Dynamic debut for Rosencrance
BUTLER TWP — Two out of three ain’t bad.
Butler Township resident Jarrett Rosencrance, in his first full year of driving a 305 Sprint car, won the International Motor Contest Association’s (IMCA) National Rookie of the Year Award last season by one point over Austin Reed. He lost the Allegheny Sprint Tour points title to by a single point to Stephen Cousins.
Rosencrance was recently named Western Pa. Rookie of the Year for the 2021 season by Area Auto Racing News and publicist Walt Wimer Jr.
Wimer began that awards program in 1968.
“No way did I figure I’d even have a shot at that,” Rosencrance said. “I’m not only excited to win it, I’m honored to win it because of the names of some of the previous winners on that list.”
The Rookie of the Year Award is a single honor that covers all racing divisions throughout Western Pennsylvania. Some of the previous winners include area dirt track racing legends Bob Felmlee, Ed Lynch Jr., Dave and Dale Blaney, Jared Miley, Dave Murdick and Kevin Bolland.
“Ed Lynch Jr. (Lernerville Speedway’s all-time Sprint feature win leader) ... I aspire to become what he became,” Rosencrance said.
Rosencrance turns 24 this year. He never raced a Sprint car — or any car, for that matter — before the 2021 season, other than a couple of races in 2020. His main track is Mercer Raceway Park, where he runs on Saturday nights. He won the Sprint points championship there as a rookie.
He tallied 690 points on the Allegheny Sprint Tour last season. That series has races at Dog Hollow, Mercer, Latrobe and Knox this year.
“I’m running that Allegheny tour again this year and my goal is to win it this time,” Rosencrance said. “I also want to repeat as Mercer points champion.”
He also plans to race in six shows at Lernerville Speedway this season.
The Western Pa. Rookie of the Year award is determined by vote of a panel consisting of 50 to 60 people. Wimer put out a list of 15 to 18 names on the ballot and no one was permitted to vote for more than one driver.
“It came down to Jarrett and Ben Easler, a Modified driver from up around Linesville,” Wimer said. “Jarrett won by 10 ballots or so.
“A lot of great drivers have won this through the years. This is a good start for him.”
Rosencrance’s father, David Rosencrance, raced a Pro Stock at Lernerville in the early 1990s. His father convinced Jarrett to get started in racing now if he was ever going to do it.
Rosencrance has a long-term goal of racing in the All-Star Series and moving up to a 410 Sprint car. The latter costs nearly three times as much as a 310 Sprint.
“My goals haven’t changed that way,” Rosencrance said. “I’m hoping to be doing this for a lot of years.”
Rosencrance is driving the same race car he used last year. Only his sponsors are different.
He runs his own landscaping business in addition to his weekend racing career.
