As for the future, maybe there will come a time when Blake follows his grandfather‘s lead and moves more into the promotion and administrative side of the sport.
Yet, for now, he enjoys the competition too much to even give that more than a passing thought.
“I would be content if I could do this forever,” he said. “But I want to go farther. I would love to go to NASCAR. That would be my dream, and I would love to get a chance on asphalt. At this point, at this time, at 25, I may be considered too old to make it up the chain, but guys like David Gravel give me hope. So it still might be in reach, and I‘m not going to give up on that yet.
“I also would like to run the World of Outlaw tour. We got a 410 and we are going to tiptoe into that. We will probably run some with MOWA and the All Stars and get our feet wet. Some of my guys want me to go out there and run the World of Outlaws right away, but I‘m not going to do that. I want to make sure I‘m ready.”
In short, his goals go beyond the ASCS. And when asked if his grandfather is comfortable with his long-term plan, he said, “Absolutely.”
As for Emmett, he said, “I probably pushed him to do this. I think if he can run in the 410, it will help him in the 360. He can keep the tires under him. We are going to venture out, but I‘m not going to throw him to the wolves.”
When Blake is on the track, Emmett has no choice but watch with the eyes of a former championship racer, and also as a normal grandfather.
“I get nervous,” he said, “because when they‘re young, you can see they are getting themselves in a bind and sometimes they don‘t know it. It‘s a lot worse watching him than it was Tom, but he has done a good job. He doesn‘t tear up much equipment and he is as aggressive as he needs to be.”
Racing is always an emotional rollercoaster, and it is always important to have a support system at hand. Luckily for Blake, the Hahns are a tightknit group. But it all starts at home.
Blake and fiancé Sierra Davis are actively planning their wedding, and over the course of this season his future bride, who has worked with RacinBoys, will be more active with the ASCS.
They are snugly situated in what he calls “The Hahnpound” near Creek County Speedway.
His mother and father are building near the couple‘s home, and sister Kayli works as a secretary for the ASCS and Chili Bowl. Of course, his grandparents head up the brood.
Racing is important to the family, but what makes Tom and Emmett Hahn the most proud is the kind of young man Blake has become.
From the time he was eight years old, from Yuma, Arizona to Gibsonton, Florida to Skagit, Washington, Tom Hahn has never missed one of his son‘s races.
Recently, when his error cost his son a good starting spot in the feature, he was beside himself. In the supercharged world of racing, this scenario could easily provoke a total meltdown by a high-strung driver.
Blake simply hugged his dad and said, “You don‘t ever need to apologize.”
When Emmett Hahn thinks about his grandson, all he can do is shake his head.
“Back in my day,” he said with a laugh, “I was plenty cocky, and a little obnoxious. Blake is quiet, well-mannered, and polite. I don‘t know where he got that. He‘s a good worker. I can sit in my sunroom and watch him in the race shop, and he is there every day working on that thing. He knows the car, and can build one from the ground up.”
Whether you are old school or new age in your approach, embodied in these stories are universally-admirable traits.
Sometimes the weight of expectations can weigh heavily on one‘s shoulders. Blake Hahn builds on a great family tradition, but is creating his own storylines.
And what‘s more, there appear to be plenty of chapters in his tale left to write.