sAPULPA, OK (June 3, 2026) — When the American Sprint Car Series visited Benton Speedway on May 8, Ryder Laplante was sitting at home, waiting for the chance to drive a Sprint Car again.
The week beforehand, the Calcera, OK native, was involved in a violent crash at Texas Motor Speedway that destroyed his No. 88R machine.
While he climbed out of the car and walked away under his own power, he knew he needed to take a step back to prioritize his health, taking a week of rest while the Series competed in Missouri.
“Mainly after the crash, I really couldn’t feel my right arm at all for about an hour, then I got feeling back,” Laplante said. “My bicep to my shoulder was really black and purple, I really couldn’t touch or move it for about a week. Then, my head was really foggy, so that’s when I knew I needed to calm down, sit back, and put my health first before I got back in the car again.”
After two weeks of resting and healing, Laplante returned to the seat at Hunt County Raceway but finished 19th after an early DNF.
The week after, he visited Southern Oklahoma Speedway with a 305 c.i. engine under the hood and returned to contending for victory. While Laplante led the first half of the night’s Feature, he came home in second place while trying to regain confidence in himself after the injury.
“It’s taken me some time,” Laplante said. “We raced last week, and I still wasn’t 100% with my head. Mentally, I wasn’t driving the car as I should. We did really good, but I wasn’t Ryder Laplante behind the wheel. So, I’m still trying to get my head right. I’m going back to the gym, getting my routine back, keeping up with my dieting, and doing all that I need to do daily.”
Laplante will make his return to full-time American Sprint Car Series competition in the Don Swope Classic at Creek County Speedway. The next day, he’ll travel northwest to Kansas for 81 Speedway’s Salute to Service Sprint Car Showdown.
The 19-year-old “Sooner State” racer has two Micro Sprint wins at “Creekadega” and finished top-10 in the 2025 edition. After Friday, it’ll be the last Series race at a 1/4-mile until Worthington Speedway on July 30, but the challenge of bigger tracks has Laplante unfazed by pressure.
“My mentality at Creek County is always, if you can come out there and finish the race, that’s a win,” Laplante said. “Anything else is a bonus. It’s a tough track, but we can get a top-10 there. I think we could finish podium or top five really easily.
“I’m really starting to get comfortable on these high-speed tracks. Me and my dad, our communication is getting better with the car, and our results are showing for it. I’m really starting to favor these fast tracks. I don’t know why. I used to hate them, but it’s good to be excited about.”
Despite Laplante’s absence at Benton, his sophomore season with the ASCS National Tour has not shown signs of a slump. He earned two top-10s at Volusia Speedway Park and Central Arizona Speedway, sitting seventh place in the points standings through the first nine races.
“We’ve picked up a lot of speed, and we’ve learned a lot this year,” Laplante said. “Last year was just a rookie year. We were basically in school all of 2025, and I feel like we’re putting down what we learned now.
“We got eighth at Volusia from the back of the field against the best guys in the world racing 360 Sprint Cars, then we had that sixth place at Case Grande. It’s just about getting back into our rhythm, getting back into the top five in points, then build on from there.”
Laplante will get back behind the wheel of the Oklahoma Truck Driving Academy No. 88R at Creek County Speedway for the Don Swope Classic on Friday, June 5, and the Salute to Service Sprint Car Showdown at 81 Speedway on Saturday, June 6. The ASCS Sooner Region will join the National Tour for both nights, while the ASCS Gunsmoke Region will tag along for the Saturday event.
Where can you watch every lap of the American Sprint Car Series? Live on DIRTVision.
Ryder Laplante Returns to Daily Routine, Preparing for ASCS National Tour Comeback SAPULPA, OK (June 3, 2026) — When the American Sprint Car Series visited Benton Speedway on May 8, Ryder Laplante was sitting at home, waiting for the chance to drive a Sprint Car again.
The week beforehand, the Calcera, OK native, was involved in a violent crash at Texas Motor Speedway that destroyed his No. 88R machine.
While he climbed out of the car and walked away under his own power, he knew he needed to take a step back to prioritize his health, taking a week of rest while the Series competed in Missouri.
“Mainly after the crash, I really couldn’t feel my right arm at all for about an hour, then I got feeling back,” Laplante said. “My bicep to my shoulder was really black and purple, I really couldn’t touch or move it for about a week. Then, my head was really foggy, so that’s when I knew I needed to calm down, sit back, and put my health first before I got back in the car again.”
After two weeks of resting and healing, Laplante returned to the seat at Hunt County Raceway but finished 19th after an early DNF.
The week after, he visited Southern Oklahoma Speedway with a 305 c.i. engine under the hood and returned to contending for victory. While Laplante led the first half of the night’s Feature, he came home in second place while trying to regain confidence in himself after the injury.
“It’s taken me some time,” Laplante said. “We raced last week, and I still wasn’t 100% with my head. Mentally, I wasn’t driving the car as I should. We did really good, but I wasn’t Ryder Laplante behind the wheel. So, I’m still trying to get my head right. I’m going back to the gym, getting my routine back, keeping up with my dieting, and doing all that I need to do daily.”
Laplante will make his return to full-time American Sprint Car Series competition in the Don Swope Classic at Creek County Speedway. The next day, he’ll travel northwest to Kansas for 81 Speedway’s Salute to Service Sprint Car Showdown.
The 19-year-old “Sooner State” racer has two Micro Sprint wins at “Creekadega” and finished top-10 in the 2025 edition. After Friday, it’ll be the last Series race at a 1/4-mile until Worthington Speedway on July 30, but the challenge of bigger tracks has Laplante unfazed by pressure.
“My mentality at Creek County is always, if you can come out there and finish the race, that’s a win,” Laplante said. “Anything else is a bonus. It’s a tough track, but we can get a top-10 there. I think we could finish podium or top five really easily.
“I’m really starting to get comfortable on these high-speed tracks. Me and my dad, our communication is getting better with the car, and our results are showing for it. I’m really starting to favor these fast tracks. I don’t know why. I used to hate them, but it’s good to be excited about.”
Despite Laplante’s absence at Benton, his sophomore season with the ASCS National Tour has not shown signs of a slump. He earned two top-10s at Volusia Speedway Park and Central Arizona Speedway, sitting seventh place in the points standings through the first nine races.
“We’ve picked up a lot of speed, and we’ve learned a lot this year,” Laplante said. “Last year was just a rookie year. We were basically in school all of 2025, and I feel like we’re putting down what we learned now.
“We got eighth at Volusia from the back of the field against the best guys in the world racing 360 Sprint Cars, then we had that sixth place at Case Grande. It’s just about getting back into our rhythm, getting back into the top five in points, then build on from there.”
Laplante will get back behind the wheel of the Oklahoma Truck Driving Academy No. 88R at Creek County Speedway for the Don Swope Classic on Friday, June 5, and the Salute to Service Sprint Car Showdown at 81 Speedway on Saturday, June 6. The ASCS Sooner Region will join the National Tour for both nights, while the ASCS Gunsmoke Region will tag along for the Saturday event.
Where can you watch every lap of the American Sprint Car Series? Live on DIRTVision.