SCOUTING REPORT: Ryan Missler

OVERVIEW:  Ryan Missler is now a four-time and defending track champion at Attica Raceway Park.  After going winless at Attica in 2011, the Bellevue, OH driver rebounded with a pair of victories in 2012.  In recent years, he's gone from running solely at Attica on Fridays to becoming a semi-regular at Oakshade Raceway on Saturdays.

WHAT WE KNOW:  Not much is known about Missler's 2013 plans at this time, mostly because Missler is still up in the air on several things.  During the offseason, Ryan and his wife Amber welcomed their second bouncing baby girl into their lives and, as you may guess, that's taken up the majority of his time.  The most likely scenario is that "The Missile" remains a fixture at Attica on Fridays and, when time (and family) allows, Oakshade on Saturdays.  Off the track, Ryan has the wheels in motion for a fun program in 2013 in which fans can register for his fan club (via his website www.ryanmisslerracing.com) and have their name on his Late Model throughout the 2013 season in addition to receiving a custom Ryan Missler Racing t-shirt.

WHERE HE'S GOOD:  You don't win four straight track championships without being good at your home track, and that's exactly what Missler has done over the last four years at Attica.  Although his consistency has fallen off just a tad in the last two years, he's been strong enough to rebound the following week after mechanic issues and/or ill-handling race cars.  He also seems to be one of the better pill drawers at Attica, and we all know good luck is a fortune much needed to be successful in the sport.

WHERE TO IMPROVE:  If he's going to win an astonishing fifth straight championship at Attica, Missler will need to be more consistent in 2013.  The competition for the track title seems to close in on him more and more each year, and nobody expects that to change this year, although we do know that Justin Chance most likely won't be at Attica every week this season.  One other small area of improvement would be to hone his skills at Oakshade where - as Ryan will admit - he occasionally misses his mark.

DRIVER'S THOUGHTS:  "I'd like to say we are going to light up the map this upcoming year and travel all over the country, but that isn't possible...nothing new and exciting....we plan on winning races and trying to have fun while we're at it."