rebelracewriter Posted January 8, 2022 Report Share Posted January 8, 2022 Ritters Repeat, It's a Family Affair By JM Hallas Seguin, TX.,(Jan 8th, 2022) Not to be outdone by his wife Candace, who won the 2020 Alamo City Motorplex Top ET track championship, Brent Ritter showed he still had a title in him. The multi-time track champion, who started racing in 1990 driving a 64 Ford Falcon, added his fourth championship trophy to his case after titles in 2001(Top Sportsman) and back to back titles in 2014/2015 in Box(Electronics). “The pressure of racing for championships has never bothered me too much,” said Ritter. “I think I felt more pressure trying to keep Candace in a car that was competitive.” “It’s never been easy for me to win the championship, but having done it before makes me believe I can do it again. I think the first championship was the most exciting because I didn’t know if I was capable of doing it until then. The last one is the most important to me because I proved I can still do it.” This year wasn't easy either, having motor issues and Candace crashing her car late in the season. “In the second to last race I broke a lifter in my motor which damaged the camshaft,” added Ritter. “Reher and Morrison had to get a camshaft made and drop shipped to me, which didn’t get here until the Friday before the final race. It was a thrash to get my car back together and get to the track Friday night to test. I was only able to get one pass on the car Friday night and it didn’t run right. I worked on the car all day Saturday trying to figure out what was wrong with it. I went into the first time run not knowing if the car was fixed.” “I had offers from Todd Zampese, Scott Ball, David Bills and Todd Robinson to drive their cars but I knew I would be more comfortable in my own car. I made my first time run and the car ran exactly what I thought it should have ran. That was a huge relief and at that point I knew I had to win one more round than Mike(Pearson), but had to pay attention to where Greg Mueth was also.” “Greg was the only other one that I thought had a shot. My plan going in was just run my own race. I figured if I made it to the final and Mike was still in, the winner of that race would be the champ. Myself, Mike and Greg all won first round, so going into second round nothing had changed. I usually go to the front of the lanes if I can, which I did. Greg pulled up right behind me which surprised me, but after I thought about it, he was doing what he needed to do. He had to take myself and Mike out early to have a chance to win. As luck had it, we were paired second round. I was fortunate to take the win. I was the first pair out so I had time to get back to the staging lanes to help Candace.” “When Mike lost second round I knew it was over. It was sooner than I expected. Mike has been pretty consistent all year so I didn’t expect him to lose second round.” This year has had some added work to be done with their daughter, Caitlin, now in a Junior Dragster and the stress of keeping up with three cars. “Caitlin's first win was more of a surprise than anything due to having trouble with her car all day. She never made a whole pass under power, but she never gave up. She was .018 on the tree in the final and her car died at 60’ but her competition went red. It was, for sure, more exciting for me to see her to win than myself. I feel like I have been somewhat successful racing and I expect myself to win, so I don’t get as excited as I used to.” “I try to use the best parts and pieces on the cars to reduce the amount of maintenance necessary. I get help from Candace, Todd and Scott when I need it.” Ritter doesn't look to change classes and thoughts about retirement only occasionally happen. “I occasionally think about quitting, but after being away from the track for a week or two, I am always ready to go back. The first time I drove a dragster I knew that is where I wanted to be and have never considered anything else.” Sponsors; Simpson Performance Products, Reher and Morrison, Mission Auto Parts 2007 Undercover Chassis powered by a Reher and Morrison 588 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebelracewriter Posted January 8, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2022 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Posted January 11, 2022 Report Share Posted January 11, 2022 Great Write up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickHolt Posted January 12, 2022 Report Share Posted January 12, 2022 Nice human interest story, Reb! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Realfast Posted January 12, 2022 Report Share Posted January 12, 2022 I thought the track closed down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebelracewriter Posted January 13, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2022 On 1/11/2022 at 6:16 PM, NickHolt said: Nice human interest story, Reb! Thanx....I occasionally step out of my comfort zone. These type stories aren't really my forte. Quote I thought the track closed down Last years champion....As of right now, its not looking good....Bankruptcy court date around Valentines day should decide its fate.....But we've been down that road once before and it survived. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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