Sean Rayhall: 2020 IRA Rookie of the Year

The year is 2017, and at the incredible Algarve International Circuit in Portimao, Portugal, a young man by the name of Sean Rayhall has just reached the top of the road racing ladder. He and his teammate John Falb have been crowned European Le Mans series champions. A storied road racing career for Rayhall saw him win in just about every car imaginable; Indy Lights (at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Mid-Ohio), LMP3, Prototype Challenge, Asphalt Legends, Stock Cars, and IMSA Lites. The then 22 year old Rayhall would apparently retire from racing shortly after that in 2018. However, in 2020, at dirt tracks around the country, the Rayhall name popped up once again. Away from the politics and drama of road course racing and an almost complete 180 degree flip from his past; on dirt. Behind the wheel of the fire-breathing monsters that are 410 Winged Outlaw Sprint Cars, as a Sage Fruit Rookie of the Year contender in the Bumper to Bumper IRA Sprints.

The IRA Sprints have featured some of the best competition in terms of regional 410 Sprint Car racing in the nation. A series whose drivers regularly give incoming National Tours runs for their money, the IRA boasts drivers such as now 10x Champion Bill Balog, 2x Champion Scotty Neitzel, 2018 Champion Jake Blackhurst, 2016 Champion Jeremy Schultz, regular contenders and past winners Blake Nimee, Jordan Goldesberry and Scotty Thiel, as well as frequent visits from outside talent such as Hunter Schuerenberg, Josh Schneiderman, Paul Nienhiser, Chase Stockon and Brooke Tatnell. Needless to say, the IRA series offered up a huge amount of talent for Rayhall to test his mettle against, and a massive challenge for himself and the 14R team.

After a tough start to the 2020 season with DNF’s in South Dakota and Minnesota, it didn’t take long for Rayhall to put together strong results. At an MSA 360 Sprints show at Beaver Dam Raceway on June 27th, Rayhall finished 2nd in his Heat Race after an incredible battle with 2 Time IRA Champion Scotty Neitzel, and would go on to log his first career top 10 in a sprint car with an 8th place finish out of 42 cars present. Then just one week later, Rayhall would start 22nd in the IRA Sprints feature at 141 Speedway and begin a torrid drive through the field to finish 8th, picking up the hard charger award and putting the IRA, its drivers, and fans all on notice that Rayhall and the 14R team were for real, and here to stay.

Rayhall would back up those two fantastic results with back to back Quick Time awards on July 17th and 18th at the Plymouth Dirt Track and Wilmot Raceway, further proving his stellar pace early in the season was no fluke. The end of the IRA season saw Rayhall move back down to the southern United States to compete in select shows with the USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour. In his debut at Chatham Speedway in Louisiana, Rayhall tallied two strong finishes, including a sterling drive from 21st on Night 2. Rayhall originally would line up 14th, but after lap one contact caused the 14R to visit the work area, he was relegated to the very rear of the field. On a largely one lane race track, Rayhall showed impressive speed and pace against some stout competition, powering around the outside of nearly half the field to finish 12th, narrowly missing out on a Top 10 finish at the line. In the Woodstock, GA Native’s maiden dirt track season, he tallied 5 Top Ten finishes, a whopping 16 Top 15 finishes, 2 B Main victories and a 6th place finish in the IRA Points standings, absolutely dominating the Sage Fruit Rookie of the Year battle.

What’s next for Rayhall? The Sippel Racin’ 14R team will look to run upwards of 60-70 races in the 2021 season, spanning across multiple series and the entire US, including a full IRA Sprints schedule. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks on Sean Rayhall and his plans for racing in 2021.

Article credit: Midwest AutoSports