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, U.S.
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 former professional stock car racing driver. He was a development driver for Richard Childress Racing and a member of NASCAR NEXT. As part of NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program, he drove the No. 2 Toyota Camry for Rev Racing in the regional K&N Pro Series East. He also raced in the national Xfinity Series for RCR and Biagi-DenBeste Racing. Ryan Gifford is the first African-American driver to win a pole position in the K&N East series. He now works at the shop of Team Dillon Racing.

Early Life and Racing Start

Ryan Gifford's mom was Michelle Gifford, and his dad is Allen Burnette. He 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 and later 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 that time, he won two track championships. In his last season, he finished 3rd in the national standings. In 2005, when he was 15, Ryan moved into stock car racing with dirt late models. In his first season, he earned three pole positions and finished in the top 5 four times.

In 2006, Mike Dillon noticed Ryan. Mike Dillon is the son-in-law of Richard Childress and the general manager for RCR. In 2008, Ryan moved to the Dillon family's home in North Carolina. He then competed for RCR and Team Dillon Racing on both dirt and asphalt tracks. That season, he won three races and finished in the top 10 twenty times in 29 starts. In 2009, Ryan made four starts in the K&N Pro Series East and one in the West Series. He drove a No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet for RCR. Ryan 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 Gifford was one of eleven young drivers chosen for NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program. This program helps talented drivers from different backgrounds get into racing. Ryan drove the No. 2 Chevrolet in the K&N Pro Series East. He raced alongside drivers who would later become famous, like Darrell Wallace Jr. and Paulie Harraka. Ryan earned four top-five finishes in the 10-race season and finished 9th in points. He also won a pole position at Martinsville Speedway. This was a big moment because it was the first pole position won by an African American driver in the series' history.

Ryan continued to race in the K&N Pro Series East in 2011 and 2012. He had seven top-10 finishes in 26 races. He finished 10th in points in 2011 and 11th in 2012.

In 2013, Ryan was selected for the NASCAR NEXT program. This program helps promising young drivers develop their skills. He also got a new crew chief, the experienced race car driver Mark Green. Ryan won his first race, the Blue Ox 100, on April 27 at Richmond International Raceway. He started 11th and worked his way to the front. He beat Brandon Gdovic and Cole Custer after a late-race restart. That year, Ryan finished 11th in points with four top-5 finishes and six top-10 finishes.

After a race in July 2014 at Loudon, New Hampshire, Ryan was fined $1,000 for an incident with another driver. He was also put on probation for the rest of that year.

NASCAR Nationwide Series Races

In August 2013, Ryan Gifford made his debut in a national NASCAR series. He raced at Iowa Speedway for Richard Childress Racing in their No. 33 Menards Chevrolet. He started in 23rd place and finished an impressive 9th. In 2014, Ryan was scheduled to race in two events for Biagi-DenBeste Racing. These races were at Iowa in May and Kentucky in June. Ryan finished 20th in his only appearance at Iowa that year.