2016 SPEARS Southwest Tour Series Championship Standings – 2nd Place: Ryan Cansdale

Cansdale Scores Championship Runner-Up Finish in SPEARS Southwest Tour

Laguna Beach, CA driver Ryan Cansdale finished the SPEARS (SRL) Southwest Tour Season as the Championship Runner-up. It was the 17 year old drivers second near miss, in two seasons on the “Tour”, as he finished the 2015 season second in the Rookie of the Year Standings, a mere eight points behind Parker Stephens. For Cansdale, it has been the exception, rather than the rule, as he counts 12 career championships to his name.

As one of the top young drivers on the West Coast, Cansdale has won three of the last ten events on the SPEARS Southwest Tour Series. Ryan won the final event, of the 2015 season, at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He then followed that up with two wins in the first four events of the 2016 SRL season. That did not include a win in the final segment of the split 150 lap feature at Kern County Raceway. Ryan finished the season with those two wins, while adding six top five, and eight top ten finishes. He also set fast time twice, with an automatic track record at Tucson Raceway. Cansdale’s 218 laps led were second only to Derek Thorn.

Despite registering only one DNF in the last two seasons, Cansdale feels that he would need to be more consistent, in order to win a championship in the SPEARS Southwest Tour Series.

“I think the way to improve our standings would be to improve our consistency”, Cansdale told the SPEARS SRL Southwest tour Series. “I feel like finishing every race is more important than winning any.”

Even though Ryan took the checkered flag first, on three occasions in 2016, his most memorable race was one in which he finished fourth in a race of strategy.

Cansdale said, “The thing I probably remember the most was the Tucson Speedway (AZ) race. I really enjoyed how the track led to such a strategic race, even though we came up a little bit short.”

Cansdale’s 2017 plans are currently being finalized, but it can be assured that the Mac Steel, High Point Racing, Race Car Factory Chevrolet will be a contender for wins at each and every event they enter. Look for the number 57 in a winner’s circle near you.