Just Under 8 Months until RaceSaver Nationals℠ – Interview with Jake Bubak
By Greg Soukup
Photo by Joe Orth
With a fierce ice storm bearing down on us here in Lincoln, Nebraska, it may be hard to believe that it’s just under 8 months until the 2017 RaceSaver Nationals℠. But, that’s all the time that you have left to finalize your plans to be there for the biggest sprint car race of the year.
We caught up with Jake Bubak; 22, from Arvada Colorado. Jake is the son of former racer Rich Bubak and we spoke to him while he was getting ready for his qualifying night at the Chili Bowl.
Q: Have you been to all 4 of the Racesaver Nationals at Eagle Raceway?
Jake: I’ve only been to the last 3.
Q: How often did you make the A Feature on Sunday?
Jake: Every time so far. I finished 8th this year. We weren’t too happy with the finish honestly.
Q: When did you first start racing?
Jake: I started racing quarter midgets in 2004. Then I went to full-sized sprint cars when I turned 16.
Q: Was that in the Racesaver sprints?
Jake: No, it was with the URSS Sprint Series. At that time, it was with a small wing and iron-headed motors. But it’s evolved to the Racesaver rules now.
Q: What made you decide to start running with the Racesaver sprints?
Jake: It was what the rules were going to, and we wanted to race at Eagle. Plus, Meyers racing engines were big supporters of ours. They let us use a Racesaver motor so that we could run at the 2014 Racesaver Nationals. We went to Eagle early to get some practice since I’d never run there before.
Q: You mentioned rules; what do you think of the Racesaver rules?
Jake: I saw that they are going to a fire suppression system, and I don’t technically think it’s necessary. Other than that, I think the rules are great, but I do wish that they would let us run titanium brakes.
Q: What do you think of the Racesaver class in general?
Jake: It’s awesome! I mean, it’s great for young guys who are just starting to get into sprint cars, or someone who can’t afford a 410 or 360. Plus, it’s great that you can go race almost anywhere and have the same rules package. That’s pretty neat.
Q: I know you weren’t happy with your finish this year, but do you enjoy racing at the Nationals?
Jake: I have a great time. My family is all from Knoxville, so they come and watch. It’s cool to have everyone there. It’s just a fun 3 days.
Q: What is it like to get the chance to race against teams from all over the country?
Jake: It’s pretty neat. If you want to be good, you have to race against the best. When John Carney comes from Texas, and Blake Robertson comes from California and Jason Martin from Nebraska, those guys are really good! And Jack Dover too, he comes and runs that race every year. It’s cool to race against those guys who are the best at what they do.
Q: Can you think of anything that we haven’t covered that you would like to say to the teams and fans who haven’t come to the Racesaver Nationals yet?
Jake: I recommend coming, no matter what. It’s 3 days of sprint cars; it’s kind of like the Chili Bowl here. It’s a good time.