Ryan Restad of West Fargo does pretty well on the racetrack, but that’s not the part of racing he enjoys the most.
Restad, who drives the #7R IMCA Sport Mod at Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo and Norman County Raceway in Ada, appreciates another aspect of the sport.
“The people – you meet a lot of nice people and friends,” Restad said.
Restad plans to race at a pair of 40-lap IMCA Sport Mod events in the next several days – one Wednesday at Norman County Raceway in Ada, and the other at Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo on July 28.
His racing career started in 1994, although he’s taken a few years off here and there. Restad has raced a bit of everything in his career – street stocks, pure stocks, Midwest modifieds, A Mods, and now the Sport Mods. He got his start in a class that is no longer raced locally.
“I started in a mod 4 when the class first started,” said Restad, who owns a trucking company.
He eventually settled into the IMCA Sport Mod class, where he’s been a top competitor, mainly racing at Red River Valley Speedway. Since 2019 he has 15 feature wins and has finished in the top five in 42 of 54 starts in a strong display of consistency.
This year, he has three wins in eight starts and has finished in the top five all eight times. He credits weekly diligence in checking over the car, and assistance from Mike and Allen Kent for helping the #7R remain a top five car.
“Hard work,” Restad said of the success. “Mike helps me out quite a bit. Every week the car goes under the microscope. Any flaw we fix or try to fine tune it.”
There is a family aspect that is important to Restad in racing. His late father Jerry, who died in May 2021, was a track promoter at racetracks in Hallock, Minn., and Langdon, N.D., and was a huge part of Ryan’s race team.
“He was here all the time. He always had advice,” Restad said. “He was a big part.”
Now, Restad’s teenage son, Carter, has hopped behind the wheel of an INEX Legend car. The only advice Restad gave his son: “just be happy and have fun.”
“I’m trying to stay out of it,” Restad said. “Tony Brockhouse has been working with him. It’s been working well. He’s learned a lot already.”
After winning nine times combined in 2020 and 2021, Restad managed just one win this season. His goals for the season are simple.
“Just a few feature wins, and consistency,” Restad said of what he’s aiming for this year.
With three wins in eight starts, he’s off to an excellent start. He enjoys the friendships off the track and the competition on it.
“Just the people in it, we’re all pretty good friends,” Restad said. “For the most part it’s all clean racing. It’s been fun.”
Driver Profile
Ryan Restad
IMCA Sport Mod #7R
Age: 46
Residence: West Fargo, N.D.
Sponsors: DSG (Dakota Supply Group), Precision (Plumbing, Heating, Cooling and Dirt Works), D&B Motors, Huberts Outdoor Power, City Parcel Delivery, K and K Racing, Overby Farms, Matco Tools (Alex Hill), Dynamic Technology, Swift Springs
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