Ryan Eversley

Ryan Eversley (born December 22, 1983, in Lithonia, Georgia) is an American race car driver.[1] Starting in 2015, Eversley has been a Honda factory driver who primarily races in the Pirelli World Challenge series for the RealTime Racing Acura team in an Acura TLX-GT in the GT class. In 2017 Eversley and his team started racing the new NSX GT3.[2]

Ryan Eversley
NationalityAmerican
Born (1983-12-22) December 22, 1983
Lithonia, Georgia, U.S.
Pirelli World Challenge career
Debut season2010
Current teamGradient Racing Acura
Car number5
Wins5
Previous series
2019
2010		Stadium Super Trucks
SCCA Pro Racing World Challenge

Early career

Though his parents could not fund his racing career, they were supportive and helped Eversley to find opportunities. He left public school and pursued his high school degree in a homeschooling program so he could pursue a driving career.

Eversley got a job from Mike Johnson in 2001 with the Archangel Racing Team as a mechanic, allowing him to leave his full-time job at the local mill. He vowed that his entrance into motor sports would allow him to never need to return to the mill.

“I was one of the first guys in the shop every day and I was the one they had to tell to go home because I was so excited to be working on prototypes at 16 and 17 years old," Eversley stated in an interview on the Marshall Pruett Podcast in 2016.[3] His first race as a mechanic was with the Archangel team the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in 2001.

Using the money he made working, Eversley went to the Panoz Racing Schools at Road Atlanta and raced go-karts whenever possible to gain experience. A driver himself, Mike Johnson was able to help Eversley get seat time and eventually a ride in the Continental Tire Series.

First race

Eversley's first race took place in Sonoma in the Spring of 2003 in a Star Mazda. In his own words: “I rented a ride from a kid I met on Auto Racing AOL chatroom. This kid, Chris Nelson, him and his dad Bob Nelson help me out”. The Nelsons had the car, but didn’t have enough money to race it. Eversley continues: “They said come to Sonoma. As long as you don’t crash you’re fine. It was kind of nerve wracking, because I don’t have two pennies to rub together… We go. I finish dead last, I sucked and I was so happy.”[4]

2003–present

2003

Debuted in ST I class. He finished 16th in only one race at Virginia International Raceway.

2004

In 2004, James Cook offered Eversley a ride in three IMSA races if he would build the car for him. Eversley accepted and created a team with Crew Chief Jason Duncan. They built the B2K/40 Lola with a Millington turbo engine and raced it at Mid-Ohio, Lime Rock and Road Atlanta in the LMP2 class. Though the class was small, the car finished 2nd in each race.

Finished 15th in lone ST race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

2006

Did not score any points after driving in four races.

2007

Finished 83rd in GS points. … Three races, best finish 15th at Daytona International Speedway.

2008

Finished 26th in GS points. … Seven races, best finish ninth at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

2009

Eversley competed in the 24 Hours of Daytona in the GT class for Stevenson Motorsports. The team finished 22nd overall and 13th in class.

2010

Eversley competed in the SCCA Pro Racing World Challenge race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and won both rounds of the TC class in his series debut.[5] He made another Rolex Sports Car Series start in 2010 for Matt Connolly Motorsports at Barber Motorsports Park. The team failed to finish the race. He also drove in the American Le Mans Series' Petit Le Mans for Magnus Racing in the GTC class and finished third in class.[6] Finished 84th in GS points. Four races, best finish 10th at Virginia International Raceway. Eversley drives in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge for Compass360 Racing in the ST class. He captured a class victory in the race at Virginia International Raceway. He also competed in the 2011 24 Hours of Daytona for The Racer's Group in the Children's Tumor Foundation charity Porsche. The team finished 20th overall and 8th in class.

2015

2015 was his first year competing full-time in the Pirelli World Challenge series in the GT class. In the first Pirelli World Challenge race of 2015, the Nissan Grand Prix of Texas at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX, Eversley, in the No. 43 RealTime/Acura Motorsports/HPD Acura TLX-GT, rocketed up to finish fifth after starting 25th on the day. Eversley was awarded the Optima Batteries Best Start Award for gaining eight positions, and the VP Racing Fuels Hard Charger Award for gaining 20 positions in the race.

Driving an Acura TLX for RealTime Racing, Eversley recorded a win at St. Petersburg, ultimately finishing 6th in the GT standings.

2016

Eversley returned to World Challenge racing with RealTime in 2016, again driving the TLX. He recorded back-to-back wins at Road America, finishing 6th in the GT standings for the second year in a row with four podiums.[7]

2017

RealTime Racing returned to the World Challenge in 2017 with a new program in the Acura NSX GT3. They scored one podium with a 2nd place finish at Utah, but Eversley reported in the Mario Andretti episode of his Dinner With Racers podcast that the team is struggling with downforce in their first year in development with the new car.

