't have an opportunity to see me race much in 2014. Both of these tracks are fast high-banked tracks with sweeping corners and long straightaways. The sprint cars always put on a great show at I-80 Speedway. Usually a good-sized cushion develops and gets pushed all the way up to the wall. It was a really fun track in the modified and I can't wait to turn some laps there in the sprint car. Junction Motor Speedway is a track that rewards smooth drivers who can maintain momentum. Getting a good setup on the car and me staying smooth and consistent behind the wheel will be crucial to success at both of these tracks. Our whole team is excited about returning to both tracks, where we'll be back in front of our hometown fans at tracks where we have a history of success.”
But one big question mark remains for Rost this season. In addition to the nine scheduled non-wing events already on the calendar Tony is hoping to compete in USAC’s Indiana Sprint Week. “In July of last year I made the journey to Indiana to work on Nathan Moore's crew for Indiana Sprint Week which features USAC 410 Non-wing sprint cars. I had a blast working for Nate and got to see a whole different side of racing. Sprint Week had some of the most competitive racing that I've ever witnessed. And the fans, man, the fans are great. The sprint car fans in Indiana are some of the most passionate in the country and there was an electric atmosphere that surrounded each race. There were moments when the whole crowd was on their feet screaming and going nuts - it felt similar to the Chili Bowl or an exciting college football game. That's how racing should be. Sprint car racing is one of the most exciting sports you can watch and the crowds in Indiana definitely reflect that. You don't experience that kind of atmosphere at weekly races. For our team to field a car, we'll have to get our hands on a 410 engine. That's currently out of our budget, so I'm hoping to partner with a car owner or team to put something together for this year. ISW is an exciting yet grueling event that I want to experience from the driver's seat.”
One thing is for certain for Tony Rost in 2015. Big things are on the docket, and learning experiences will abound. “I've never driven a 360 car before but we've learned a lot in the last year and I feel that our team is ready for the switch. We will have an Ostrich Racing Engines power plant under the hood this year and I'm really looking forward to kicking the season off at I-80 Speedway on April 3rd for the Spring Meltdown! Our team will also have some exciting new merchandise coming out for 2015. Several cool designs on different materials are in the works. Stay tuned for more details on that.”
For media and interview availabilities or to follow more from TRM and Tony Rost search @ROSTedFlakes on Twitter or Tony Rost (Athlete) on Facebook.
Release Courtesy: Just Dirt Sports Marketing
Article Credit: Just Dirt Sports Marketing
Submitted By: Tony Rost