TULARE, Calif. – Heading into his first Trophy Cup, Ryan Timms tempered his expectations.
Knowing he’d be facing more than 80 talented competitors on a track unfamiliar to him and notorious for being unfriendly to newcomers, Timms thought just making the Saturday main event would be an accomplishment.
The 15-year-old not only made the A-main, but he parked his No. 5t in victory lane when the checkered flag waved after 50 laps around Thunderbowl Raceway.
“It was crazy to even think about winning this,” Timms said. “I was just hoping to make the A (main), so to win it is pretty crazy.”
Perhaps the teenager should’ve given himself a little more credit when setting goals heading into the week.
After all, he has proven he’s a quick learner with a lot of talent, capable of winning anywhere against strong competition.
Timms collected a handful of Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series victories prior to his 15th birthday this year. Over the course of the ASCS Speedweek during the summer, Timms finished outside the top-two only one.
His abilities have proven to extend beyond sprint cars.
In May, Timms became the youngest person to win a Lucas Oil POWRi National Midget League feature.
The Trophy Cup feature victory is not only the latest, but potentially the most impressive testament to his building stardom considering the names behind him in the rundown.
“Out here the competition is definitely the toughest I’ve ran,” Timms said of the West Coast roster. “And I think it’s really the toughest in the country, sprint car wise.”
The feature began with Timms taking off from the front row in second place courtesy of the major invert used in the Trophy Cup’s unique format.
Timms noted he caught a couple breaks with the invert and when early leaders Kaleb Montgomery and Robbie Price crashed, but the Oklahoma native still had to seal the deal after inheriting the top spot following Montgomery and Price’s lap nine issue.
Timms built a massive lead after restarting from first, but he had to fend off another of 2021’s breakout sprint car stars, Tanner Carrick, following a later caution period.
“Carrick, I’m not sure how he got by me, but he just got a run out of nowhere and got by me,” Timms said of the battle. “Then we had a caution, and I got a good start, slid him, and I could just let it drift to the wall and bounce off it, and it just got me going and went from there.”
Ultimately, Timms went on to win comfortably following the brief duel with Carrick, marking his 14th sprint car main event triumph of the season.
With racing season winding down, what’s next for young wheelman? After heading back east for some midget and micro racing, Timms intends to continue honing his skills on the left-coast where he’s found the strongest field of competitors to be.
“This Monday and Tuesday we’ll go to Millbridge to run the midget and the micro,” Timms said. “After that I’m coming back and running a bunch of sprint car races out here and a few midget races out here too.”
Currently, Timms plans to be back in the sprint car for next weekend’s NARC-King of the West double header at Keller Auto Speedway and the Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park.
Looking even further into the future, Timms may return to try and take some of the Golden State’s crown jewel events back to Oklahoma with him as he continues to establish himself as one of sprint car racing’s greatest young talents.
“Next year I’ll come back out here,” Timms said of his plans. “Not all the time but for all of the big races.”