Jace Hansen Scores Emotional Victory with the SRL at Colorado National Speedway
Bakersfield, CA – In what will be a race Jace Hansen will never forget, the JDRacing Team came home first in the “Salted Metals 150” at Colorado National Speedway (CO) Saturday night. It is not the career high $10,500 purse he brought home that makes the win so special, but the emotions of dedicating the victory to his brother Jodin Hansen, who lost his life only a short week ago. The emotions of not only dedicating the win to Jodin, but doing it front of his hometown friends, family, and fans that will make the victory so special for the Hansen family. It was a truly remarkable evening for the now two-time series winner.
“Coming out of Turn 4 on the last lap, the water works hit really hard”, Hansen explained about the emotions he was feeling after the victory. “It was such a weird night. Every restart was perfect, and it felt like there was 100 of them. All my guys worked so hard this past week, while I wasn’t even close to the right head space. I’m just so thankful for all the people I have in my corner. It is a night I will cherish for the rest of my life!”
Red hot Oregon driver Kole Raz started the evening earning the PFC Brakes Zero Drag Fast Time Award and $500, thanks to David Nava Mulcahy (Homie) and Salted Metals. Blaine Rocha, Darren Robertson, Hansen, and SRL rookie Nickolas Cooper grabbed the top-five spots in the 26-car field. The top-eight redraw shuffled the order, with Dan Holtz on the pole followed by Cooper, John Moore, Darren Robertson, Raz, Hansen Rocha, and Dylan Zampa.
Dan Holtz jumped out to an early lead from his pole position start, as Robertson battled Cooper for the runner-up position, clearing him on lap-four. Hansen followed in the outside line, with the yellow coming out on lap-five for a Cassidy Hinds spin. The restart found Holtz and Robertson battling side-by-side. As Holtz slowly pulled ahead on the inside line, Hansen followed, grabbing second on lap-eight. Hansen turned up the wick, continually putting pressure on Holtz on the outside line, until the caution fell for 2007 SRL Colorado National (CNS) winner Chris Muhler’s spin on lap 28.
The restart found Holtz back out to a slim lead from the inside line, with Hansen in tow, and Cooper up to third. Eddie Vecchiarelli continued his run to the front supplanting Robertson from fourth. Kole Raz dropped Robertson to sixth on lap 34. Jacob Gomes dropped the three-time track champion to seventh, two laps later. On lap 38, Vecchiarelli cleared Cooper for third, on the outside line. Simultaneously, Hansen began to work the outside of Holtz for the lead. The duo made contact on lap 39, sending Hansen up the track. But the Greely, CO racer gave Holtz a nudge in Turn 4, getting under “Hollywood” Holtz going down the front straight. Lap 41 found Hansen in the lead.
Eddie Vecchiarelli used the outside line to grab second two laps later, taking up the chase of Hansen. On lap 45, Vecchiarelli began to pressure Hansen on the outside. But as the laps wore on, Hansen was able to hold off the charge, leading into the lap 68 Competition Caution and Halfway Break. Hansen led Vecchiarelli, Holtz, Gomes, and Cooper.
The restart found Hansen choosing the outside line, holding off Vecchiarelli for the lead, as the caution flew for a multi-car tangle involving Dylan Zampa, Zach Morris, and Brett Yackey. The restart found Michael Scott lined up to the inside of Hansen with Vecchiarelli, Raz and Gomes three-through five. The restart found Raz working his way past Scott in the outside line, as Rocha and Vecchiarelli made contact on lap 74, sending the #18 into the spin cycle for another caution. Rocha remained in the fifth position.
Another restart found fast time qualifier Kole Raz lined up to the inside of Hansen. Raz got a great start and grabbed the lead by lap 75, as Rocha took fourth from Gomes behind Scott. As Scott and Rocha began to battle side-by-side for third, Hansen closed to the back bumper of Raz by lap 88. On lap 93, Hanson got to the inside of Raz, heading into Turn 1. The duo battled side-by-side with Raz holding a narrow lead until slight contact to the door panel of Raz gave Hansen the lead, as the fielded crossed the line on lap 97.
As Raz worked to get his rhythm back, Scott moved to the outside, grabbing the runner-up spot on lap 100. Scott then closed to the rear bumper of Hansen, but slowly fell into the clutches of Raz, as the Competition Caution flew on lap 114, with Rocha and Gomes following. The restart found Hansen out to the front, with Raz under Scott for second. Scott battled back on the outside however, grabbing the spot back on lap 116. As the field reached lap 126, Rocha fell off the pace from fourth position and stalled, bringing out the yellow on lap 128.
The restart saw a quick caution involving Brett Yackey and early leader Holtz. The next restart found Gomes up to second, restarting on the outside. Hansen was able to grab the lead before another yellow, for a stalled Cassidy Hinds, was displayed on lap 130, as she lost power. Another restart saw Hansen to the front with Raz battling Gomes for the runner-up position. Raz was able to muscle by Gomes two laps later, as Cody Dempster began an extended battle with Gomes for third, as he got to his inside. As those two battled, Raz began to close on Hansen for the lead, but as Gomes cleared Dempster, Raz couldn’t get any closer than 0.3 seconds, as Hansen grabbed his second career victory.
“Obviously my little brother was watching over me”, an emotional Hansen stated in Victory Lane. “Man, what a night! If you don’t believe in God, and that everything doesn’t happen for a reason, that is proof right there! I struggled hard at the beginning of the week. I said I have to put my head down and dig and go back to work and make sure this thing was fast at the end. I could stand here for two hours, but these guys worked their butts off knowing that I wasn’t in the right head space. Cody Glick and Brannon Earnest brought us some stuff to try that they swore on. It wasn’t good yesterday, and I didn’t like it this morning, but they swore by it. Man, they were right!”
Hansen continued remembering those that helped him this weekend, “Thanks to Jim and Daun Egli, they do so much for me. Mark Neff works so hard on this thing, making sure it is perfect when it leaves the shop. And to all the boys who helped us out here tonight, I know I wouldn’t be able to do this without them.”
Hansen beat Kole Raz, Jacob Gomes, Michael Scott, and Cody Dempster to the line. Kody Vanderwal, Chris Eggleston, Bruce “the Moose” Yackey, John Moore, and Eddie Vecchiarelli rounded out the top-10. The next stop for the Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series will be the “JM Environmental Wild West Shootout Dog Eat Dog 127” at The New Stockton 99 Speedway, worth $10,000-to-win.
Results:
1. Jace Hansen, 2. Kole Raz, 3. Jacob Gomes, 4. Michael Scott, 5. Cody Dempster*, 6. Kody Vanderwall, 7. Chris Eggleston, 8. Bruce Yackey, 9. John Moore, 10. Edie Vecchiarelli, 11. Dan Holtz, 12. Dylan Zampa*, 13. Zach Telford, 14. Nathan Gasser, 15. Cris Muhler, 16. Scott Sanchez, 17. Nick Cooper*, 18. Cale Kanke, 19. Cassidy Hinds, 20. Blaine Rocha, 21. Brett Yackey. 22. Darren Robertson*, 23. Kyle Ray, 24. Zach Morris*, 25. Austin Herzog*, 26. Matt Zwingelberg, DNS. Cole Moore, DNS. Steve Mills
Celebrating its twenty third season in 2023, the SPEARS Southwest Tour Series is a regional stock car series competing on paved ovals in the southwestern portion of the U.S. “The SPEARS Southwest Tour Series…Where the Champions Race”.
Story K. Peters
PC: Joe Starr Photography
