With plenty of motivation, Blake couldn‘t wait for the 2019 season to start. It was a great year. Yes there was frustration that his goal to knock Sam Hafertepe Jr. off the top step of the podium fell short.
Still, a second-place finish in the standings and five national wins was something to be proud of.
In addition, he backed up his win in the Short Track Nationals.
“We went back there and we knew we had a good car,” he said. “And I-30 is a track I really like. I have raced there with a micro, midget, and a sprint car. To be able to pick up a win and be among a very select group of drivers who have won back-to-back is special. I just feel comfortable when I am there. It‘s like I am home.”
A race that had personal and, in this year, professional significance was the Jesse Hockett/Daniel McMillin Memorial at Wheatland, Mo.
Hahn won two of the three races at Lucas Oil Raceway, and left the Show Me State with the point lead.
The emotional side of the equation came as the result of the esteem Hahn had for the late Jesse Hockett.
“I liked a lot of the local drivers,” he said, “but I really liked Jesse Hockett. They would bring the non-wing sprint cars out to Creek County Speedway, and to see a non-wing 410 go around there is beautiful. As a kid, I remember being up on the fence and watching him. Jesse was the kind of guy who would run anything, a wing car, a 360, a 410, non-wing cars, or a midget. It didn‘t matter what it was and, of course, he was fast in all of them.
“That made it even better.”
Hahn remained in the title chase to the bitter end. Hope remained when he signed in at the dirt track at the Texas Motor Speedway, but it wasn‘t to be.
“We had a bad first night, which really handicapped us,” he said. “And in the final night we had to hope for something crazy to happen.”
Things didn‘t fall his way, but taking a philosophical approach he reasoned, “We were just proud to be in it to the last weekend.”
Not surprisingly, heading into a new year Hahn is thinking about even greater accomplishments.
“We try to set goals and then set them higher every year,” Hahn said. “This year our goal is the championship and a bunch of wins. I don‘t think that is unrealistic.”
One thing that will be different is the departure of four-time champion Sam Hafertepe Jr., who will devote the lion‘s share of his time to the All Star Circuit of Champions. It‘s not a move that Hahn necessarily relishes.
“It kind of sucks with Sam not being with us,” he said, “but it will still be fun. I wouldn‘t say he was my biggest rival, but he was the biggest competition. He has so much experience and he has been the man to beat.”
As he looks around, he sees many new faces that will be tough to deal with, and he also reasons that Roger Crockett will fight it out to the end. One thing that offers Hahn comfort is the foundation he has built.
“We really didn‘t change anything from last year,” he said. “Everything is good. We feel like we have a pretty good program and a good shot to win this thing. Dalton Seigler, my crew chief, has largely been around since 2014. We had a short break when he went to Johnny Herrera for about half-a-year, but he came back and it has been even better.”
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