Inside Line Promotions – PIPESTONE, Minn. (May 12, 2021) – Tony Rustad will be returning to racing in a big way when he competes in the 410ci sprint car class this Sunday at Huset’s Speedway.
The high-banked oval in Brandon, S.D., hosts the Northern Outlaw Sprint Association to highlight its second event of the season.
“I’m really excited to finally be racing again and especially to be racing in a 410,” said Rustad, whose last racing competition came in 2017 before he took time off to develop and grow his business – Rustad’s Design Center.
“I’m not getting any younger and it’s always been a dream of mine to run a 410 sprint car competitively at Huset’s. When I left racing a few years ago to focus on our business I told myself that if I was ever going to race again I was going to do it the right way with the right equipment. Fortunately, I’ve reached the point where I can do that now.”
Rustad’s original plan to return to action was more of dipping his toes in first rather than diving into the deep end.
“Ideally, I was hoping to get a few nights in with my 360 car first before racing the 410,” he said. “But that car isn’t quite ready so the 410 it is.”
Rustad’s racing dreams began as a child when his parents regularly took him to Huset’s Speedway on Sunday nights.
“When we arrived at Huset’s and I saw those cars packing the track while we drove down the hill it gave me an excitement I never had about any other type of activity,” he said. “Racing still gives me that feeling today.”
Rustad became closer connected to racing through his grandparent’s neighbor, sprint car driver Doug Martens. Rustad would often visit Martens’ shop while visiting his grandparents. At 19-years-old he began racing his own car in the hobby stock division at area tracks and eventually accumulated a number of feature wins.
After Martens was sidelined from racing in 2013 from injuries sustained in a racing accident, Rustad joined him and drove his 360 sprint car in 2014 while starting a handful of races in a low-budget 410. The next few years were spent driving a non-wing sprint car with the Heartland Racing Association. He collected a few more wins before his most recent race in 2017.
“I was never satisfied racing in the lower classes,” he said. “I got quite a few wins in stock cars, but I always wanted more than that. I wanted to go faster and push myself to see what the highest level is that I can be competitive. That’s what drives me.”
While being eager – and a little apprehensive – regarding his return to racing this Sunday, Rustad has a simple goal.
“I’m about 80 percent excited and 20 percent nervous, but that might flip the other way when I arrive at the track,” he said. “My goal for the first night is not to have my name announced for anything other than lineups. I don’t want to be mentioned for crashing or blowing an engine – stuff like that. Ideally, I’m hoping to have an incident-free night, get about 30 laps of racing under my belt and roll the car onto the trailer when it’s over.”
UP NEXT –
Sunday at Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D., with the Northern Outlaw Sprint Association
MEDIA LINKS –
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TonyRustad
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/2Xtreme-Racing-243238039097395
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Olsen Electric
Olsen Electric of Ihlen, Minn., is a local, family owned business that offers residential and commercial electrical services in the Pipestone and Jasper areas. In addition to Minnesota, Olsen Electric is also licensed and insured in South Dakota and Iowa and specializes in agricultural electrical work. For more information, visit https://www.olsenelectricservices.com/.
“I really appreciate Justin for reaching out to us and offering support for our racing program this year,” Rustad said. “He recently did the electrical on our house remodel and did an excellent job. I highly recommend him.”
Rustad would also like to thank Tim Rustad Construction, Christoffels Hair Restoration, Bill Habben Construction, KISD 98.7 FM, Bang Energy Drink and The Barrel House for their continued support.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –
Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations and media management for motor sports drivers, teams, sponsors, tracks, series, events, organizations and manufacturers. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and the return on investment for your sponsors.
To meet the media relations needs of your program by joining Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or Shawn@InsideLinePromotions.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.
- Shawn Miller on May 12, 2021
- Article Date: 5/12/2021 by Inside Line Promotions