Kulwicki Spotlight: Ryley Music Looking to End Season on High Note

The 2026 season has been trial by fire for Ryley Music, but the Virginia driver is focused on the lessons he has learned along the way.

Music has spent most of the season searching for a trip to victory lane. It's been a frustrating season on track for the

"Definitely not as good as we want it to be," Music told Racing America. "We felt like we had bought really fast race cars and just had things not worked out and haven't really ran as good as we felt like we can. It hasn't been the best year up there up there so far, but we're still learning and growing every week."

He hopes to end his season on a high note, starting with a pair of races remaining on the Late Model schedule at Larry King Law's Langley Speedway. Music races this Saturday on Taylor Waste Services Race Night, as well as October 10 during Larry King Law Championship Night #2.

Music is also eyeing a potential visit to South Boston Speedway on November 14 for the Krush 250.

"I feel like we've had good speed the last time we went to Langley. Just kind of unfortunate circumstance, had a rear end break, so I feel like we're going to have a really good speed this weekend and championship night. I definitely think we'll be fairly quick these last two races and if the cards play out, we might be going to SoBo one more time."

Despite the on-track difficulties, Music has proudly carried the Kulwicki Driver Development Program banner throughout the year. He has learned just as much off the track as he has inside the race car as one of the program's five finalists.

"It was definitely really cool," said Music. "I wasn't prepared for it at all. I didn't know what it took to be in the program and I really didn't expect to make the program. I guess I was just one of the lucky five to be able to make it. It's definitely been a really, really cool tenure. We learn a bunch of stuff that you'd never even think about. It's definitely been really cool, and it'll help me in my future endeavors in racing."

Music has especially learned the importance of even the smallest details when it comes to approaching a race.

"They taught us a pretty, pretty decent nutritional diet through TRD and just little stuff like how to keep your body temperature down with wearing a white hat instead of a black hat, stuff like that you don't even think about. Learning how to make the safety of my race cars better with the guys over at HMS. Little things that you don't really think matter; they matter more than you think.

"The guy behind the scenes, Casey Campbell, he's really helped me throughout life and within this past year he's really helped me kind of make a full 180 in my life and I can't thank him enough for that. Ten years down the road, I'll still be thanking him just as much as I am right now."

Music has also stayed busy with charitable efforts away from the racetrack.

"We've been working with Mission Christmas, which is a toy drive for lesser fortunate kids," said Music. "We've been collecting toys from people and we've got a really, really big amount of toys collected so far. We've been collecting money as well for those same kids to buy them shoes, jackets, shirts, just clothing that they don't have and just to kind of help out where there's a need. It's been a really, really cool experience to do that. We've raised a good bit of money and a bunch of toys for it.

"We're about to do a charity race on iRacing, which is $15 to enter. We're hoping to have a good turnout to give some more to the charity with that. AWe should be having another toy drive here soon.

"We've been working with One Matters Incorporated, which is kind of helping veterans out with housing, helping disabled veterans with wheelchair ramps and all that. It's been really cool helping all those people out."

Despite the challenges throughout the year, Music remains optimistic he can visit victory lane at Langley in one of the final two nights of the season.

"For the last two races at Langley, we don't go unless we think we can win, and I think we can win. But if we're going to be realistic, it's just going to have nothing fall off the race car or break and maybe round up a top five or a top three. Those would be like a win for us with how the season's gone. And just going to SoBo, we can't complete a race without wrecking. So, finishing all 250 laps there would be huge for us."

-Photo provided by Kulwicki Driver Development Program