LEBANON, Pa.: Dylan Cisney knows what it’s like to lose a race on the last lap or to go through a seemingly endless stretch of races in which nothing seems to go right. It’s a frustrating feeling on both counts.
It’s part of racing. Cisney’s run the gamut for 25 years, 15 of which have been in the 410 Sprint Car division. But any past disappointments pale in comparison to the last six months of his racing career.
The Port Royal, Pa., native had an inkling he was going to lose his seat at the end of the 2024 season. What he didn’t anticipate was how difficult it would be to find another ride or the unclimbable walls that were put in front of him to get back in the Sprint Car game.
For the first time in Cisney’s Sprint Car career, he doesn’t have a ride entering the new season. He’s explored options in central Pennsylvania and in other states, including deals in which he would fly in for the weekend and fly out in time to get to work Monday morning. The result has been bupkis, and frustration is way past the building point.
“Not a thing,” said Cisney when asked if he has any prospects for the 2025 racing season. “I pretty much explored all options and couldn’t come up with another driving for any teams. I mean, I searched for opportunities, not just around here. I searched everything from here, Ohio, Knoxville, and every which way I could turn.
“I just couldn’t put something together. I had a couple of deals I thought were going to come together, but my big problem was I lost all my funding, and I kind of had a feeling the other month that this was going to put me in rough shape. You can’t lose your ride, your funding, your crew guys, and everything all at one shot. That’s hard to come back from.”
It seems the lack of funding has been the biggest blow. Especially in a sport that has an increasing number of teams hiring drivers based on sponsorship dollars and not necessarily talent behind the wheel.
That wasn’t a problem Cisney had to deal with for the bulk of his career. It wasn’t like he had a windfall of money at his disposal or an unlimited budget, but he was solid in his family-owned deal.
Things improved a little more before the start of the 2022 season. Cisney got an opportunity to take the strain off his shoulders and hooked up with Wisconsin car-owner Scott Cowman in a partnership that lasted three seasons.
But the deal ended after last year’s Tuscarora 50 at Port Royal Speedway. Cisney moved over to the Bill Rose machine to finish out the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series schedule in a move that had the potential to go into this season.
This is where losing sponsorship, and in turn, funding, became a problem. A deal didn’t work out, which led to Cisney making calls. Nothing developed, and Cisney was forced into the undesirable role of putting his own car together for the season.
“It’s killing me, pretty much all day, every day,” Cisney said. “I mean, this is the first winter I’ve had since I was six years old where I went through that and didn’t know if I was going to the racetrack in the spring. So, I don’t know what to do with myself.
“It’s just kind of an unfortunate thing with the sport. You’ve got to have money. I’m fortunate that I’ve done it for a long time. Everybody knows me across the country, so people were willing to talk to me, but it’s been, ‘What do you have to bring with you?’ It’s just me with a helmet bag and a seat, and that’s really where the conversation went soft with everybody.”
It leaves Cisney with the daunting task of building his own team. Again, funding is a huge issue in that there is not enough money in the racing wallet to build one car, much less inventory.
Speculation has been that Cisney would just roll out his equipment. After all, that’s what he did for years. The problem is the family equipment was sold when Cowman came on board, which means the 32-year-old driver is starting from scratch.
Cisney purchased a 24-foot trailer that is a fixer-upper. He has a roller and some parts, but there is no motor, the biggest missing piece of the puzzle. There have been inquiries, but Cisney has come up short on all fronts in the powerplant department.
“Right now, that’s the plan, because it’s the only thing I’ve got,” Cisney said of putting his own car on the track. “I’ve got a little 20-foot by 20-foot garage at my house that I’ve been trying to clean up and turn into a makeshift race shop. So, that is kind of my plan moving forward.
“I’ve got enough room to get a car in there and squeeze the trailer into the driveway, but I don’t have any crew. I think I’m down to two sponsors, because my major ones left me over the winter. It’s just been me, myself, and I, and it’s been hard for me to find time to put stuff together, and the funding is a whole other aspect of it.”
Continued Cisney, “I’ve talked to a handful of guys this winter who have motors, but I just can’t find anyone who wants to team up with me, right now. That’s really my big hold up. It would take me a little to get some stuff together, but if a motor showed up, I could be at the track next week.”
The good news, albeit a small consolation, is that Cisney understands the business. He knows how to put cars together and isn’t afraid to roll up his sleeves to do what it takes to get to the racetrack.
It comes down to resources and money. But if Cisney can pull in more sponsors or partner up with another owner or team, he is confident he can build an operation that can win some races.
“I’m thankful that I’ve been heavily involved in my racing since I was a kid,” Cisney said. “I wasn’t one of those kids who just grew up and here was a racecar, go drive, and sit in the trailer until it’s time to go back out. I was always around building stuff. I’ve built my own cars and built my own motors before, so I’ve got a good handle on everything.
“I’ve always felt if this time ever came when I was backed into a corner and I was by myself, I knew what to do and how to do it. I’ve raced with good funding for enough years, and I always felt like I could race cheaper if I had to because when you have money to spend, you learn where to spend it properly.
“It just seems 50-percent of the teams in the country … guys are confused. It seems like they don’t know how to prioritize the money they do have, and then it just doesn’t equal the best results when it comes time to go racing.”
Things are a lot simpler for Cisney, winner of nine races at Port Royal Speedway in his career. It comes down to sponsorship or finding a partner willing to help financially or with a motor.
In the meantime, Cisney will continue to look around while trying to build his own car in hopes of getting back to the racetrack. Even if it’s just to stay relevant in hopes of turning enough heads to spark interest and get a seat.
“I’m not really sure when I will race,” Cisney said. “I’m trying to get a car put together and get to the racetrack, just because I want to get myself out there so I don’t get forgotten about. Maybe some rides will open up somewhere to where I could bounce around different cars just to get through the year.
“Realistically, without any funding, doing it on my own is going to be tough. You can’t go out there with the mindset of racing a 410 to save equipment. If you’re one crash away from sitting out for months, that’s just a hard way to be competitive in the sport. So, right now, I’m just trying to get by and hope something opens up, and I can keep myself out there.”