Thousands of Iowans felt the devastation of the derecho sweep through the state earlier this August.
Gravois Mills, Missouri’s Ayrton Gennetten was in the state for just 10 days, but felt the damage right along with Iowans.
“We had just unloaded the race car and had it inside the shop we rented out,” Gennetten said. “Within five minutes of unloading it, the storm came. It wasn’t something we really expected or were ready for.”
Gennetten’s hauler – minus the car that had been taken out from the inside to be cleaned – went over.
The winds from the storm took the whole thing down.
We have cleaned out the trailer. Luckily the car and 4 wheeler were not in there, we are gonna see the condition of the rig and trailer. Thanks to @MarshallRacing_ @DominicScelzi41 @BrianBrown21 and everyone else who reached out. pic.twitter.com/yMLgiI8Q41
— Ayrton Steven Gennetten (@Gennetten_3) August 10, 2020
“It just went over and the first thing we did was call the tow company and focus on getting out all of the stuff out of the trailer that was in cabinets,” Gennetten said. “Anything to minimize damage.”
The damage inside of the hauler was minimal. The team had three or four cabinets get torn up as well as a wing.
They are more worried, though, about the wear and tear it will cause to vehicle.
“That’s just the visible damage,” Gennetten said. “We don’t know the extensive damage on the trailer yet. We just got insurance on it when we got it so we’re trying to take care of that right now.”
Nonetheless, the racing season will go on. That’s just what these guys do.
At the time of the derecho, Gennetten had just completed his most successful 360 Nationals in his young career, clinching a spot in Saturday’s feature race.
It was a big step, considering just a year before he didn’t make it out of the B-Main to even have a shot to win it.
“Obviously it was really cool to make the feature,” Gennetten said. “I made a few mistakes early on that cost me on the ground. I could have made it up had we got a better start, but that field is so tough to even make the show is cool.”
Like many drivers, Gennetten ran the full slate of events at Knoxville, completing the three-day World of Outlaws show that replaced the Nationals this year.
Usually what is the end of a daring stretch for drivers every year instead became a break after what had been a long week.
Gennetten’s team got things figured out, though, to the best condition they were able to.
Ever since, they’ve been on fire.
The No. 3 car swept the weekend in a pair of American Sprint Car Series regional races, collecting back-to-back wins and completing a hell of a rebound.
“It felt good because you’re in a situation where you’re kind of hit with a curve ball,” Gennetten said. “When you come back like that, you can kind of look at it as a big thing. A lot of people can almost have that end their season, but we persevered and came out of it.”
Gennetten is now the points leader in the ASCS Warrior Region – a regional tour for 360 cars – and hopes to finish the year out with the series as well as the trophy that comes with the championship.
He’ll be running with the tour through the end of the season along with a weekend with the Outlaws in his home state of Missouri after the final event.
As for next year, it’s too early to tell.
But, for a team this good at persevering through the bad times, don’t be surprised to see them thriving once again in 2021.
“I don’t have any plans for next season right now. We’re just going to see how the rest of the year and the truck and trailer situation goes the rest of the year. We’re always looking for sponsors, but I want to thank the guys that support us right now: Ozark Barge & Dock, Martin Metal, Wet Steps, Bob Blanton, Tony Stuart Racing, The Stuart House, Lane Automotive, Champion Signs, High Side Apparel, Midland Performance, Fischer Body Shop, Wesmar Racing Engines, Hoosier Midwest, Weld Wheels, Hooker Harness, West Side Automation and Schoenfeld Headers. They help us stay on the track and mean a lot to me and my team.”
Remaining 2020 ASCS Warrior Region Schedule
Sat. Sep. 05 | Lake Ozark Speedway
Sun. Sep. 06 | Lake Ozark Speedway
Thu. Sep. 17 | Jesse Hockett Memorial Night 1
Fri. Sep. 18 | Jesse Hockett Memorial Night 2
Sat. Sep. 19 | Jess Hockett Memorial Finale
