(Image Credit: Mike Howard)
Bryan Hulbert – KNOXVILLE, Iowa (August 1, 2018) Rolling in with some momentum, Blake Hahn captured a pair of top-five finishes across three nights of racing this past weekend with shows at Creek County Speedway, Knoxville Raceway, and Mason City Motor Speedway.
“We were fast all weekend. The only night we really struggled was Knoxville, but we learned a lot on what we need to do the car to get better for this weekend,” explained Hahn.
Starting off Friday in Sapulpa, Okla. Hahn had a ferocious battle with Seth Bergman for the top spot with the Griffith Truck and Equipment No. 52 ending up second.
“Seth is fun to race with. We made some contact there on the start when he slid me. I tried to turn under him and ended up getting his left front with my right rear but luckily, we were both able to keep going. It was nothing intentional, and I would never want to damage anyone’s car on the track. It was just hard racing, and I really feel like could have won that race had a lapped car not decided it was a good idea to race the leaders.”
Also running with the USAC Wingless Sprints of Oklahoma, Blake recorded his 37th top-ten run of the season in the McGehee No. 55.
“We won our Heat and the draw put us starting sixth. We ended up ninth, which was a little disappointing. The track was good top and bottom, just made a couple mistakes.”
Heading to Knoxville, Iowa on Saturday night, Hahn struggled at first to find speed with a 39th quick effort in Time Trials. Ending up in the C-Feature after sixth place in the opening Heat Race, Blake dug his way to 11th in the B-Feature before all was done.
“We were way to tight at the start of the night. We got a little better in the Heat, but I was still having trouble hitting the bottom so that put us starting third in the C-Feature. We just took a step back and reworked the setup and it was a lot better. Once we got to the B-Feature, we were just buried.”
Taking on Mason City Motor Speedway on Sunday, the night ended with a fourth-place finish.
“The car was okay at Mason City, we just needed a little more speed but we moved forward each night we were on track. As big and fast as the track is, we were trying setups for Knoxville just to test a few more things and they seemed to work. We had a late restart, and I felt like I could have picked off a couple more spots but we got held up by a lapped car, but otherwise we were happy. The track was way better than last year, so hats off to them for giving us and the fans a good race.”
Getting ready for the 28th Knoxville 360 Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank, the team is going over the car and making sure everything is tight and ready to go.
“We feel better going in this year than we have in a long time. Just coming up and getting laps has really helped. We’re qualifying Thursday night, so hopefully we can get a little more speed and get in the show this year.”
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: 48; Wins -1; Top 5 - 22; Top 10 - 37; Top 15 –43; Top 20 –44;
Coming Up:
August 2-4 – Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, Iowa) – 360 Nationals
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
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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.