Blayne Ridgley has experienced the thrill of victory many times in his career, but as he moves into his fourth season with the Huntley’s Hoosier Wing Sprint Car Series he has one overriding goal – he needs to win a 305 sprint car race on Indiana soil.
The 19-year old North Knox High School graduate has had a strong season by any measure. He has routinely been among the leaders, but Lady Luck seems to turn her head away from him at the most inopportune times. Undaunted, he is convinced that his program is headed in the right direction.
His introduction to the sport came via his grandfather Alan Agee. Alan gathered Blayne up one evening and took him to a sprint car race. In Ridgley’s words “ever since then I have been hooked on it.” Tri-State Speedway in nearby Haubstadt was the most common destination, but one side trip also proved to be consequential. “When I was about five or six my grandfather took me to a quarter midget race,” Blayne says, “and while we were there he ran into somebody he knew. They talked and next thing you know he got me a quarter midget.”
When a youngster competes in any sport for the first time it is always a crapshoot. Some want nothing to do with the activity, while others take to it immediately. Ridgley was in the latter category. Racing soon became far more than a weekend trip to Terre Haute. “It went really well,” Ridgley says, “we travelled to Las Vegas, Daytona, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. I won quite a few track championships and in my last year I won a regional championship.”
After spending 11 years in quarter midgets, it was time to make a move. The decision was made to give winged 305 sprint cars a try. He recalls his grandfather as being “all in” and in April 2022 he was ready for his first voyage at Lincoln Park Speedway. He deems his initial performance as, “Not bad. I was still learning and ran in the back of the field.” That is commonly what rookies do. After all, there was a lot to learn. The speed of the 305 didn’t phase him. The wing on top was a different matter. “Adjusting to the wing felt way different,” he says, “I didn’t expect it to affect the car as much as it does and it effects it a lot. Our wings also have a fixed slider. You set it before the race and wherever you set it is where it stays. That could be a good thing, or it can be a bad thing.”
There is more to life than just racing. Ridgley is learning the ropes of operating heavy equipment at Kerns Excavating near his Bruceville, Indiana home. Working on trucks and cars is also a sideline, and his mechanical acumen has been a plus in his racing career to date. As he moved into his fourth year in the winged sprints he felt it was time to take another step forward in his development. “We wanted to try to win a race and be competitive,” he shares, “and I think it is going pretty well. We have been in the top ten in almost every race this year so if we can keep that up a little good luck would be nice.”
He’s won with a 305 sprint car in Ohio, so there is no reason to doubt that he will score again in 2025. One race has been circled on his calendar. “We aren’t planning to go to the Eagle (NE) Nationals,” Blayne says, “so the Kevin Huntley Memorial is the biggest race of the year for us.”
At the moment he is anxiously awaiting the return of his primary chassis, a piece that was bent in a hard tumble at Bloomington Speedway. Two races on the backup car proved to be challenging, so his confidence will be higher if he can get his old car back in time. “We have everything set out,” he says, “so we are ready to scramble around and put the car back together.”
His goal is to race a 410 traditional sprint car, and he looks to Brady Bacon as a role model. “I like the fact that he is a clean driver,” he says, “and he is always fast and finds a way to get to the front.” As for his current situation he likes the people he competes with on a regular basis. He has raced and been friends with Carson Dillion for years, and he has also spent plenty of time going side by side with Tyson Lady. His team is a family operation with Agee at the helm, his parents Brock and Robin are supportive, and his paternal grandparents own Ford Sawmills which serves as his primary sponsor.
Sure, he had NASCAR dreams, but he has determined that he loves racing on the dirt. How did this all happen? It is a passion that developed as a grandson and his grandpa watched sprint cars dice on sweltering summer nights. Because of those strong memories he dreams about winning at Tri-State Speedway, but at the moment his total focus is on taking the Pup Cup home as the victor of the Kevin Huntley Memorial.
Ridgley family photo
B. Raines Photography and Video Photo
- administrator on Jul 15, 2025
- Article Date: 7/15/2025 by Patrick Sullivan