Bakersfield, CA - The last time Jace Hansen visited Kern County Raceway Park, he left with $10,000 and the battle scars to prove an exciting finish to the “JM Environmental Inc. “Wild West Shootout Flick the Switch Bulwark ‘FR Firecracker 100”. Hansen and Buddy Shepherd swapped sheet metal over the closing stanza of the event, with Hansen using a bump and run move on the last corner to grab the rich win. It was his first in the Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series, as the Greely, CO will look to repeat the feat on March 25th in the $10,000-to-win “8th Annual Winter Showdown 135.”
“Getting our first tour win at Kern last year was something this group has wanted for many years”, Hansen recalled about his first series win! “Although it wasn't a dominant win, it was still super rewarding!”
Hansen is excited to head back to the Bakersfield, CA ½-mile after the win and his second-place run in the 2022 “Winter Showdown 100”. It is a track that the JDRacing Team looks to with confidence.
“Heading back to Kern has the team pretty motivated, as we had a couple of good runs there last year”, Hansen stated. “We have a good notebook for that place, so I'm hoping we will be in the hunt right out of the trailer.”
Hansen had a breakout season in 2022 with the SRL win and multiple victories at Colorado National Speedway (CO), including the “Colorado Challenge Cup”. He now has eight victories at CNS. He added a top-10 at Evergreen Speedway’s “Summer Showdown 200” and travelled to the Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway (FL), where he grabbed an impressive eighth-place finish. Hansen hoped the momentum would carry over into the “All-Star Showdown 200”, at Irwindale Speedway (CA), but the team struggled with two different Super Late Models, qualifying 19th, and finishing ninth.
“After finishing in the top 10 at the Snowball Derby in December, the team got quite a confidence boost, almost too much so to speak”, Hansen recalled. “We struggled all weekend at the All-Star Showdown. We were trying too many things, with two different cars, and just couldn't get the handle on either one of them. We learned a lot and realized we don't quite have the manpower and time to be experimenting with stuff during race weekend. It's hard for us in the wintertime, as we don't have a race track close by that we can try things, since it's usually covered in snow. I'm confident in our group and I know we will get things back on track for Kern.”
Hansen will hope to join the list of former Winter Showdown winners which include Bubba Pollard (2015, 2016), Derek Thorn (2017, 2021), Kyle Busch (2018), Ty Majeski (2019), and Jacob Gomes (2022). $10,000 will be on the line for the winner. The feature will feature a break on lap 80 for teams to make adjustments.
The “8th Annual Winter Showdown 135” will feature a Fireworks Spectacular, Live Music, Camping, Vendors, and the Super Late Models of the Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series. The Spears Modified Series and the Spears Pro Late Models presented by Sigma Performance Services will also join the action.
Celebrating its twenty third season in 2023, the SPEARS Southwest Tour Series is a regional stock car series competing on paved ovals in the southwestern portion of the U.S. “The SPEARS Southwest Tour Series…Where the Champions Race."
-SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour Series Press Release
-Racing America photo