Auto racing world loses a local legend in Dan Ryan

The Elko Speedway Hall of Fame member was robbed of his mobility by ALS, but he never lost his spirit -- or his enthusiasm for auto racing.

By DAVID LA VAQUE, dlavaque @ startribune.com

Last update: January 2, 2009 - 9:18 PM
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Dan Ryan's eyes never betrayed him, even as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) robbed him of mobility and limited his breathing.

"He could still give you that nasty stare," said Alison Gilbertson, Dan's daughter.

Ryan, 48, an automobile racing enthusiast and member of the Elko Speedway Hall of Fame, died Friday of complications from ALS. He is survived by wife Lisa and their children Alison, Jake and Dan Jr.

The 2000s marked Ryan's fourth decade of both attending and participating in events at Elko Speedway, dubbed his "Family Vacation Home." He began racing Thunder Cars in 1991 and progressed through the local circuit.

Upon his retirement in 2003, he used his knowledge to help sons Jake and Patrick reach new heights in their racing careers. Racing for DPR Motorsports, Jake was named the 2004 Super Late Model Rookie of the Year while Dan Jr. won the 2008 Thunder Car season championship.

Not long after being diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, in December 2005, Dan Sr. depended on a motorized scooter to get around Elko Speedway as fulfill his duties as head of the DPR Motorsports team. ALS is a fatal neurological condition caused by the degeneration of nerve cells that control voluntary muscle movement.

On cold nights last racing season, he sat in a van parked where he could see the track and watch his sons compete. And he became more dependent on a breathing apparatus.

"The hardest thing about ALS is that Dad's mind and spirit were still the same, he just couldn't move," Gilbertson said. "At our family's New Year's Eve party he was talking to one of my brother's friends about racing."

Ryan was inducted into the Elko Speedway Hall of Fame on May 17, the latest in a string of life accomplishments. He was named homecoming king at Rosemount High School in 1978. His brother, Marc, said Dan was "a self-taught master plumber at age 22."

Dan's father, John, helped start Genz-Ryan, a local heating, plumbing and cooling company in 1950.

Gilbertson, with the help of friends and family, founded "A Race Worth Winning," a nonprofit organization seeking to educate the public about ALS while raising money for ALS-related causes. The organization raised $40,000 last year.

"He touched so many people through racing," Gilbertson said. "There were about 50 people in a 12-by-12 hospital room with him at the end."



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