(Image Credit: John Lee)
Bryan Hulbert – OSKALOOSA, Iowa (August 14, 2018) While Blake Hahn struggled through the Knoxville 360 Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank, the lessons learned were quickly applied as the Griffith Truck and Equipment No. 52 stormed forward at the Ultimate Challenge to wrap up his stay in Iowa.
“I was really frustrated at Knoxville this year. No matter what we did, everything I tried, it didn’t translate into speed until Saturday night, but by then, we were buried,” stated Hahn.
Barely getting into the B-Feature on Friday night at Knoxville, Hahn only picked up two positions from his 20th starting spot, putting him very deep in Saturday’s running order.
“Once we saw where we were on Saturday, we threw whatever we could think of at the car and we talked to a few teams that usually run pretty well at Knoxville. At that point, we figured it wouldn’t hurt and honestly, I wish we would have tried it sooner. I couldn’t believe how much better the car was on Saturday.”
Moving up from the D-Feature, Hahn was a couple spots shy of making his way to the B-Feature, but a gremlin in the fuel system reared its head and set the No. 52 back to a 10th place finish after starting 23rd.
“The car started acting like it was running out of fuel. We had plenty, but what a difference.”
Racing again at Southern Iowa Speedway on Tuesday night, Hahn worked through the Heat Races to start 13th in the A-Feature. Working a combination of lines through the 25 lap event, Blake came up one spot shy of the podium.
“What we learned at Knoxville helped a lot at Osky. It races a lot choppier than Knoxville, but the way you carry wing speed, we were able to keep the balance in the car and I have to hand it to Terry [McCarl], that was probably the best surface I have ever raced on at Osky.”
Looking to keep his momentum going, Hahn will see action again on Saturday, August 18 at Hamilton County Speedway in Webster City, Iowa, and Sunday, August 19 at Missouri State Fair Speedway in Sedalia, Mo.
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: 51; Wins -1; Top 5 - 23; Top 10 - 38; Top 15 –44; Top 20 –45;
Coming Up:
August 18, 2018 – Hamilton County Speedway (Webster City, Iowa) with Lucas Oil ASCS
August 19, 2018 – Missouri State Fair Speedway (Sedalia, Mo) with Lucas Oil ASCS
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.