Michael Ritch
Michael Ritch is an American stock car racing driver who competed in 47 races across NASCAR's top three series between 1992 and 2002. He also competed in 165 Rev-Oil [Pro Cup Series] races between 1998 and 2009, winning 15 races and the 2007 Southern Division Championship. Ritch currently competes on the SMART Modified Tour.
Early career
Ritch began his racing career when he was nine years old when he raced BMX bikes. He would eventually move to late model race cars. At the age pf nineteen, he won both the track championship at Ace Speedway in Elon, North Carolina and the regional Mid-Atlantic Championship in 1992, winning fourteen of his 44 starts.NASCAR career
Winston Cup Series
Ritch made his only career Winston Cup start at Dover International Speedway in 1995. He would finish 34th in the forty-car field, falling out of the race just before the halfway mark after an engine failure..Busch Series
Ritch made sporadic Busch Series starts between 1992 and 1999, often on short tracks in Virginia and The Carolinas. During this time he made eighteen starts with a best finish of ninth coming at Orange County Speedway in 1994.In 2000, Ritch got an opportunity to run a full schedule, driving the No. 55 Ford for Davis & Weight Motorsports. The season was a disappointment as Ritch failed to qualify eleven times in 32 attempts, had only one lead lap finish, and finished 33rd in the standings. He also finished in the top-twenty only five times that season, with a best finish of thirteenth at Talladega, and also led five laps at Gateway. His best showing that season came at South Boston Speedway when he was fastest in practice and qualified third for the race, but finished 25th after a rear gear problem late in the race. After the season, Ritch was released and never attempted another Busch Series race after that.