Competing in racing isn’t easy, as Ryan Zook can attest to. That’s what makes wins such as this limited late model one at Port Royal Speedway in Pennsylvania so satisfying.
“I’ve been doing this for six years,” Zook, of Mifflintown, Pennsylvania, said. “The first four seasons I struggled badly — I thought about quitting. We were second-guessing ourselves. It’s tough when you are running sixth, seventh, and eighth. Finishes like that don’t pay the bills.”
It’s not like Zook didn’t have a seasoned team behind him. His father, Jason Zook, ranks second on all-time wins for stock cars at Port Royal Speedway. His father’s crew followed him as he went to crew chief on Zook’s car, which includes Bill Hostler, Dustin Hostler, and Corey Walters.
“My dad and those three guys put their lives on hold to help me race,” said Zook. “They were kind enough to stick around for me [and] saw enough potential in me to be on my crew. They don’t get paid. I am so thankful to them.”
Last season, Zook had a breakout season. After years of trying, Zook took his first trip to victory lane.
“We upgraded our shock package and began picking up speed,” said Zook. “The shocks made all the difference. We put the car on Penske Shocks by JDS in Winchester, Virginia.”
Saturday’s win hit differently for Zook. It occurred on the same night as the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series raced, competing at a track only 10 minutes away from where Zook calls home.
“It wasn’t only that it was a late model crowd at a traditionally sprint car track,” Zook said. “My whole family and all my friends who live close to Port Royal Speedway were there. It was great to pull off a win on that night. We had a bigger crowd in victory lane than Ricky Thornton. I got so emotional seeing all of them so happy for my win.”
With some wins under his belt, Ryan Zook has some spring in his step and hopes to hit the road at the end of the season.
“If we can keep our speed and momentum up, we’ll go to Eldora Speedway in October,” said Zook. “The limited late models will race with the Lucas Oil late models again. Now I know there would be nothing better than the feeling of racing in the same show with them.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
Photographers
The Outside Groove contributor from Macungie, Pennsylvania, has covered the sport since 2012. Sabo serves as the official track photographer of Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville, Pennsylvania. Photography is a family ordeal for Sabo. He shoots with his daughter, Abby, at Shellhammer Dirt Track in Shoemakersville, Pennsylvania. At Grandview and other venues Sabo travels to, he and his father, Stephen “Poppa Pepper” Sabo Sr., capture the night’s action with their cameras.
