Photo by Zeph Tucker
By Janelle Bates
Twelve drivers competed for a $1,000 grand prize sponsored by Desert Thunder Raceway in the 305 Modified class on Saturday. From third place on the 19th lap, Jacob Vasquez pushed into the first-place position on lap 20 after turn three and raced into victory lane. This was his first big win in his racing career.
“It still seems so surreal to me. I was starting behind all the other winners from the heat races, so the plan was to stay patient, and in the end, it worked out,” he said. “When we got the white flag, I got a lot of momentum coming out of turn two.”
When the car ahead of him moved to the top of the track on turn three, Vasquez squeezed through the gap. “From there, it was a drag race to the finish line.”
This is 18-year-old Vasquez’s first year in a race car. However, as a third-generation racer, he is no stranger to dirt track racing.
“My grandpa, Hubert Wilson, has been racing for as long as I can remember. A lot of people will tell you that he is a legend at the race track,” Vasquez said. “As a little kid, I don’t remember ever seeing my grandpa lose. He was always fast and always had good help, and he always had the best-looking car on the racetrack. He won multiple state championships in a SportMod.”
Not only is his grandfather a legendary racer, but his grandmother was the first female driver to race at Desert Thunder. His grandmother and mother competed with each other in the pure stock car class, and his mother also competed with her father in the Northern SportMod class.
This weekend, Vasquez’s cousin Camden Wilson also raced into victory lane for the first time. Wilson won both the Friday and Saturday Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod feature races at Desert Thunder.
“My favorite part about racing is the mindset you have when you’re in a race car. It’s an escape from reality and the adrenaline rush is like nothing you’ve ever had before,” Vasquez said. “As soon as you go down on the track and put your visor down, nothing else matters and all you are left with is the drive.”
“I just want to thank everyone that makes racing possible, my sponsor Real Estate Titans, my grandparents, and all my family and friends that support us,” Vasquez said.
After his grandfather retired from racing, the Wilson and Vasquez families turned their attention to baseball. Vasquez has been an avid baseball player for over 10 years, serving as the starting varsity catcher at Carbon High School for the past three years. He graduated in May and will attend Utah State University Eastern in Price and play on the Golden Eagle’s men’s baseball team.