4/17/2018
Blake Hahn
Hahn Picks Up Top-Five Finishes in Midget and Champ Sprint Competition
(Image Credit: TeeJay Crawford)
Bryan Hulbert – SAPULPA, Okla. (April 17, 2018) Taking advantage of an off weekend with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by Sawblade.com, Blake Hahn raced close to home with a pair of top-five finishes in POWRi West Midget and Champ Sprint competition.
Taking the Velocita/Parker Lee Project No. 52 to Red Dirt Raceway in Meeker, Okla. on Friday with the Lucas Oil POWRi West Midgets, Blake picked up the win in his Heat Race to start the evening.
“I’d never been to the track in Meeker, so I really wasn’t sure what to expect. We were good in Hot Laps and just made a few small changes before the Heat. Ended up having a pretty good race with Grady [Chandler]. I think we swapped the lead six times.”
High Passing Points following the Heat, Hahn drew the fourth starting spot in the feature. Two attempts at the start saw Blake holding third for the first half-dozen laps. Getting the pass for second cautions brought little relief, but traffic brought the race for the win down to the final lap.
“I thought I had that one,” commented Hahn. “With the way the track was you had to commit a long way out to how you were going to get around slower traffic. The top was so fast, you didn’t want to get stuck on the bottom, so you had to carry some speed in on the slide to make it work, and I just carried in too much.”
Rolling to the white flag with race-long leader, Ace McCarthy, dead ahead Hahn dove the bottom of the first turn. Racing ahead of McCarthy for a moment, the No. 52 topped the cushion in turn-two, allowing Ace to sneak back by.
“I wanted that win bad, but for as little time as we get to run the Midget, I was really happy with how the car worked and ran. My Dad and Dalton had it just about perfect.”
Slated to race the Midget again at Caney Valley Speedway on Saturday, plans adjusted to Champ Sprints at Creek County Speedway with some intervention from Mother Nature. Behind the Wheel of Jerry McGehee’s No. 55h, Blake had to battle to fifth twice during the 25 lap affair.
“We ended up having to start 18th in the feature and got up to fifth pretty quick on the top. I think we were about 10 laps in and I got a run on fourth but got squeezed,” explained Blake. “
“I ended up smacking the wall with the right side tires, got on the brake going into three, and just got the car over rotated which made me mad because I felt like that was another one I could have won. After that, I just let that thing eat through three and four, and had to pick and choose in one and two. Getting back to fifth made me feel better, but I wanted to get Jerry a win.”
Keeping close to home once again, Hahn plans on running with the American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Red River Region presented by Smiley’s Racing Products at Creek County Speedway on Friday, April 20 and Caney Valley Speedway on Saturday, April 21. If the weather gets Caney again, Hahn will be back at Creek in the McGehee No. 55h.
The 2018 season is Blake Hahn’s 16th year of racing. Starting in Jr. Sprints at the Tulsa Shootout, Hahn has progressed through the ranks with over 90 victories across Micros, Midgets, and Sprint Cars. For continued updates on Blake Hahn Racing, along with his full 2018 lineup, log onto http://www.blakehahnracing.com.
2018 Season to Date:
Events: 13; Wins -1 ; Top 5 - 5; Top 10 - 10; Top 15 –11; Top 20 –11;
Up Next:
April 20, 2018 – Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, Okla.) with ASCS Red River
April 21, 2018 – Caney Valley Speedway (Caney, Kan.) with ASCS Red River
Blake Hahn Racing Online Store:
You can now purchase your Blake Hahn Racing apparel online at http://www.blakehahnracing.com/shopping/
How To Stalk Blake Hahn Online:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Blake-Hahn-Racing-139549836107030/?fref=ts
Website: http://www.blakehahnracing.com
Instagram: BHAHN52
The Sponsors:
Lucas Oil Products, Griffith Truck and Equipment, CSR Garage, Velocita, Parker Lee Project, Speedway Vending, Semi Crazy Truck Wash, JR1, Wesmar, Triple X Race Co., Engler, Smiley’s Racing Products, Hoosier Tire Southwest, Penske Shocks, Maxwell Industries, Best Graphics, Schoenfeld, Rod End Supply, Pizza Express of Oklahoma, and EFH.
Submitted By: Bryan Hulbert