She was tough. There’s no denying that.She was born of Native American heritage on November 10, 1943, given the birth name Wokeeta. It was a name many found difficult to pronounce, so she began going by the nickname “Fuzzy.”
She was tough. There‘s no denying that.
She was born of Native American heritage on November 10, 1943, given the birth name Wokeeta. It was a name many found difficult to pronounce, so she began going by the nickname “Fuzzy.”
Once she met, then married, Emmett Hahn, she was permanently by his side. Country singer Tammy Wynette had a hit with the title, “Stand By Your Man.” It‘s a song that could have been written specifically for Fuzzy.
The couple had two sons, Tommy and Steve, and daughter Donna.
As the years progressed and Emmett‘s racing career shifted from behind the wheel to promoting, Fuzzy would be alongside every step of the way. Instead of supporting her husband‘s driving efforts, she was a partner in building successful racing businesses, and became the matriarch of the growing Hahn clan.
In 1985, the Hahns built Creek County Speedway, a quarter-mile dirt oval in nearby Kellyville, Oklahoma.
Two years later, the Chili Bowl was launched. Emmett had walked the Tulsa Expo Center and imagined an indoor midget race, which could be held on a temporary dirt race oval in January. Longtime friends Lanny and Beverly Edwards would partner with Emmett and Fuzzy and take the plunge. Despite the first few runnings losing money, they believed in the Chili Bowl. They gambled putting more money into the venture, stuck with it and built one of the most respected events in all of short track racing.
In 1992, Emmett launched the American Sprint Car Series. His goal was to make sprint car racing more affordable by limiting engine size to 360ci while also limiting how much air could pass through the engine by utilizing a spec head rule.
While the concept seems simple today, when Emmett first rolled out the concept in 1991, he was met with primarily skepticism. It would be the couple‘s next uphill battle to create a new venture in the racing world. And they would tackle it as they always did…together.
Operating a traveling race series is no small feat, and Fuzzy played multiple roles in getting the ASCS through its first seasons and beyond.
The entire family began finding positions in the Chili Bowl and ASCS. Grandson Matt Ward would take on a key role, guiding the ASCS down the road alongside his wife Ashleigh, and other grandsons would begin careers as sprint car racers, competing with the series.
When Open Wheel magazine was folded, Emmett was instrumental in putting together a partnership to fund a new publishing company in order to launch Sprint Car & Midget in 2002, with both he and Fuzzy among the partners. They remained onboard for 16 years.
The racing industry is a tough industry. It‘s not for the faint of heart. Fuzzy never failed to prove she was up to the challenge. She was the red-headed spitfire that could take on multiple crises at once and make her ability to do so look simple.
She could be sweet, and funny, and had a great sense of humor. She could roll with a joke when she was the brunt of it. She and Emmett had a relationship that never showed the slightest signs of missteps or faltering.
In September, word surfaced that Fuzzy was battling serious illness. It would be her toughest battle, and she fought back with her usual courage. However, on October 1, her battle ended. She was 77.
We will miss you, Fuzzy. You were truly one of a kind. And we pray that Emmett is OK as he now continues his path without his lifelong partner and rock.