Chico, CA (11/16/2021) For 19 year old Tyler Rodgers, it hasn’t taken long to become a household name in Northern California IMCA Sport Mod competition. The 2017 Silver Dollar Speedway Rookie of the Year has rode a steady trajectory up the Nor Cal Sport Mod ranks over the past few years, firmly entrenching himself as a favorite to win each and every time his #44 Twyzted by Evo Northern Sport Mod hit the track.
2021 saw the family based Rodgers Racing team primarily focus their efforts towards the northeast portion of the state, with over half of the team’s 23 starts coming at Susanville’s Diamond Mountain Speedway and Quincy’s American Valley Speedway. That diligent focus paid off in a big way for Rodgers and the team, who after mechanical gremlins on opening night, went on to win 5 of the next 6 races at the Quincy venue en route to a dominant championship run.
The 2021 American Valley Speedway title would mark the first track championship in Rodgers’s young career, finishing in the runner up spot twice in his first 2 years at Silver Dollar Speedway before beginning to travel more the past 2 years.
Rodgers wouldn’t completely abandon his local track however, making 2 starts at the Dollar in 2021, highlighted by an awesome battle with Phillip Shelby on Pepsi Night that nearly saw Rodgers take home the prestigious trophy for a second consecutive season.
Despite a full slate of local racing, the team continued to travel this past season. Making the trip down for the inaugural Sport Mod show at Petaluma was one that meant a little more to the team, as the 3/8ths mile gumbo oval is what the team considers to be their true home track. With the unique Petaluma surface requiring a steep learning curve, the team was happy with their 4th place finish on the night.
While many would agree that Rodgers’s track title at Quincy was easily his top achievement, one underrated facet to his 2021 season was his ability to consistently run up front when out of state. The team made 3 trips across state lines to White City Oregon’s Southern Oregon Speedway, each trip proving that Rodgers could compete (and win) against the Northwest’s finest.
Rodgers’s first Oregon start of 2021 at the annual Haudenschild Tribute was nearly perfect. Out the gate the 44 machine was fast, posting quick time in qualifying by a whopping 3 tenths (setting a new track record in the process) before comfortably winning his heat race and trophy dash. The feature looked to be going the same way before lapped traffic played a factor late, dropping Rodgers to a 2nd place finish. Rodgers showed the same speed for the inaugural PSM Showdown a month later, but issues all weekend limited the team to a 6th place finish in the $2500 to win feature.
Just like in 2018, Rodgers rose to the occasion at the R Charles Snyder Salute, winning his heat race before outlasting multiple challenges from the likes of Ryan Peery and Matt Sanders to take the opening night win. Night 2 would not fare so well, getting spun on the 2nd lap of the main before limping home to a 6th place finish.
For 2022, Tyler’s plans are currently undecided.
Tyler would like to personally thank each and every one of his sponsors and supporters who made this season a possibility, including:
Twyzted Motorsport
Uncle Matt
Uncle Nick
Grandma & Bud
Superior Fuel Cells
Kevin’s Auto and Fleet
Gandy and Staley Oil Co.
Mom
Dad
Baker Trucking
Tahoe Pure Water
Top Notch Cleaning
KPR Racing and Fab
Aunt Toni
TnT Guide Service
Season Stats:
Starts: 23
Wins: 7
Top 5’s: 13
Top 10’s: 16
Best Finish: 1st (7 times)
Heat Race Wins: 11
Track Champion at American Valley Speedway
Marysville:
3/20: 4th
Susanville:
4/2: 2nd
4/3: DNF
5/7: 1st
⅝: DNF
7/3: 6th
Merced:
Al Miller Memorial 4/16: DNF
Al Miller Memorial 4/17: 13th
Quincy:
5/1: DNF
5/15: 1st
5/29: 1st
6/5: 2nd
6/18: 1st
6/19: 1st
7/18: 1st
Southern Oregon:
6/12: 2nd
7/23: DNF
7/24: 6th
9/3: 1st
9/4: 6th
Silver Dollar:
7/4: DNF
8/20: 2nd
Petaluma:
8/14: 4th
DRC Motorsports Media 