Ryan Gustin?

[retired racer]

Ok so he has talent just lacks good judgement I wonder then how he has won so many mod races, Hmm? Until he wins consistently against the top late model guys can we agree that he is great in mods but not so much in late models , if you remember last year he was all the rage,next best thing to come along,now he appears to be taking a step back from where he himself said he wanted to be.

[huskerdirt]

He had 8 wins last year, probably should've had 2 or 3 more. Which was more than pretty much everybody in the midwest except Terry Phillips who had 9.

He's great in a mod and pretty dang good in a late model. It's possible that people had the bar set alittle to high for Mr Gustin from beginning. Maybe that's why some think, "he isn't so good."

[retired racer]

Exactly the point I was trying to make husker, thank you.

[Nasty55]

I would have liked to seen how the race at I80 would have played out if Ryan didn't get into Kyle Berck. There were still a bunch of laps left and it would have been interesting to see how his tires held up after the way he charged through the field.

That makes 2 of us Birky15fan he was definitely on a mission that night for sure!

[Nasty55]

Not trying to argue, just stating the obvious his talent level isn't there yet,yes he is great in a mod but it remains to be proven in a late model.

No worries retired racer I think we can all agree that Ryan has a boat load of talent he just doesn't have the seat time yet to be proven... I'm sure though that he is going to be a force in the latemodel ranks in time but until then he has the modified to fall back on.....

[J20in1st]

It sures heck isn't from lack of talent retired racer!! Have you ever had the opportunity to watch Ryan race in person? I can probably answer that question for you and say NO because if you'd of seen him race you would know that the kid has the talent!!!

Ryan has the talent but needs the seat time. He pretty much said he cant cut it full time in late models right now and needs to stick to mods

[Deep_pockets]

He is good but you cant out spend everyone in a late model and win races like he can in the mod. He is talented no doubt. But money wise their mod program is way over the top compared to most of the guys he races against. His late model program is average compared to other late model teams and his talent is why he has had the success he has had there. If I read between the lines his car owner pays for everything and he keeps a large part if not all of what he wins. That would make those $2k and $3k a night wins look pretty good running a mod. To win consistently on a national level these days in a late model you need more than money and one or two guys working on your stuff if you dont have 20 years of experience. I am a fan of his for sure.

[retired racer]

He had enough money to go from last to first at I80 then crashed, enough money to start on the pole at Davenport Ia. then went backwards,maybe someday it will come together for him but it's hard to improve in a late model driving a mod.

[fryefan]

He is good but you cant out spend everyone in a late model and win races like he can in the mod. He is talented no doubt. But money wise their mod program is way over the top compared to most of the guys he races against. His late model program is average compared to other late model teams and his talent is why he has had the success he has had there. If I read between the lines his car owner pays for everything and he keeps a large part if not all of what he wins. That would make those $2k and $3k a night wins look pretty good running a mod. To win consistently on a national level these days in a late model you need more than money and one or two guys working on your stuff if you dont have 20 years of experience. I am a fan of his for sure.

There are several other USMTS teams that have just as good, and in some cases better, equipment as Ryan does.
Also, Ryan is going to be running his late model more than his modified this year. He did that last year also.

[Deep_pockets]

Not according to what he said last weekend. He is going to be running the mod more so he can make some money. No one in USMTS has better equipment than he does. It isnt that he doesnt have good late model stuff. They just dont know what to do with it currently.

[huskerdirt]

Not according to what he said last weekend. He is going to be running the mod more so he can make some money. No one in USMTS has better equipment than he does. It isnt that he doesnt have good late model stuff. They just dont know what to do with it currently.

He said "I'm gonna have to do more of this stuff". Which implies he will race the mod more. Does it mean he will race it more than the late model? Probably not. Btw...... The next race on his schedule is a late model race.

I can think of three teams right off hand that have just as good if not better equipment. Rodney Sanders, Stormy Scott, and Jason Hughes. Gustin drives a Hughes Chassis, btw.

[dirt33]

Some good posts in this thread, some not so much. I'm not calling out any specific posters, as this is what internet message boards are for. However, it definitely makes me think that if I were a driver, I sure as heck wouldn't want to do any reading on here (as I'm sure 99% of them don't...). Although, if I'm Ryan Gustin, I probably get a good chuckle:

- people evidently know how much of a cut I get of race winnings
- they know how much we have invested in our equipment, and how that compares to other top teams
- I evidently don't know what to do with a late model (I wonder how the guys who won fewer than the 9 LM races that I did last year must feel about their chassis/setup prowess?)
- I don't have talent or good judgement
- people are certain of my plans for the year, even though much of the prognostication in this thread doesn't sum up my 2015 plans at all.... I guess I'd better get off of here and go let Ed know that we are running USMTS for points this year. I don't think he was aware of that yet. Or at least, he hasn't told me.

Edit, it does bear mentioning that the clown that was responsible for most of the hot air in this thread appears to have been banned, so that is definitely a step in the right direction 4m!

[Deep_pockets]

I cant see where anyone was banned. I also cant see any hot air as I simply see a discussion.

[TeamGRT12x]

Basically, without a full time crew chief who has been on the road with Late Models, it's a VERY tough learning curve. It's Ryan, Roger and the car owner most nights. There is a LOT more to the late model than the modified. Two completely different animals. He can tune a modified no problem, he's been doing it for 10 years. Late Models not so much, and when you have bills to pay, the learning curve can't be there.

Second, his modified program isn't "better than everyone elses" because of money. He rolls the same equipment out of the trailer that Hughes, Sanders, Krohn and so forth does nightly.

The late model will still get raced and he will still win. He's just very head strong and at the same time realizes he has to pay bills like the rest of us. Don't worry, he will be back in late models full time soon enough.

We did win a smooth $1,000 at an indoor go kart race last month, musta "out money'ed" those guys too huh

[TeamGRT12x]

Quick Note:
He'll be racing for $10,000 in a Southern Sport Mod this weekend, followed by the Pelican 100. Look for him to run strong at the Pelican.