Ark Valley News - Hahn wins big money at Air Cap Shootout

Hahn wins big money at Air Cap Shootout
By Randy Fisher
Last Updated: April 12, 2018

Nearly 40 years after Emmett Hahn last took the checker in an NCRA series event, the family name is back in victory lane.

Piloting the Emmett and Fuzzy Hahn-owned sprint car, third-generation driver Blake Hahn put the familiar number 52 first under the checker in the eighth annual NCRA Park City Cup/Air Capital Shootout. He also claimed a $13,000 payout, the largest in series history, March 31 at 81 Speedway.

Hahn started on the front row alongside Johnny Herrera, who finished second. Sam Hafertepe Jr. came home third, as Brandon Hanks and the ageless Sammy Swindell rounded out the top five.

Terry McCarl and Brian Brown captured the 12-lap B features.

Emmett Hahn is a three-time winner of the Hutchinson Nationals. He is also founder and president of the American Sprint Car Series and promoter of the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in Tulsa, Okla.

In the March 30 opening-night feature, Tim Crawley took the lead from pole sitter Swindell at the first turn and led to the checker. Swindell finished second, followed by Brian Brown, Daryn Pittman and Bergman.

81 Speedway

March 31

NCRA Sprints

Heat 1 — 1. Johnny Herrera, 2. Dylan Peterson, 3. Harli White, 4. Tim Crawley, 5. Cody Ledger, 6. Jamie Ball, 7. Jake Greider, 8. Wyatt Burks, 9. Ryan Roberts, 10. Brendan Mullen.

Heat 2 — 1. Sammy Swindell, 2. Jack Dover, 3. Sam Hafertepe, 4. Terry McCarl, 5. Daryn Pittman, 6. Kyle Bellm, 7. J.D. Johnson, 8. Wade Nygaard, 9. Shayle Bade, 10. Don Droud Jr.

Heat 3 — 1. Jeremy Campbell, 2. Tucker Klaasmeyer, 3. Danny Jennings, 4. Matt Covington, 5. Ryan Bickett, 6. Roger Crockett, 7. Jeff Stasa, 8. J.R. Topper, 9. Jett Carney, 10. Bailey Elliott.

Heat 4 — 1. Blake Hahn, 2. Bill Balog, 3. Brian Brown, 4. Brandon Hanks, 5. Paul Nienhiser, 6. Carson McCarl, 7. Ray Seemann, 8. C.J. Hulsey, 9. Brant OBanion.

Heat 5 — 1. Seth Bergman, 2. Wayne Johnson, 3. Kaden Taylor, 4. Tony Bruce Jr., 5. Jason Martin, 6. Jake Bubak, 7. Mason Daniel, 8. Lee Grosz, 9. Randy Woodside.

B feature 1 — 1. T. McCarl, 2. Covington, 3. Ball, 4. Nienhiser, 5. Bubak, 6. C. McCarl, 7. J.D. Johnson; 8. Burks, 9. Nygaard, 10. Daniel, 11. Roberts, 12. O'Banion, 13. Bickett, 14. White, 15. Elliott, 16. Woodside.

B feature 2 — 1. Brown, 2. Martin, [2]; 3. Bellm, 4. Stasa, 5. Ledger, 6. Seemann, 7. Bade, 8. Hulsey, 9. Carney, 10. Mullen, 11. Droud Jr., 12. Greider, 13. Topper, 14. Crockett, 15. Taylor, 16. Grosz.

A feature — 1. Hahn, 2. Herrera, 3. Hafertepe, 4. Hanks, 5. Swindell, 6. Bruce Jr., 7. W. Johnson, 8. Bergman, 9. Pittman, 10. Klaasmeyer, 11. T. McCarl, 12. Dover, 13. Peterson, 14. Campbell, 15. Nienhiser, 16. Jennings, 17. Martin, 18. Stasa, 19. Ball, 20. Crawley, 21. Brown, 22. Covington, 23. Balog, 24. Bellm.