ANDY McKISSON MATURES INTO TOP SPRINT STAR AT TRI-CITY
by Brian Spaid

June 25, 2004 

   Last Sunday night at Tri-City Speedway, the race fans were seeing yellow.

   No, it wasn’t a rash of cautions. It was Andy McKisson’s bright yellow J&J-chassis No. 0, which entered victory lane for the first time at the Venango County half-mile oval.

   McKisson, 31, captured his first career Super Sprint feature at Tri-City on June 20. It was a long time coming for the Strattanville driver, who is a fan favorite in the class.

   “We’ve been trying to win a race at Tri-City for a long time,” said McKisson. “We paid our dues and kept working at it. It didn’t sink in right away. Then, we got home and started talking about it, and we realized what we finally accomplished.”

   For McKisson, it’s been a long road to the winner’s circle at Tri-City. Starting his career in Micro Sprints in 1992, he raced in the small winged machines for four seasons notching one victory at Challenger Raceway near Indiana. In 1996, he moved into the full-fledged Super Sprints. He worked and worked until he finally scored his first win at Latrobe Speedway in 2002.

   “When we won at Latrobe,” recalled McKisson, “we really thought that things would start rolling for our team. We didn’t know it would take almost two more years before we’d score a second win.”

   On June 12, McKisson finally grabbed that second win, this time at Sharon Speedway in Ohio. Lady Luck shone on him when early race leaders Ed Lynch Jr. and Dan Shetler suffered mechanical woes. McKisson took advantage of their misfortune and raced on to victory.

   “After we won at Sharon, we just hoped that we wouldn’t have to wait two more years for another one.”

   Only eight days later, McKisson scored a satisfying win at Tri-City. This one was different than Sharon, however. While he fell into victory at the Buckeye State oval, he dominated at Tri-City. Taking the lead on the second lap, he defeated two top Super Sprint stars in Rod George and Jarod Larson.

   “It makes you feel better when you beat some of the best in the western Pennsylvania,” said McKisson, who works as a concrete finisher for his family business, McKisson & Son Contracting.

   What made the difference for McKisson to be able to notch two wins after a two-year drought? In his mind, two significant events occurred.

   “For years, we ran consistent anywhere from third to sixth in most feature races. It didn’t matter what we did. We really felt our motor program needed a boost.”

   That financial commitment came from Sam and Sharon Wolbert of Lucinda. They helped the likeable racer with a Kriner Racing Engine. The extra horsepower made all the difference.

   “Sam and Sharon helped us become more competitive. Without them, we wouldn’t have won two races. Ironically, we won at Sharon with the original powerplant we bought this season. Then, I hurt the engine the next night at Tri-City. We sent the engine back to the shop for repairs and found more problems, so Kriner let us get a new one, which we still haven’t fully paid for yet. The newer engine was under the hood when we won at Tri-City.”

   The other factor in McKisson’s new found success was his change in focus. That occurred on June 6 at Tri-City. With a big lead in the Super Sprint feature, McKisson was racing hard to keep Ed Lynch Jr. behind him. Suddenly, he hit a little water on the inside of turn one. He slid up the track just enough to catch the berm of the outside groove. And he spun out.

   “I was so mad at myself. I learned later that I had a big lead. In victory lane, Lynch said he would never have caught me. I finally decided to take a lot of advice over the years. I needed to race the track and not the other cars. That was my turning point as a driver.”

   By focusing on the track, a driver doesn’t necessarily forget about the competition. Instead, a driver works on making his car better for track conditions. When you nail the right setup for a dirt track, you are one of the fastest cars out there and the other cars literally come back to you as you rise to their level. Then, you become more competitive and confident in your abilities as a driver.

   “I think all of us are finally catching George and Lynch at Tri-City,” added McKisson, who joined those two veterans as well as Jason Jacoby of Franklin and Larson on the winner’s list this season. “I learned everything I know from (2000 track champion) Craig Rankin the late Tom Shoup. I’ve gambled on setups a few times until I finally found the right combination. I’m catching up to the knowledge that those veterans have at the track.”

   It is unlikely that McKisson will be a top contender for the track title in 2004. In August, he expects his employment to call him west to work on a construction job in Kansas City. However, if everything comes together, he may pay a visit to the mecca of sprint car racing.

   “As long as our equipment and motor are up to snuff, we might tow to the Knoxville Nationals in Iowa.”

   Watching a race car driver mature into a winner is one of the most fascinating things about auto racing. It takes a lot of time and talent. When it all finally comes together, it makes the sport more exciting and its growth continue into the future. And Andy McKisson is the future of Super Sprint stardom in our region.

   Sponsors on McKisson’s car include Frank’s Truck Wash and Vortex Spray-On Bedliners of Barkeyville, Luton’s Heating, Plumbing and Air Conditioning of Clarion, The Tavern of Clarion, Wellness Health Options of Clarion, Susan Hahnfeldt State Farm Insurance Agency of Clarion, Eastern Foundation of West Middlesex, S&W Auto Service of Snydersburg, Pennewell Sandblasting & Painting of Oil City, and Don L. Graham Jr. Logging & Wood Hauling of Clarion.