Gustin back close to home, seeking first World of Outlaws win

May 5—Ryan Gustin has always been a threat to win when he wheels a stock car onto a race track in southeastern Minnesota/western Wisconsin.

The veteran driver hopes his return to his home area this weekend will help him get on track in his newest challenge.

Gustin, a Marshalltown, Iowa, native who tore up area tracks for more than a decade in the United States Modified Touring Series, will be back at Mississippi Thunder Speedway in Fountain City, Wis., this weekend as a rookie on the World of Outlaws Late Models Series.

The Darilyand Showdown is a two-night event for the Outlaws, with full shows Friday and Saturday. Friday's show includes a $10,000-to-win Outlaws A Main as well as a $1,000-to-win USRA Modifieds A Main. Saturday's show features a $20,000-to-win Outlaws A Main and a $2,000-to-win Modifieds feature. Hot laps are set to begin at 6:15 p.m. both nights.

Gustin, a 30-year-old driver known as "The Reaper," sits eighth in the WoO standings and third in the series' rookie points standings. He's still looking for his first win as a full-time Outlaw, though, and he's hoping a return to a familiar track will help him get that elusive first trip to Victory Lane with the Outlaws.

"Hopefully at Fountain City — I'm really looking forward to Fountain City, we've had a lot of success up there," Gustin said this week on the Stick Signals podcast on WOOLMS.com. "It's just one of them tracks that we have a lot of laps around and hopefully that plays in our favor. Hopefully we can qualify good and keep it up front, maybe get our first (WoO win). That'd be awesome."

Gustin is indeed no stranger to Victory Lane at Mississippi Thunder, nor at nearby Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley. He dominated at those tracks throughout the late 2000s and 2010s as one of the perennial top drivers on the United States Modified Touring Series.

Gustin started racing Karts at age 3 and moved into a USRA B-Modified when he was 12, before jumping into an A-Mod and onto the USMTS tour at age 16. He earned his first USMTS win in 2008 and is a two-time USMTS national champion (2011, 2012). He's also a two-time winner of the prestigious King of America Modifieds race at Humboldt (Kansas) Speedway, a two-time winner of the Masters at Cedar Lake Speedway in Wisconsin and is third all-time in USMTS history with 101 feature wins.

"The USMTS stuff is where we won most of our races," Gustin said, "... we've won quite a few races throughout the year in a Mod, but this Late Model deal is a different ballgame, that's for sure."

Gustin's slow start — by his lofty standards — has included six top-10 finishes and no top-five finishes in 15 races this season on the Outlaws' tour. The relative struggles have come in large part because he's raced primarily at tracks in the southern part of the United States that he's never seen before.

As an Outlaws' rookie, Gustin and his crew are still building a notebook on how to set up his car, as well as what lines work best for his driving style at the tracks that are new to them.

"It started out pretty smooth, but it's all about the competition you race against," Gustin said of his transition from a Modified to a Late Model. "We started out doing some regional stuff, but this year has been tough with the World of Outlaws. It's as tough as it gets. You definitely learn stuff every night."

THIS WEEK IN LOCAL RACING

—Deer Creek Speedway (Spring Valley): Saturday, points races, all classes. Hot laps, 5:30 p.m.; racing begins, 6 p.m. (adults $15; ages 13-17 or 65-older $13; ages 12-under, free).

—Mississippi Thunder Speedway (Fountain City, Wis.): Friday-Saturday, World of Outlaws Late Models Series Dairyland Showdown. (Adult general admission, $35 Friday, $40 Saturday; Seniors, $32 Friday, $37 Saturday; Ages 13-17, $5 both nights; Ages 12-under, free both nights).

—Chateau Speedway (Lansing): Friday, season opener, all classes, 7:15 p.m. (adults $10; ages 6-12, $5; ages 5-under, free).