Ost looks to continue climb in competitive Wissota Midwest Modified division

Ryan Ost has raced for several years, but this year is setting up to be something special for the 27-year-old.

For the first time, he gets to race against his father, Steve.

“Getting to race against my dad this year, that’s what I’ve dreamed of ever since I was a little kid is being able to run door-to-door with him,” Ost said.

Ost races the No. 24x Wissota Midwest Modified at Jamestown and Sheyenne Speedways and races at Brown County Speedway in Aberdeen. He’s in his fourth year in the class.

Steve Ost is no rookie to racing, having raced for several years in the Jamestown area. Ryan’s mom, Cammy, was also a racer.

“When I was born, mom and dad were both racing,” Ost said. “I was born into. Once you’re born into it, you can’t really get away from it.”

Ryan Ost got his start in the go-karts as a kid, where he estimates he won between 40-50 features, and then got a surprise gift for his 14^th birthday.

“Mom and Dad surprised me for my birthday with a Bomber,” Ost said.

He raced in the Bomber class from 2013-17, winning three features in the class (two in 2016 and one in 2017). And then he took a break from racing until the 2023 campaign. The Osts bought a care, with the original plan of Ryan sharing the driving duties.

“The initial plan was we ere going to share it. The weeks I didn’t want to run, he was going to run,” Ost said. “After the first night, he was done for and I took over after that.”

The 2023 season was a learning one for Ost, who works with his dad at Ost Auto Body and Paint. He ran 29 shows and recorded three top five finishes.  One thing he did do was race at a bunch of different tracks, running at nine different facilities that year.

“That helps you a lot,” Ost said. “You’re racing on different surfaces, against different competition. The first year I went to nine different tracks and put in (nearly) 30-some shows, just to figure it out. From the first night to the last night was a night and day difference.”

The 2024 season saw him pick up two feature wins at Brown County Speedway, recording six top fives on the year.

“Pretty much just experience. The biggest thing was knocking the rust off and learning the car and seeing what it likes and what it doesn’t like,” Ost said. “That’s the biggest thing, to settle down and learn.”

He picked up a third Midwest modified win at Sheyenne Speedway on July 31, 2025 and finished in the top five seven times. He finished a solid fifth in the points at Jamestown and sixth at Sheyenne.

“We kept learning, kept tweaking and finding different things that I liked, or the car liked,” Ost said. “Every day, you learn.”

Ost said the 2025 season featured the “highest of highs and lowest of lows.” He crossed the finish line first at the Jamestown Stampede on Sept. 20 – but was disqualified in postrace tech for a rules violation. But he also took ownership of his mistake.

“I’m not going hide from it, not going to run from it, it was an oversight on my (end),” Ost said. “All we can do is learn from it and race another day.”

Ost has raced six times so far this summer with one top five finish, a fourth at Sheyenne Speedway on May 25. He’s been in the top 10 four times. His expectations for the 2026 season are pretty simple.

“Hope for top 10s and have fun. That’s the biggest thing,” Ost said.

Driver Profile

Ryan Ost

Wissota Midwest Modified #24x

Residence: Adrian, N.D.

Age: 27

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