FORT WAYNE, Ind. — USAC Mechanic of the Year Tyler Ransbottom is trading in his wrenches and toolbox for a firesuit and helmet during this weekend’s 21st annual Rumble in Fort Wayne.
Ransbottom, or “Rizzy” as he’s affectionately known in the dirt realm, will have a rare opportunity to showcase his skills as a driver thanks to the Wise family, piloting a winged 600cc micro indoors at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum on Friday and Saturday.
Chad Wise — the father of 16-year-old Zeb Wise, who Ransbottom has wrenched for and coached at Clauson-Marshall Racing this season — approached Ransbottom about wheeling the No. 01 Priority Aviation entry a few weeks before this year’s event.
It was an offer that Ransbottom admitted he couldn’t pass up.
“This conversation and the road to getting me in this car actually started a long time ago,” Ransbottom laughed. “It’s probably been about a year that we’ve been talking about doing this, but it never worked out before now because Zeb always runs the (Tulsa) Shootout … which has landed right over the top of this until this year.
“Zeb probably would have run the car this year, but he’s got a lot on his plate coming up, between the Shootout and his first Chili Bowl,” Ransbottom added. “Ultimately, they decided to bring in the fifth choice … and that was me, so here I am, lost,” he joked.
For Zeb Wise, the chance to turn the tables and work with his mechanic and friend from a driving standpoint this weekend is one he plans to relish.
“This is a cool weekend for us as a family,” said Wise. “It’s always been something that I’ve wanted to do, but to have Rizzy behind the wheel for us is awesome. He’s a big deal on the CMR side, so to have him in my dad’s car is special for me and different because we get to swap roles, in a way, out here.”
While Ransbottom has turned laps inside the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in the past, this weekend marks a bit of a new beginning for him.
“Last week we had this thing in our parking lot at the shop, but I’ve actually run at Fort Wayne quite a bit,” noted Ransbottom. “I’ve always run the go-kart stuff when I’ve been here and I’ve done a little bit of mini-sprint stuff here … but it’s definitely a place I’m familiar with. I just hope they have plenty of spares.”
It’s a bit of a mental change for Ransbottom, but racing the Rumble is an experience he just wants to enjoy while he has the chance to.
“I have to do all the things now that I’ve told “Sunshine” (Tyler Courtney) and Zeb to do in the past,” Ransbottom said. “This deal is just a fun deal for me, though. It’s hard to enjoy racing sometimes, when you’re doing it as much as we do on the national side … so that’s my focus this weekend is to make sure I take it all in.”
With fun being the goal, Ransbottom has not set any specific goals for himself over the two-day event.
“There are no expectations, really, for this deal,” he said. “I could go out here and not do any good at all, but if I’m having fun I’ll still feel like we accomplished something this weekend. If we win, sweet, but if we qualify badly and struggle, that’s still sweet because we’re doing it as a group and having a good time.”
Wise’s advice for his mechanic-turned-driver was much simpler in nature.
“I told him don’t wreck,” Wise laughed. “If he manages to keep it in one piece, we’ll work on specifics after that.”
With the Rumble in Fort Wayne often being called ‘Racing’s Family Reunion,’ Ransbottom pointed out that there’s no family he’d rather be a part of this weekend as he makes his return to the driver’s seat.
“For sure, I wouldn’t do this if it wasn’t with these guys,” Ransbottom continued. “It’s cool to see Zeb, who has grown more than anyone I’ve ever been around, and Chad … who’s taken me in not even on a business side, but a personal side as friends … want to be a part of this and trust me to be a part of it.
“As much as I want to have fun doing this, I wouldn’t be enjoying it if it wasn’t for them. I just want to get after it and make this deal worthwhile for them.”
