by Jen Peterson Ryan Grubaugh, dirt-track Sprint driver in the American Sprint Car Series, and his volunteer crew chief and best friend, Terry Stewart, came so close to a historic moment shared by few. On the Saturday night before the Pure Michigan 400 at MIS, Grubaugh fought for the lead against Sprint legend and Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart and almost won at Plymouth Speedway. A near last lap issue would drop Grubaugh to fourth as Stewart took the checkered flag and the win. Grubaugh, who has been racing with Sprints on Dirt for seven consecutive years, won the championship in 2010 and has many other accomplishments to his name, including wins, record-setting lap time, and standouts at the Canadian Nationals and Winter Nationals (East Bay, Fl). Sprint car racing is not his day job, as bad as he might wish. He works at his family-owned sawmill. He’s what you call a weekend racer on a slim budget (as most are). Three sponsors (Maple Rapids Lumber Mill, The River’s Bend and M&Q Transportation) have helped him out this year. With Stewart on site, Grubaugh looked out at the stands and couldn't find an empty seat. Grubaugh wouldn't let the fans down and neither would Stewart. Heat 2 featured Grubaugh in his #00 car. He started the race in the fifth position and by the end of lap 10 he had picked off two spots to finish third. This was good enough to potentially place him in a nice starting spot for the feature. Unfortunately, Grubaugh forgot to scale. This automatically placed him last which meant he had to run the dreadful B-main race; his last chance for the chance to battle against Stewart who was in the very next heat race. Heat 3 was graced with the superstar’s presence. He had started on the pole (per random draw) and won. His sprint car looked real solid and he definitely looked as if he’d be a hard one to bargain with. Looking to make the best of his night, Ryan started the 15-lap b-main race from the sixth spot and quickly picked off racers one by one on his way to the checkered flag. He won the race and a position in the main event, 13th. The eight drivers who scored the highest passing points (in the three heat races) line the front stretch amongst an anxious, sell-out crowd. The SOD announcer picks eight kids to help each driver determine his prospective starting position in the upcoming feature. This is simply called, the redraw. Stewart's little volunteer pulled out a wooden ball with the number ‘2’ on it. This puts a big smile on Tony’s face, as well as the kid. After three heat races, 1 B-main, a four-car dash, and a redraw, the 16-car field is finally established. Almost immediately, Stewart wasted no time moving to the lead. He seemed to run the middle and inside line of the track for the most part. From back in 13th, Grubaugh is quickly inside the top ten with racing Stewart for the win his primary goal. Following a caution on lap four, Stewart quickly extended his lead over the field even as Grubaugh inched his way through the field driving on the high side, his focus clearly on catching the leader. A second caution on lap 12 pulled the field back together; a definite help to Grubaugh, who is then 4th with Stewart clearly in his sight. Five laps later Stewart is back in the front and only one race car separates Grubaugh from his goal. By lap 20, with just 10 laps left, Grubaugh moves into the second spot, passing current points leader Greg Dalman. By lap 25, Grubaugh is all over Stewart and the two battle intensely over the next four laps. Two laps later Grubaugh makes a pass on Stewart; but he didn’t stay in front long. Unfortunately the 1/5 mile track was heavily congested with lapped traffic. Both Grubaugh and Stewart were forced to work hard for this win. One lap later, Grubaugh's car went high off turn four as Stewart hung to the low side and went on to victory. Grubaugh ended up fourth, but clearly showed he had what it took to battle what many consider one of the best Sprint drivers ever. After the race, while Stewart posed for photos in victory lane, Grubaugh chatted with a large group of race fans who cheered him on and asked for his autograph. It was clearly a special moment. To Grubaugh's credit, Stewart's victory comment was awesome, “I was a little worried I gave that one away,” Stewart said. “I could see (Grubaugh) down there, and I was getting a little worried I opened up the door for him.” Later, Grubaugh would explain what happened on the one lap which cost him the win. "I forgot I was running for (ASCS sprints on dirt) points for a minute there. Then I realized who cares! How often do u get the chance to beat a NASCAR driver? I took a risk maybe I shouldn't have by going a little too high on the cushion while Tony went low and, well I ended up on the asphalt track ... jarred my elbows and back pretty good, knocked the wind out of me, and just got farther away from the points lead. That last lap was hell to drive but I guess I’m pretty thankful to salvage a 4th place finish here. Just wish I could’ve got him.” Grubaugh isn't alone in his feelings, there are drivers everywhere who just wish they could beat Tony Stewart. All photos by Jen Peterson
