It has been said that racing is a "family sport". Well that saying is definitely true when it comes to the Gustin family. At some point in their life every member of the Gustin family has piloted a race car. It began with Dick Gustin and Dale DeFrance, and their children caught the bug as well. I remember watching Rick Gustin wheel a stock car and modified around the half-mile tracks in Webster City and Eldora. Darrel DeFrance still wheels a late model while his sister Judy (Gustin) is a former Marshalltown Speedway track champion in the stock car division.
Fast forward a few years... Now there are four Gustin's racing along with Darrel DeFrance, and don't forget about relative Damon Murty. That's six relatives involved with racing from one family, something that perhaps only the Smith family from Lake City, Iowa can brag about to my knowledge. All six relatives enjoyed a fantastic year in 2010, and the following will be somewhat of a recap of each of their respective seasons.
Jimmy Gustin - I'll start with Jimmy beings he is the oldest of the immediate family. Jimmy accomplished something that resembles another "Jimmie" (Johnson) as he won his fourth consecutive track championship at the Marshalltown Speedway. He also was in contention for the Boone Speedway track championship, but had to settle for third instead. His biggest victory was when he crossed the finish line to become the 2010 Speedway Motors IMCA Supernationals Champion at the Boone Speedway.
Here are Jimmy's unofficial 2010 stats:
57 starts; 9 wins (not including preliminary and Supernationals wins); 29 top 5's; 43 top 10's; average finish of 6.4
For more, check out http://tapfanstours.freehosting.net/jimmy.htm
Richie Gustin - Richie had a phenomenal year in 2010. He was atop the IMCA North Central Region point standings for most of the first half of the year before bowing out at the end. Richie focused primarily on weekly racing at the Marshalltown Speedway and following the inaugural season of the JR Motorsports Hawkeye Dirt Tour. About mid-season his hopes were high for capturing both titles, but a chassis changed in July brought about some major challenges and both goals were left unobtained. That should not take anything away from his great season, however, as he did finish second in the Hawkeye Dirt Tour point standings and sixth at Marshalltown. He picked up three wins on the eight-race tour. His biggest win came at the famed Knoxville Raceway during the Harris Clash in July, and then backed it up with another win on the first night of the Late Model Nationals event.
Here are Richie's unofficial 2010 stats:
55 starts; 16 wins; 27 top 5's; 33 top 10's; avg finish 8.9
For more, check out http://tapfanstours.freehosting.net/richie.htm
Ryan Gustin - It's hard to imagine Ryan having a better season then he did in 2009 when he finished second in the final USMTS Hunt for the Championship standings to Kelly Shryock. But, that's exactly what happened. Ryan received a phone call from Ed Gressel and was asked if he wanted to race for him. That was the start of something magical as Ryan picked up a season-best 17 wins on the USMTS series this year. He swept both races at the nearby Oskaloosa track while winning at fifteen other different tracks. During the month of June Ryan enjoyed a five-race winning streak that was capped with an exciting last-lap pass of Jason Krohn at Fort Dodge. Despite finishing in the top ten in 80% of his races, half of those times were during the Hunt. Those finishes resulted in another runner-up to the champion, and this year it was Jason Hughes.
Here are Ryan's unofficial 2010 stats:
60 USMTS starts; 17 wins; 40 top 5's; 48 top 10's; avg finish 4.8. Also ran two IMCA races (finished 3rd in Inaugural Hawkeye Dirt Tour event at Independence) and won a sportmod race at Memphis (MO) in October
For more, check out http://tapfanstours.freehosting.net/ryan.htm
Jenae Gustin - The only female of the bunch, Jenae finished her second year in the IMCA sportmod / bmod division. While she didn't enjoy as much success as her brother's, she did pick up her first career win at the Marshalltown Speedway on August 27. She continues to learn more about the car and what changes can be made. I'm sure she'll find more success with added seat time and experience.
Here are Jenae's unofficial 2010 stats:
32 starts; 1 win; 3 top 5's; 12 top 10's; avg finish 10
For more, check out http://tapfanstours.freehosting.net/jenae.htm
Darrel DeFrance - While that ends the list of "Gustin's", there are still two more relatives to talk about. Darrel DeFrance enjoyed another solid season in the IMCA late model class. He collected five feature wins this year, all at Webster City. He once again added to his "Ironman" total by attending all 16 Deery Brothers Summer Series events. He picked up the track title at the Hamilton County Speedway while finishing second to Todd Cooney by a mere two points at the Iowa State Fairgrounds Speedway. DeFrance also finished third in National Points.
Here are Darrel's unofficial 2010 stats:
47 starts; 5 wins; 21 top 5's; 31 top 10's; avg finish 5.4
For more, check out http://tapfanstours.freehosting.net.defrance.htm/
Damon Murty - I'm sure looking back Damon Murty will remember his 2010 season. He became the newest member of the 100 IMCA stock car wins club when he picked the checkers at the Hancock County Speedway in Britt on August 12. Murty was also crowned the champion of the IMCA Stock Car Shootout Series on the strength of three finishes of third place. Murty bounced around hitting different tracks throughout the season. While that diminished his chances of winning a track championship, it surely didn't halt his chances of winning. He picked up eight feature wins and finished tenth in IMCA Nationals Points.
Here are Damon's unofficial 2010 stats:
54 starts; 8 wins; 36 top 5's; 40 top 10's; avg finish 6.3
For more, check out http://tapfanstours.freehosting.net/murty.htm
Gustin Family unofficial 2010 stats combined:
305 starts; 56 wins; 156 top 5's; 207 top 10's; avg finish 6.61
So as you can see, the Gustin family enjoyed a lot of success over the course of the 2010 season. I have been working at compiling other drivers' stats, notably the top drivers in IMCA National Points, IMCA Rookie of the Year points, and some region champions. I am also working on obtaining results from other drivers that enjoyed a great amount of success this season. So be sure to check back in the coming weeks for those updates. Until then, go to http://tapfanstours.freehosting.net/ and click on the "Drivers Stats" link to see what I've been up to.
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
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