Racer is sprinting to the finish

WEST VALLEY CITY — For a long time in his racing career, Ryan Burdett assumed he would never drive a sprint car. Burdett wasn't even sure if his career had a long enough shelf life to make it to that point.

"We were actually to a point where we were going to quit racing or do something different," Burdett said.

Burdett's possible retirement plans faded away in 1999 after he found a sprint car for sale and decided to try his hand at the sprint class races.

Now, eight years, later, the West Jordan resident finds himself on top of the points standings at Rocky Mountain Raceways.

Burdett wasted no time establishing himself as the racer to beat in local sprint car races this season, after winning the Young Chevrolet 100 on Memorial Day with a time of 18 minutes and 43.252 seconds.

His rise to the top has been fueled by an upgraded sprint car — one Burdett and his team put together in 2006. After years of running on older equipment, he finally has a vehicle that can sustain 40 laps without suffering malfunctions or burning endless sets of tires.

"This new car we put together last year has really helped us out," Burdett said. "It's real competitive. It's been fun."

When you look at what Burdett went through to reach his current elite level, it's simple to understand why he finds a lot of satisfaction in being there.

Burdett originally started out in modifieds at RMR. Staying at a competitive level in that class was tough, in part, because he routinely dealt with less cautious drivers who enjoyed greater financial resources.

Burdett could be assured of spending tons of money on weekly repairs.

"You tore a lot more stuff up in the modifieds than in the sprint car," Burdett said.

After switching to sprint racing in 1999, Burdett still found himself on the losing end of the money game at times. Still, it wasn't as bad as his modified days.

And once his family welding business began pulling in more money, and Burdett found a couple of sponsors, he ditched his older car for a newer model and graduated from the budget racing that hampered his competitiveness.

Being a favorite to win or finish near the top is a status the whole team enjoys.

"It has been really gratifying this last year to go out there and really be the one people look at and see where the bar is at," said Frank Burdett, his father and owner of the sprint car.