2018

In December 2017, Eversley announced that he would be joining Honda of America Racing Team (HART) in 2018 to drive an Acura NSX GT3 with co-driver Chad Gilsinger in Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup races.

2019

A few weeks prior to the opening weekend of the Blancpain GT series of America, Eversley announced his commitment to the Gradient Racing team, running an Acura NSX GT3 Evo. Eversley continued his IMSA career with co-driver Chad Gilsinger in HART's Honda Civic Type R TCR under the Michelin Pilot Challenge.

In July, he made his Stadium Super Trucks debut at Honda Indy Toronto, driving the No. 43 Continental Tire truck.[8] The following month, he competed in the series' Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course weekend. In the Friday round, he was involved in a wreck with Jeff Hoffman on the first lap that sent his truck into a flip before landing on its wheels; although he finished fourth, he was promoted to third when Cole Potts received a one-position penalty for cutting the course.[9][10]

Children's Tumor Foundation charity work

After driving the Children's Tumor Foundation (CTF) charity car in the 2011 24 Hours of Daytona, Eversley has been committed to raising money and awareness to battle neurofibromatosis, a condition that causes tumors to form in the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. Over the last few years Eversley has raised tens of thousands of dollars for CTF, largely through an annual event called the Cupid's Undie Run, which he and other team members run in their underwear every February.

Dinner with Racers podcast

Eversley co-hosts the racing podcast Dinner with Racers with Sean Heckman. They travel across the United States to interview other racing drivers, team owners, engineers and general motorsports personalities over meals. The show has had 3 seasons and over 90 guests from various motorsports series, mostly focused on American racing series like NASCAR, IndyCar and the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Personal life

Ryan is the son of veteran sports car racing mechanic John Eversley. He currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia. His daily driver is an Acura MDX with Continental tires.

Motorsports career results

(key)

Pirelli World Challenge results
Year Team Make Engine Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Rank Points
2010 Mazda RX-8 TC STP1 STP2 LBH MOS1 MOS2 WAT TOR MDO1
1		 MDO2
1		 VIR1 VIR2 MIL 15th 249
2014 C360R Subaru Impreza WRX STI GTS STP LBH BAR1
12		 BAR2
8		 DET1 DET2 ELK1 ELK2 TOR1 TOR2 MDO1 MDO2 SON1 SON2 MIL1 MIL1 28th 122
2015 RealTime Racing Acura TLX-GT GT COA1
34		 COA2
5		 STP1
1		 STP2
7		 LBH
6		 BAR1
14		 BAR2
12		 MOS1
15		 MOS2
10		 DET
9		 ELK1
9		 ELK2
10		 ELK3
23		 MDO1
11		 MDO2
12		 MIL1
11		 MIL2
9		 SON1
10		 SON2
17		 LAG
10		 6th 1198
2016 RealTime Racing Acura TLX-GT GT COA1
10		 COA2
12		 STP1
10		 STP2
6		 LBH
7		 BAR1
20		 BAR2
12		 MOS1
3		 MOS2
18		 LRP1
6		 LRP2
4		 ELK1
1		 ELK2
1		 MDO1
5		 MDO2
2		 UTA1
4		 UTA2
17		 SON1
10		 SON2
12		 LAG
10		 6th 1365
2017 RealTime Racing Acura NSX GT3 GT STP1
DNF		 STP2
8		 LBH
11		 VIR1
19		 VIR2
11		 MOS1
11		 LRP1
5		 LRP2
5		 ELK1
10		 ELK2
8		 MDO1
10		 MDO2
8		 UTA1
5		 UTA2
2		 COA1
9		 COA2
9		 COA3
6		 SON1
DNF		 SON2
DNF		 8th 206
2018 RealTime Racing Honda Civic Type R TCR (FK8) TCR STP1
NH		 STP2
NH		 COA1
3		 COA2
3		 LBH
NH		 VIR1
1		 VIR2
2		 MOS1
NH		 MOS2
NH		 LRP1
1		 LRP2
4		 ELK1
NH		 ELK2
NH		 POR1
3		 POR2
1		 UTA1
3		 UTA2
3		 WGI1
1		 WGI2
1		 1st 276

* Season is still in progress.

Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge results
Year Team Make Engine Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rank Points
2008 Motorsport Technology Group Porsche 997 GS DAY LRP MOS MDO WAT BAR IA CTR NJ MIL VIR 26th 111
2009 Kinetic Motorsports BMW M3 GS DAY MIA NJ
16		 LAG LRP
13		 WAT MDO
11		 BAR CTR MIL VIR
10		 44th 33
2010 C360R Honda Civic Si ST DAY
5		 MIA
30		 BAR
3		 VIR
1		 LRP
3		 WAT
2		 MDO
3		 NJ
4		 CTR MIL
4		 4th 239
BGB Motorsports Porsche Carrera GS DAY MIA BAR VIR LRP WAT MDO NJ CTR MIL
16		 80th 15
2011 C360R Honda Civic Si ST DAY
11		 MIA
5		 BAR
22		 VIR
1		 LRP
3		 WAT
5		 ELK
16		 LAG
6		 NJ
9		 MDO
10		 2nd 229
2012 C360R Honda Civic Si ST DAY
12		 BAR
7		 MIA
5		 NJ
30		 MDO
7		 ELK
6		 WAT
29		 IMS
29		 LAG
4		 LRP
18		 11th 164
2013 C360R Honda Civic Si ST DAY
3		 COA
6		 BAR
13		 ATL
11		 MDO
3		 WAT
2		 IMS
19		 ELK
16		 KAN
3		 LAG
9		 LRP 2nd 259
2014 C360R Honda Civic Si ST DAY
DNF		 SEB
17		 LAG
7		 LRP
2		 KAN
4		 WAT
1		 MOS
4		 IMS
21		 ELK
19		 VIR COA
1		 ATL
1		 9th 234
2016 HART Honda Civic Si ST DAY SEB LAG WAT
21		 MOS
3		 LRP
26		 ELK
2		 VIR
1		 COA ATL 20th 139

Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series
Rolex Sports Car Series
YearTrackNo.CarTeamClassStartFinishStatus
2007Daytona87Porsche GT3Farnbacher Loles RacingGT1219Running
2007Lime Rock24BMW M3Matt Connolly MotorsportsGT34Running
2009Daytona97Chevrolet CorvetteStevenson MotorsportsGT2212Running
2010Birmingham19Chevrolet CorvetteMatt Connolly MotorsportsGT1215DNF
2011Daytona4Porsche GT3TRGGT68Running
2011Watkins Glen67Porsche GT3TRGGT1616Running
2011Laguna Seca67Porsche GT3TRGGT1611Running
2012Daytona4Porsche GT3Magnus RacingGT1736Running
2012Watkins Glen67Porsche GT3Horton AutosportGT1010Running
2013Daytona38Porsche CaymanBGB MotorsportsGX23Running

American Le Mans Series
American Le Mans Series
YearTrackNo.CarTeamClassStartFinishStatus
2004Mid-Ohio13Lola B2K/40Marshall Cooke RacingLMP242Running
2004Lime Rock13Lola B2K/40Marshall Cooke RacingLMP222Running
2004Road Atlanta13Lola B2K/40Marshall Cooke RacingLMP232Running
2010Road Atlanta19Porsche 911 GT3Magnus RacingGTC33Running

WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
YearTrackNo.CarTeamClassStartFinishStatus
2014Laguna Seca88ORECA FLM09BAR1 MotorsportsPC1010Did Not Start
2014Road Atlanta7ORECA FLM09Starworks MotorsportPC105Running
2016Daytona26ORECA FLM09BAR1 MotorsportsPC33Running

Stadium Super Trucks

(key) (Bold – Pole position. Italics – Fastest qualifier. * – Most laps led.)

Stadium Super Trucks results
Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 SSTC Pts Ref
2019 COA COA TEX TEX LBH LBH TOR
9		 TOR
8		 MOH MOH MOH
3		 MOH
6		 ROA ROA ROA POR POR SRF SRF 11th 61 [11]

References
  1. "Ryan Eversley – Pirelli World Challenge". Pirelli World Challenge. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  2. "Here's How Acura Turned the NSX into a GT3 Race Car". Road & Track. August 4, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  3. Development, PodBean. "75: Acura Sports Car Driver Ryan Eversley, Nov. 2016". Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  4. Development, PodBean. "The Marshall Pruett Podcast". marshallpruett.podbean.com. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  5. Eversley Wins in Touring Car Debut at Mid-Ohio, Go Racing TV, August 7, 2010, Retrieved August 29, 2011
  6. STRONG ALMS DEBUT FOR MAGNUS RACING WITH THIRD-PLACE IN GTC AT PETIT LE MANS, American Le Mans Series, October 5, 2010, Retrieved August 29, 2011
  7. http://autoweek.com/article/sports-cars/pirelli-world-challenge-results-ryan-eversley-acura-sweeps-road-america-weekend
  8. Nguyen, Justin (July 10, 2019). "Ryan Eversley, Casey Mears join SST grid at Toronto". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  9. Nguyen, Justin (August 10, 2019). "Cole Potts penalised for course cutting, Ryan Eversley promoted to first SST podium". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  10. Hamilton, Rob (August 12, 2019). "Cindric wins Saturday". Galion Inquirer. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  11. "2019 Overall Point Standings". Stadium Super Trucks. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
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