Justin Ryan benefits from wrecks in Super Stocks victory at Berlin Raceway

Justin Ryan benefits from wrecks in Super Stocks victory at Berlin Raceway

By Steve Ungrey
The Grand Rapids Press

MARNE -- The odds of one accident taking out the frontrunners aren't exactly slim.

To have it happen twice in one race? Now that’s something only a driver back in the pack can appreciate.

Justin Ryan nearly got tangled up in a third wreck, but the Grand Rapids driver hung on for his first feature victory during Saturday’s action at Berlin Raceway.

He hung on to top Seth Moody for the checkered flag in the 30-lap Super Stocks division.

"It was great," Ryan said. "My brother in law is Alec Carll, so when I married my wife I was helping out there a lot and I eventually decided to get into this. It feels great to get this feature victory.

"I can’t appreciate enough all the help I got for this. Maybe it will sink in later."

This is Ryan’s third year racing at Berlin. He was the 2009 Rookie of the Year in the Super Stocks division after tying for seventh place overall.

His first year was full of excitement, including six top-10 finishes and a runner-up spot clinched on Sept. 19, 2009.

From there, Ryan slid to 14th last year but entered Saturday in the eighth spot.

Ryan started in the sixth position and hung on as Travis Nylaan, Denny Anderson and Kelsey Steele began the race in the top three positions.

Nylaan and Anderson eventually separated from the pack and Anderson caught up to Nylaan at the seventh lap.

Shortly after, Nylaan and Anderson collided in turn one, and both drivers were fine but were knocked out of the race.

That left Steele, Ryan and Nate Walton as the top three, and Walton eventually passed Ryan.

Walton made a run at Steele with nine laps to go and eventually T-boned into her, forcing both drivers into the turn-one wall.

That left a surprised Ryan in the lead, although Moody nearly clipped his right rear tire before the drivers crossed the checkered-flag line.

"I would never have thought this would happen," Ryan said. "I was surprised at how stable their cars were running, but I think they both were going for their first win and I have a heavy heart for what happened to them. But they’re both fine.

"My spotter told me (Moody) was looking there on my right and I hoped I had enough left to stay out of it. We’d have had to spend a lot more on parts and such if we’d crashed."