I know that not everyone subscribes to Flat Out Magazine, and I've had requests from those who don't to post my last article online. Well, to those of you who don't subscribe, you should!! But, I want everyone to read about Stu Snyder. Stu was the 2011 points champion in the 360 Sprint Car division at Eagle Raceway, and a nicer young man you could never hope to meet.
So. here it is; my latest article. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. It appeared in the lastest issue of Flat Out Magazine. Please, click on the ads beside the blog to help support those who allow me to have my blog on here.
I and a lot of other well-seasoned fans remember fondly the days before the huge trailers with plenty of spares; when even the best of the best pulled into a dirt track with a sprinter on an open trailer behind a pickup and a few extra tires. That was all that they needed to win wherever they raced.
Stu Snyder is proof that you can still do it that way and be successful. He won the 2011 Eagle Raceway Sprint Car points championship, and did it old school! “The trucks and trailers don’t win races; cars, crews and drivers win races” is how Stu puts it. “Would it be nice? Oh yeah it would; but when you don’t have the money for it, you spend the money where it matters. And we’ve proved that a 10 thousand dollar motor can beat anyone out there; we HAVE beaten the best with one”.
Stu started out racing a go kart for the Manleys when he was spotted by Ron Love who gave him the chance to run his 600 mini-sprint at a practice night at Wave-Link Park. After 25 laps Ron told Stu’s father “It’s time to get him into racing full time”. “My career basically began because of the Love family. I started driving for mom and dad; we ran as many 360 shows as we could, and even got to run a 410 show with the Outlaws”. Stu’s dad Joe had worked on mini-sprints quite a lot, but when he started helping out Jeff Lowery (past Eagle Raceway champion), Stu told himself “I want to do that, and I want to be as good as him, if not better!. Dad brought home Jeff’s 1997 Jenkins when I was 13. Mom wasn’t too happy about the purchase, but after a year of seeing my school work take a turn for the better, she said okay. That was the deal my dad made with me; work your butt off in school and pull good grades, try and get sponsors and work on the car, they would do what they could to get me in a race car”.
Being named the 2003 ESTS and 2004 NCRA Rookie of the Year heralded great things to come, and Stu’s first feature victory came in 2005 while driving for Reagan Kitchen (a previous Eagle champion). The next 4 years saw 3 different teams, plus a ride at the 2009 Belleville Midget Nationals for AJ Felker where he made the A Main both nights. He also had a few nights at the end of that year with his current car owners Eldon and Paula Rhoten. The Rhotens gave him the seat full-time in 2010 and Stu, in turn, gave them their first points win in a long time in 2011.
“I have helped some other drivers win races and championships, including 2 USAC Western States Midget titles with Cruz Pedregon, but I can say now that we won Eldon and Paula something they have wanted for so many years. I only wish I could have driven for them years ago and had my whole career with them. Who knows what more we could have accomplished??”. They managed 4 wins and an 89% top 5 percentage in 2011 at Eagle. “That’s what it takes to be the champ. Wins are nice, but you also have to be smart; make sure you keep finishing in the top 5 and not have any DNF’s. We might have won the title in 2010, but had a few DNF’s that cost us. This year I wasn’t letting anything take it away”.
When asked where he wanted to be 10 years from now in racing, Stu said “I would like to be able to move on to racing with the big dogs in NASCAR or even running some Indy cars”. Stu’s early idols were Doug Wolfgang, Keith Hightshoe, Jeff Lowery, John Gerloff and Jan Opperman. And now, he looks up to former dirt trackers Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon. “I always wanted to follow in their footsteps because they started out doing what I’m doing and made it to the big leagues. That’s what I want to do with my career. But, the Rhotens are the most amazing people I’ve ever driven for, and I hope we can continue this relationship on down the road”.
Stu has great passion for the sport and wants nothing more than to give back to it. “I spend every night in the shop, and every day trying to learn and get better as a driver and as a teacher. The people that come down after the races with their families give every one of us the chance to do something we love to do”. That is the sign of a true champion; paying it forward.
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