By Bill W
October 15, 2015 – Troy Renfro had been a successful crew chief in sprint car racing for many years. His ultimate goal was to be a car owner. He realized that in 2015 in forming the TKS Motorsports #2KS team with his family. A successful first season did include some ups and downs, but the Mitchellville, Iowa based team is already preparing for next season.
Troy knew there would be a lot of changes in being an owner. “Coming in as a long-time crew chief…being an owner is a whole different ballgame,” he says. “We wanted to win a race…you always want more, but we were able to win a race. I feel we met some of our goals, but not all of them.”
That race was a FVP National Sprint League event in Des Moines at the Iowa State Fair Speedway. Driver Craig Dollansky led the distance. “It was a great event,” says Troy. “I think Tony Moro and Midwest Racing Promotions put on a great event in Des Moines. You can look at the crowd and see that. It was great for us, because our whole family was there. We had Bob Myers and Don Lamberti from Casey’s there. So many of the people who helped us get started this season were there. It was a great moment for us. That made me really happy. I’ve been involved in a lot of wins, but that one was special.”
After starting the year with driver, Don Droud Jr., a change was made in June, bringing in Dollansky. “Bringing Craig on board meant a lot of changes to the car to make him comfortable,” says Troy. “It made the team better, and that made me happy. We tried a lot of things after the Nationals to kind of set us up for next year. We’re going to be a lot better heading into 2016 together.”
Troy used his previous experiences to mold the team. “As a long-time crew chief, being an owner has given me a much different perspective,” he says. “When it became possible last year that this may happen, I thought back to a lot of the car owners that I had worked for. I thought of the good and the bad. I thought about people like Stan Shoff, Karl Kinser, Tim Hanson, Larry Woodward and Terry McCarl. I took that experience with a lot of car owners and tried to apply it to this year.”
He feels strongly about many of the rule proposals currently being thrown around. “I feel for this sport to survive, we need to quit changing rules with the exception of two,” says Troy. “The weight rule needs to be raised, and some safety issues need to be addressed. Everyone I talk to agrees with this. A lot of people have a lot of ideas, but the majority are not a driver, owner or sponsor. Every time you make a rule whether it be wing angle, tire width, tire hardness, or anything else, it costs the owner money. We have to stop the bleeding. It is costing car owners, and without owners, we don’t have cars. Without cars, we don’t have fans. We need fans and they need us. It goes both ways.”
Troy can now reflect better on the bottom line. “As a car owner, I write the checks. I’ve spent money for owners for many years. You have a new perspective when it’s your account the money is coming out of. When you cross the scale and your driver says the car is too heavy…it costs a lot of money to lighten the car. When they change a tire rule, it costs money. We have to stop changing all these things. We’ve tried some things with the wing angle at Knoxville on our own to get better in dirty air, and it’s not the answer. The first thing I think of in changing wing angle, is now you have to change your shock package.”
The team is thankful for the partners they have assembled. “I have to thank all our partners,” says Troy. “Without them, we couldn’t do this. There are four people in particular, Don Lamberti and Bob Myers from Casey’s and my in-laws, Rick and Belinda Lander with Des Moines Industrial Products…the last couple years I hadn’t been happy about things racing-wise. Those people helped me be a better person, not only in racing, but in life in general. To have good people around you is very important. We’re fortunate to have that. I also need to thank Scott Parker and the rest of the team. Scott’s been with me since 1999. He takes a lot of pressure off, allowing me to keep an eye on the track and other things during the night. Without Scott, Chad Lander, Brad Parker and Mike Welter, life would be a lot harder for us.”
TKS Motorsports is always open to new perspective partners!
TKS Motorsports would like to thank Casey’s General Stores, DMIP, Aggressive Hydraulics, Volcano Joe’s Coffee, Indy Race Parts, Maxim, Vahlco Wheels, Don Ott Racing Engines, AO Designs, A Locksmith, Stone Mountain Access Systems, Fibreworks Composites, All Star Performance, Hoosier, KSE Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, Mag Tech Ignition, Fuel Safe, SWE (Steve Watts Engineering), Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Wilwood, Winters Performance Products, Schroeder Torsion Bars, Competition Suspension Inc., Simpson Race Products, Vortex, Webb Family Farms and HRP.