By Meredith Kaplan Burns
Brownsburg, Indiana (June 2, 2011) — Ross Rankine, of New London, Ohio, made a strong USAC Midwest Ford Focus Pavement series debut Wednesday evening at the Bryant Heating & Cooling Indianapolis Speedrome by driving the Nine Racing Ford Focus midget to a fourth-place finish.
Ross honed his skills during the three practice sessions and was ready for his first Indianapolis Speedrome Ford Focus competition. As a result of a pill draw Ross started sixth in his heat race and immediately went to work by meticulously began passing cars to finish a strong second. As a result of finishing second in the heat race, Ross was positioned sixth on the grid to start the 50-lap main event. Ross began passing cars and as the race progressed, he worked his way up to third place where he was fighting for second. Late in the race Ross slipped high while challenging for second and lost a position to finish the race in fourth.
“I really enjoyed my first Speedrome race and it was fun to be able to pass cars,” said Ross Rankine. “Glenn Martin give me a great car and Billy Wease’s helpful advice gave me a lot of confidence.”
Ross Rankine will run the entire USAC Midwest Ford Focus Pavement Series this season with Nine Racing. The next Ford Focus event for Ross will be on Saturday, June 11, at Columbus Motor Speedway.
Nine Racing’s 2011 sponsor lineup includes K&N Engineering, Eibach Springs, Weld Racing, Klotz Synthetic Lubricants, Penske Racing Shocks, Performance Friction Brakes, ASE, Earl’s Performance Plumbing, SSi Decals, PJ1, and Hoosier Racing Tire.