LEBANON, Pa.: When Ryan Taylor started his Sprint Car team, the goal was to build it up to the point where he could just focus on driving. Sixteen years later, the process continues.
It’s not easy in this sport. Finances are always an issue, and funding isn’t exactly plentiful, especially for a smaller team. So, Taylor runs select shows through the year and does what he can.
Taylor will be able to do more in 2025. The goal of just being a driver will come to fruition, well, sort of. It won’t be with his own team, but Taylor has inked a deal with car-owner John Westbrook to compete at Williams Grove Speedway on a weekly basis.
“The biggest thing is that it gives me a chance to truly do what I want to do, which is be a driver,” Taylor said. “I’ve tried to leverage my deal for so long — like 16 years now — building my own team, but funding is harder and harder to come by. This deal puts me in position to do what I really want to do, which is be a racecar driver.
“Working in the shop, washing the car afterward, the setup, driving the truck and trailer, all of that stuff … John just wants me to focus on showing up 150 percent ready to race and do my job.”
Taylor was all set to do the norm next season, which was run select shows where he could financially make it work. Things started to change when Westbrook called the 36-year-old driver on whim.
The two talked about putting something together. Taylor was interested from the jump, and once the logistics were worked out with sponsors, it was a no brainer for both driver and owner.
“I was looking at the results last year, and he had some pretty good runs,” Westbrook said in a phone interview with SprintCarUnlimited.com. “He didn’t run the whole season because his engine lapped out, and he was done.
“I raced against him, and we had some good races. He kind of flew under the radar to me because he went to Port Royal, and then last year he came to the Grove. He’s one of the few guys I haven’t had in my car, and I like what he brings to the table. I talked to Ben Engle [Troy Wagaman’s crew chief], and he highly recommended him.”
Continued Westbrook, “Let’s face it, to find someone interested in driving my car isn’t easy because of all the problems we’ve had. I thought I had a deal with Logan Spahr, but then they disappeared. So, I just made up my mind I was going to find someone else, and this worked out.”
Taylor is dividing his sponsorship up between his car and the Westbrook 1W. When the Mertztown, Pa., driver isn’t running the car at the Grove, he will pick-and-choose select events in the central Pennsylvania.
According to Taylor, he plans to run the familiar No. 20 in the Pennsylvania Speedweek and High Limit Racing events at Grandview Speedway. You could also see him at Port Royal for events like the Bob Weikert Memorial and Tuscarora 50 weekend.
Carrying a helmet bag into the track isn’t the only benefit for Taylor. This deal will also give him more races in the seat, which could help him close the gap on some of the other drivers in the region.
“It puts us [at Williams Grove] on a weekly basis running World of Outlaws races and every event they have,” Taylor said. “I think one of the hardest things in Central PA is there are a select number of names who run a ton of races, and they are the teams that are tough to beat because they are on the track three times as much as most of us.
“One of the challenges I was facing was that I already had some commitments from sponsors. So, John wanting to hire me, I had sponsorships that I had to bring to the table and say, ‘Hey, I will break this up between my car and your car, but I need to have these logos on the car.’ That was some stuff we were working through, just dollar wise, but it worked out.”
It’s been a tough couple of years for Westbrook and his team. Performance has been lacking because of a variety of problems, most of which have been in the engine department.
The issues have made finding, and keeping, a full-time driver difficult. But now that Taylor is in the fold and Westbrook’s sponsors have upped the ante, the car-owner is feeling better than he has in years about the upcoming season.
“A lot of my sponsors have stepped up to update parts in my engines,” Westbrook said. “I think that is what we needed. Really, it’s just been engine issues. If the engines run, our car is halfway fast.
“When Jeff [Halligan] was driving for us, our car was OK, but the engine wasn’t running, and we were slow. When I got the other engine back and Zach [Hampton] drove it, we were competitive but crashed.
“So, I would say this is probably the best I’ve felt since Matt Campbell drove the car, which has been a while. Ryan is ready to go out of the box if my car is competitive. I know he can run up front. I feel like he is ahead of us, but I’m confident that we can catch up to him.”
Taylor isn’t worried. In fact, he likes the recent upgrades to the engines and has never wavered on taking a seat in the Westbrook machine, especially on a weekly basis.
But it’s not just about having a ride at Williams Grove full time. Taylor believes the team can mesh well and be competitive against some of the better teams in the central Pennsylvania region.
“I talked to a friend or two, and I’ve seen the 1W go around the racetrack before,” Taylor said. “The biggest thing I feel my team has lacked is the crew chief role. I struggle to do both ends of it and make it work. I feel really confident John can get a car to go around the racetrack really well. So, if he can give me that feel, I have full confidence we can be a competitive team this year.
“My focus is on his stuff. My goals are with the Westbrook team out of respect for them wanting me to be their driver. I just got a fresh Rider back for our program to run some races, and we can show up ready to go, so I’m excited to be with John and for the season.”