BRANDON, S.D. — Not long ago, Ryan Timms wasn’t sure if sprint car racing was in his future.
The Oklahoma City, Okla., native exploded onto the scene in 2021 with double-digit sprint car wins, some of them happening while he was only 14 years old. Stardom seemed imminent as he began to make the transition to racing nationally with a 410 under the hood. He finished runner-up in only his second World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series appearance just days after his 16th birthday.
But struggles threw the teenager a curveball. Over the next year, the results he was aiming for weren’t arriving. Pressure from social media crept into Timms’ mind. Doubt grew. Maybe racing wasn’t the right path. But before he threw in the towel, his father, Randy, sat him down for a pivotal conversation…