TULSA, Okla. — Jubilation might be an understatement when describing victory lane during Tuesday’s Warren CAT Qualifying Night, as Sapulpa’s Blake Hahn captured his first JST Motorsports Preliminary A-Feature win on night two of the 40th Chili Bowl Nationals.
The 56th different driver to win a JST Motorsports’ preliminary night A-Feature, Hahn’s win is his first atop Tulsa Expo Raceway clay outside the Hyper Racing Tulsa Shootout powered by NOS Energy Drink, and the first for his grandfather, Emmett Hahn, as a car owner.
“With all my friends and family here, it means the world, so I’m living my dream come true right now,” stated Hahn. “I’m just thankful to be here; it’s just crazy to think I’ve only run a midget just two or three times this year, so I’m just happy to be here.”
Marking the 11th time Hahn has taken a green flag in preliminary A-Feature competition, the march to the top started from eighth starting spot, as Zach Daum took off with the lead in the Bondio No. 47x.
Holding the top spot for the opening 10 revolutions with Hank Davis breathing down his neck, the high side proved the place to be as the Seymour No. 29s shot to the point on Lap 11 after starting fifth.
Leading the field into traffic, the race for second was on with Hahn taking the position on Lap 22. Closing fast on Davis, the York Plumbing/CSR Garage No. 52 was on the K-Tron No. 29s in only three laps.
Gaining traction on and over the cushion at both ends of the track, Hahn finally threw a slide job for the lead, and pulled away for a moment before traffic allowed Davis to charge after him during the final two laps.
Taking one last shot off the bottom, Davis fell 0.114 seconds shy of stealing the victory.
Davis locked into his fourth Saturday night feature, with the first spot out of the transfer belonged to 14-year-old Jett Barnes, who came from ninth in the Kevin & Jordan Swindell-
Mike Curb-Bertrand Motorsports No. 1a.
Daum would end up fourth and picked up an extra $500 from the Race For The Million as the night’s high point driver. Landon Brook crossed fifth.
Tuesday’s Warren CAT Qualifying Night included 79 drivers, bringing the total for the week so far to 148. The Flip Count grew to 14.
The finish:
Feature (30 Laps): 1. 52-Blake Hahn[8]; 2. 29S-Hank Davis[5]; 3. 1A-Jett Barnes[9]; 4. 47X-Zach Daum[1]; 5. 57W-Landon Brooks[11]; 6. 26-Corbin Rueschenberg[3]; 7. 21AU-Kaidon Brown[4]; 8. 51-Gavan Boschele[24]; 9. 7TX-Kyle Jones[12]; 10. 3J-JJ Yeley[2]; 11. 71-Ryan Timms[6]; 12. 8J-Jonathan Beason[20]; 13. 18-Zach Wigal[17]; 14. 84-Ty Gibbs[7]; 15. 7U-Chase Randall[14]; 16. 4K-Gunnar Setser[15]; 17. 19R-Ricky Thornton Jr[13]; 18. 40-Max Adams[22]; 19. 21J-Parker Price Miller[10]; 20. 5W-Jordan Kinser[19]; 21. (DNF) 1Z-Justin Zimmerman[23]; 22. (DNF) 98K-Brandon Carr[21]; 23. (DNF) 5T-Adam Trimble[16]; 24. (DNF) 94C-Sheldon Creed[18]
