5/8/2008

Ryan Kissinger Carving His Niche as a Sprint Car Driver
by Dino Oberto

   Sprint cars are perhaps one of the most demanding classes in racing. Take a look at some of big name stars over the years and their backgrounds all stem from the sprints. Mario Andretti, AJ Foyt, Jeff Gordon, Ken Schrader, Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne to name a few.
   Although there are some outstanding sprint car drivers across the country, here in eastern Pennsylvania boast some of the best in the business.
   Ryan Kissinger may not be one of those just yet but the 18-year old from Bloomsburg is aspiring to head in that direction.
   Kissinger, who is a senior at Central Columbia High School, is now in his second season of sprint car competition. He races weekly at Selinsgrove Speedway in the highly touted 358 sprint class.
   Last year he split the year between Clinton County Raceway, where he finished tenth in points and Selinsgrove.
   “When we bought our car we got it with everything complete. The engine that was in it we couldn’t run at Selinsgrove so we ran Clinton County for the first half of last season,” said Kissinger.
   “After we picked up a newer motor midway through the year is when we switched to racing at Selinsgrove. Personally I’d rather race at Selinsgrove. It’s a lot faster and there’s more room to race. I feel I could learn more there too because there’s a lot of good drivers.”
   Through his cousin, Johnny Roberts, Kissinger got started in go-kart racing when he was in sixth grade. He did the karts for four years and then bumped up to a 270cc micro sprint where he logged two seasons. Kissinger was on the verge of getting a 600cc micro but a better deal came along for a sprint car and thus his career is now continuing down that road.
   His transition from the micro to a full sprint car was quite smooth too as his very first feature race he netted a respectable fifth.
   “Racing the micro’s definitely helped when it came time for me to run the sprinter. With a micro the tracks we ran on weren’t that big and Clinton County was that way,” he said.
   “I actually felt I could relax more in the car because you can concentrate more on driving then you can with anything else.”
   Although Clinton County is where he got his first laps with the sprinter, Kissinger’s focus had always been to race Selinsgrove.
   “I really like Selinsgrove. It was really neat to go down the straight-away and see all those people in the grandstands. It’s a fast track too and the feeling of speed was really cool.
   “We have a new car for this year and I can tell that each week I’m getting braver. I’m learning more about the car and I’m getting faster each week. Every week you try to learn something new and try to get better and better.”
   Better indeed. He recently scored his very first checkered flag, that coming in a heat race.
   “That was a good feeling. It made the bad runs we’ve had not even matter. Things like that help boost your confidence as well,” said Kissinger.
   His grandfather, Wally Wynn, is the car owner. Wynn drove stock cars years ago at Selinsgrove. He’d always had a desire to race in a sprinter but it never materialized. He’s now enjoying his role as an owner and watching his grandson fulfill part of that aspiration he had.
   “Even though he’s my grandpa it’s still amazing that he would spend this much money and help me out as much as he could. I’m very appreciative of that.”
   His father, Raynard Kissinger, helps out on the team as well.
   Kissinger also noted that popular father and son racing dual, Randy and Duane Mausteller of Bloomsburg, have been extremely helpful.
    “I’ve talked with them (Mausteller’s) a lot and they’ve helped me out a lot. Randy had always sponsored me when I was racing the micro and I would also go to the races with them when I was younger.
   “I always said how I’d love to race against them and this year it’s actually happening. They’ve been mentors to me.”
   Selinsgrove ace Mike Walter is another who has lent his expertise to the upstart.
   It’s a long road to stardom but Kissinger is willing to put in his time. Each week he races he knows that his experience level will heighten as he gathers more understanding for sprint cars.
   “I just want to be consistent and qualify for each race. I’d like to win a race but at this point my main goal is just to qualify and then finish races and learn as much as I can,” he said.
   “I think if we learn more about the car and get it working right then there’s even a possibility we could maybe pull off a win.”
   He also has an optimistic outlook of where the sport can take him.
   “Winning races somewhere. I’d love to eventually be running with the (World of) Outlaws or maybe USAC.
   “To be able to win a race at Selinsgrove would be awesome. If I could win one race there I’d feel as though I accomplished something in racing.”