Ty Tutterow has been around racing his entire life. It’s a sport he’s been fed turned into a passion he now eats, sleeps, and breathes. Despite being just 21 years old, he’s got 12 years of experience on 660 and 1320-foot tracks across the country. Thanks to his association with his father, Todd “King Tut” Tutterow and the growing conglomerate that is GALOT Motorsports, Ty has had the unique opportunity to go almost immediately from Junior Dragster racing to Pro Mod. He bracket raced his grandfather’s Camaro for a couple of years before licensing in a Pro Mod at the age of 18. And next season he’ll be a full-time hired gun, driving a GALOT Motorsports car in PDRA Pro Boost with teammate John Strickland while Kevin Rivenbark and the eldest Tutterow will follow the NHRA Pro Mod tour.
Ty made his PDRA Pro Boost debut at the season finale this year. He qualified a respectable 12th, and, incredibly, made it to the finals in his very first event, where he was beaten by the newly crowned world champion and his teammate, Rivenbark.
“It’s an honor to drive for GALOT,” Ty stated humbly. “The last two years the program has gotten so much stronger. We went nine for nine races in PDRA Pro Boost. I think we, without a doubt, have the most competitive Pro Boost cars and some of the most competitive Pro Mod cars, period. I’m very excited to pursue the PDRA tour next season. I’m beyond words, actually. It’s still sinking in.
“It’s a big honor to be a part of this deal. None of this would be possible without having sponsors and people to help me get to this point. Hank Thomas Performance has helped me out since I started racing. The opportunity that Mr. Wells has given me is a once-in-a-lifetime deal. Who would think they’d put a 21-year-old in a Pro Mod car?”
Ty has already been a full-time employee of GALOT Motorsports for two years now, maintaining the fleet of cars, assembling engines and transmissions, as well as servicing the trucks and trailers. And just because he’ll be a driver on the PDRA tour doesn’t mean he’ll skip out on NHRA. At those events he’s assigned to service the engine and clutch on his father’s blown Camaro. In his free time, both Ty and his father continue to bracket race.
Although Ty’s early success wasn’t necessarily expected, it’s also not surprising, given the people he’s surrounded himself with through the years, namely his father, as well as folks like Stevie Jackson, Phil Schuler and tuner Jeff Bohr.
“I go into every race believing there’s a way we can win. Losing is not an option. Stuff happens, but when we go to the race track we go for one reason: to win. I think that’s helped us a lot in our performance. With Mr. Wells, everything is number one.”
This story was originally published on February 8, 2017. 
