ITH A FAMILY history deeply rooted in radial racing , it ’ s no surprise that 29-year-old Ronny Rhodes is continuing the tradition .

“ I don ’ t think I had a choice ,” says Rhodes . “ I grew up going to the track ever since I was a little kid . My grandfather raced Ultra Street when it first started . He was racing , my dad was racing , and I was helping .”

While Rhodes ’ s father , Ron , is one of the most well-known names in X275 competition , Ronny is following in his grandfather ’ s footsteps in the Ultra Street class – even going so far as to drive the same car his grandfather did .

“ The car ’ s been in the family since 1996 ,” Rhodes says of his 1968 Camaro , featuring a 465ci small-block Chevy with nitrous . “ When I was 14 , I started building a car . Then my grandfather ended up crashing the Ultra Street car , and we decided to fix it for me to drive . From there on out , it ’ s been non-stop , and I ’ ve had good success with it .”

Success may be an understatement . Rhodes has won the Cecil County Dragway Ultra Street series three times ( 2019 , 2020 , 2022 ); the Shakedown Nationals in 2022 ; and the Atco Dragway Ultra Street series in 2014 . He has also held the Ultra Street class E . T . record , and class record for a small-block nitrous combination . Rhodes closed out the 2023 season with a win in Wild Street at Maryland International Raceway ’ s Haltech World Cup Finals .

Despite his prolific accomplishments in Ultra Street – or perhaps because of it – Rhodes is planning on selling the current engine combination from his Camaro . Rhodes believes trying something new will help reinvigorate him .

“ I have to totally redo some stuff on my car ,” Rhodes says . “ I ’ m going to redo it , and totally change the engine combination . I ’ ve been doing the same thing for the last 10 years . I ’ m just ready for something different .”

When he ’ s not at the track , Rhodes stays busy helping run Rhodes Custom Auto , the family business located in Townsend , Delaware . Rhodes doesn ’ t pigeonhole himself with any one specific job title ; rather , he is deeply rooted in all aspects of the business .

“ I do everything ,” says Rhodes . “ I work with my dad , so I ’ m always with him 24 / 7 . We ’ ve got a chassis shop , a paint and body shop , and we produce parts . It ’ s kind of a one-stop shop . It ’ s me , my dad , my grandfather , and a few employees .”

So what ’ s next for the young standout driver ? While a move up to a quicker radial class isn ’ t entirely out of the question , Rhodes is happy with where he ’ s at – an Ultra Street class that has consistently gotten quicker and more competitive over the years .

“ Ultra Street started with going 5.30s ; now we ’ re running 4.40s ,” Rhodes points out . “ I ’ ve just been progressing with it . Honestly , the progression of the class is great for my lifestyle . I can keep having a top-running car as it goes . Yes , in a couple years I ’ d ultimately like to move up . But honestly , where I live now , there ’ s really nothing else . They don ’ t have X275 around here anymore . So I think I ’ m going to stay here [ in Ultra Street ] for a little bit .” – CRAIG COOK DI

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