Ryan Gifford facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ryan Gifford
Gifford at Richmond International Raceway in 2011
Nationality	American
Born	(1989-03-10) March 10, 1989 (age 36) Winchester, Tennessee
NASCAR K&N Pro Series East career
Debut season	2009
Starts	70
Wins	1
Poles	1
Best finish	9th in 2010
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
2 races run over 2 years
2014 position	67th
Best finish	63rd (2013)
First race	2013 U.S. Cellular 250 (Iowa)
Last race	2014 Get To Know Newton 250 (Iowa)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 1 0
Statistics current as of September 28, 2014.

Ryan Gifford (born March 10, 1989) is an American professional stock car racer. He used to be a young driver learning with Richard Childress Racing and was part of the NASCAR NEXT program. He last drove the No. 2 Toyota Camry for Rev Racing in the regional K&N Pro Series East. He was also part of NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program. Ryan has raced in the national Xfinity Series for RCR and Biagi-DenBeste Racing. He is the first African-American driver to win a pole position in the K&N East series. Today, he works at the shop of Team Dillon Racing.

Early Life and Racing Start

Ryan Gifford is the son of Allen Burnette and Michelle Gifford. His mother passed away in 2010. Ryan also has a half-brother named Jabryle Hill. Ryan's grandfather, Farrell Gifford, was a drag racer. He introduced Ryan to racing when Ryan was just six years old. Ryan graduated from Franklin County High School. He also went to Middle Tennessee State University.

Ryan started his racing journey in go-karts at age eight. He competed in the World Karting Association from 2000 to 2004. During this time, he won two track championships. In his last season, he finished 3rd in the national standings.

Moving to Stock Cars

In 2005, at age 15, Ryan began racing stock cars. He started with dirt late models. In his first season, he earned 3 pole positions and four top-5 finishes. In 2006, Mike Dillon noticed Ryan. Mike Dillon is the son-in-law of Richard Childress, who owns a big racing team.

In 2008, Ryan moved to North Carolina to live with the Dillon family. He raced for RCR and Team Dillon Racing. He competed on both dirt and asphalt tracks. That year, he won 3 races and had 20 top-10 finishes in 29 starts. In 2009, Ryan raced in the K&N Pro Series East and the West Series. He drove a No. 29 Chevrolet for RCR. He earned four top-5 finishes, including two second-place finishes.

K&N Pro Series East Highlights

Gifford's winning car at Richmond in 2013.

In 2010, Ryan was chosen for NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program. This program helps young drivers from different backgrounds get into racing. He drove the No. 2 Chevrolet in the K&N Pro Series East. He raced alongside drivers like Darrell Wallace Jr. and Paulie Harraka. Ryan had 4 top-5 finishes in 10 races. He finished 9th in the overall points standings. He also won a pole position at Martinsville Speedway. This was a big moment, as it was the first pole won by an African American in the series' history. Ryan continued to race in 2011 and 2012. He earned seven top-10 finishes in 26 races. He finished 10th and 11th in points in those years.

First Win and NASCAR NEXT

In 2013, Ryan became part of the NASCAR NEXT program. This program supports promising young drivers. He also got a new crew chief, Mark Green, who was an experienced racer. On April 27, Ryan won his first race, the Blue Ox 100. This exciting win happened at Richmond International Raceway. He started 11th and worked his way to the front. He beat Brandon Gdovic and Cole Custer after a late restart. That year, Ryan finished 11th in points. He had four top-5 finishes and six top-10 finishes.

NASCAR Nationwide Series Racing

In August 2013, Ryan Gifford made his first start in a national NASCAR series. He raced at Iowa Speedway for Richard Childress Racing. He drove their No. 33 Chevrolet. He started in 23rd place and finished an impressive 9th. In 2014, Ryan signed up to race in two more events. He raced for Biagi-DenBeste Racing at Iowa in May and Kentucky in June. He finished 20th in his only race at Iowa that year.