Ryan Gifford
Just about anytime a Team Dillon Racing car takes to a dirt track, Ryan Gifford can be seen in the pit area working to perfect a Dirt Late Model or Dirt Modified car for drivers such as Austin and Ty Dillon, Dale McDowell or any of the young Richard Childress Racing development drivers who might be in competition on that particular night. At the same time, the Winchester, Tenn. native can often be seen on the track in his own car running near the front of the pack.
“I do a little bit of everything at the shop,” Gifford said of his role with Team Dillon. “I’ll hang bodies or put the cars together, pretty much anything that needs to be done. We’ve all got to be pretty versatile because there’s just a couple of us in the shop so there’s a lot of things to do. Some days we’ll be washing the truck and trailer, and some days we’ll be putting race cars together, and some days we get to go race. It’s a fun job and I get to race a little bit too so that makes it even better.”
In 2014, Gifford raced Crate Late Models for much of the year. But near the end of the season, he moved up in class with the acquisition of a new power plant.
“Last year I crate raced pretty much all year then got the 525 motor at the end of the year,” he said. “It’s been a great motor so far. It’s really competitive and I’ve made both super shows that I’ve tried to run with it. In the steel head racing around the Chattanooga area, I think it’s a competitive motor. It struggles a little on restarts where the other guys have more power to get going, but I feel like a lot of it I can make up for in the seat by doing the best I can. I think as the summer comes around and the racetracks dry out a little bit, we’ll get us a few wins.”
Gifford did in fact win a Steelhead Late Model event at Boyd’s Speedway last November.
Gifford’s #2 Late Model
Despite his relatively young age, the 26-year-old Gifford has a long history in the sport. He began racing on the track in his Tennessee hometown even before he could drive on the highway. And it was at an early age when he met up with Dale McDowell, which served to jump start his racing career.
“I grew up go-kart racing and I played the stick-and-ball sports,” the driver recalled. “I just really fell in love with racing when I turned 15 and started running Late Models there at Winchester. Another year later we were travelling around a little bit and trying to run that NeSmith Series. Then I met Dale and moved over to North Carolina and got involved with the asphalt stuff.
“I’ve been working here for about five-and-a-half years,” Gifford explained of his current employment. “Now I’m back to the dirt stuff and having a lot of fun. These things are so cool and so fun and I like the atmosphere here at the dirt tracks. It’s a lot more laid back and there’s not as much pressure.”
Gifford, who was once himself part of the RCR development driver program, reached the higher levels of NASCAR at one point but found that the business side of the sport can be difficult.
“I’ve kind of come full circle by doing some of the asphalt stuff and ran Nationwide(now Xfinity Series), but it’s just so hard to find sponsorship,” Gifford described. “I can go do this stuff relatively cheap and still have fun. And I don’t have to worry about a lot of the things you’ve got to do and go through when you’re doing the asphalt stuff. I enjoy it. This is what I love to do and what I’ve always done.”
Gifford hopes that racing will be a part of his future, particularly as a driver. But he does enjoy all aspects of the sport.
“I like the crew chiefing stuff, but I do love to race,” he declared. “When I’m not racing and I’m here working, I’m wishing I was out there so I still want to be racing at whatever level. I’d love to do it professionally someday, but if I don’t, I still want to have a car and go race to have fun. I’d probably race somebody if it was on a lawnmower or a golf cart or whatever. I’m competitive and it’s what I enjoy doing.”
