Hometown: Fulton, N.Y.
Born: April 4, 1984
Team: Rocket Racing
Entry: No. 99 Big Red Towing-Dave Miller Auto Body/Bicknell
Owner: Roger Phelps

2009 Season Review: With his name forever etched in the history book as the inaugural winner of the ‘DIRTcar All-Star 100’ at Cayuga County Fair Speedway, young talent Ryan Phelps scored eight more Top-10 tour finishes to climb to a career-best 7th-place in the final Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar points chase. The ‘Rocket’ doubled up with his 1st career series win the day before at Cayuga County, leading 80 feature laps in the two mid-July main events and adding three qualifying heat wins during the summer. The Big Red Towing traveler added a third win in weekly action at Brewerton (NY) Speedway while enjoying his second full-season following the Northeast’s premier Big-Block series.

2009 Super DIRTcar Series Stats
Points Diff Money Wins Top-5 Top-10 Starts
1,634 -410 $38,100 2 5 9 20

Series History: Making frequent Series stops locally during the first decade of the new millennium, Phelps logged his lone Integra Shocks Fast Time at his home base of Cayuga County Fair Speedway in 2007. The 2nd-generation Central New York standout has gradually worked his way up the ladder of success, posting a pair of Top-10s in 2006, five more in ‘07 and eight in 2008, with a career-best nine coming last year to establish himself as rising star on DIRTcar Northeast’s premier Big-Block circuit in just his second full year chasing Series stardom.

DIRTcar Big-Block Modified Diary 
            DIRTcar         Super DIRTcar         Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels
Year Circuit Wins       Series Wins                 Mr. DIRTcar Points
2009 3                                 2                                             7th
2008 --                                --                                             9th
2007 1                                --                                            13th
2006 --                                --                                            18th
2005 --                                --                                            27th
2004 1                                --                                            43rd
2003 --                                --                                            33rd
Total: 5

DIRTcar Racing Record: With seven seasons of Modified racing under his belt, Phelps now owns a pair of Big-Block feature wins at Cayuga County to go along with one at Brewerton and his initial two scored Can-Am Motorsports Park. He tallied all of his five Sportsman Modified victories in 2002, gracing victory lane at Can-Am (3) and DIRTcar Northeast circuit hubs Cayuga County and Rolling Wheels Raceway Park.

Fun Facts: Employed as an 11th grade history teacher at Newark (NY) High School where he also serves as the head coach of the wrestling team, Phelps continues to carry the family trademark number 99 ---derived from former Empire State star and Cup winner Geoff Bodine--- first debuted by Roger in the Late Model ranks when DIRTcar was formed in 1976. Before finding his niche in the Big-Block Modified class, Ryan gained valuable short-track experience contending in Microd, Go-Kart, Four-Cylinder Stock, Dwarf Car, Slingshot and DIRTcar Sportsman divisions from 1996-2000.