Sports mod racer Jason Emmot wins trophy dash
On Saturday, July 8, Diamond Mountain Speedway sports modified division racers had their chance to compete in the trophy dash while fans cheered relentlessly in the grandstands.
This trophy dash saw Susanville native, Jason Emmot cross the finish line in first place to win the gold.
As a sports modified racer frequently seen competing ruthlessly at the Diamond Mountain Speedway, Emmot and his minion-decorated car were met with a roar of the crowd upon accepting his trophy.
Emmot started his racing career in 2015 and while this is his third season behind the wheel, it is his first with the car he drives now.
Initially, Emmot was exposed to the racing world by helping friends who were active racers. However, upon the death of a racing friend to leukemia, Emmot swore off racing.
Emmot’s complete opposition to the sport followed him for a while, until he spent more time with the racing father of another friend. The man re-introduced Emmot to the joy of racing, and upon the man’s death in Washington, Emmot decided to get behind the wheel. His first car was a hobby stockcar that sported the names of both racing friends.
Since his debut to racing, Emmot has raced the California tracks in Susanville, Quincy and Yreka.
Emmot switched from the stock division to sports modified recently and has since stuck with the later as the power difference has won over his heart.
Upon getting the sports modified car, Emmot was faced with the challenge of finding the right number to paste on its side.
He then researched what his lucky number should be. Unhappy with the number he found, he then asked his wife to research the same thing. They then added the numbers and settled on nine.
Emmot then decided to get creative with his vehicle and used a one-eyed minion from the “Despicable Me” franchise to represent the number nine. The use of the well-known cartoon has appealed to younger fans and has allowed Emmot to share the love of racing with potential racers of the future.
After winning the trophy dash, Emmot was excited to announce that his goal for the season was to win a main event and to become even faster on the track.
Supporting his goal are Emmot’s wife, children and grandchildren, most of which are able to attend Emmot’s races on a continual basis.
Emmot also expressed his appreciation toward his pit crew and the Sports Mod Mafia organization that has raised awareness of the class.
Emmot can be seen racing in his minion sports modified car at the Diamond Mountain Speedway.
Emmot’s granddaughter, Alissa Lovelace, can also be seen on the track racing her minion mini division car thanks to the inspiration given from her grandfather.
