View Advertiser Index
Jay Kaser - Climbing To The Top
|
Jay Kaser
At speed on the high banks of Eagle Raceway
Jay finished a strong second at the 2000 State Championships
The car and its hauler
|
|
Pro Am driver Jay Kaser was chosen for the Dirt Driver Spotlight due to
his recent successes and his hard work and dedication in the sport of
racing.
Kaser was born and raised in Pender, Nebraska. He excelled
in high school sports, belonging to his high school's football and
wrestling teams. During that time he also had an interest in tinkering with cars.
He remained in Pender throughout high school, but decided to make the move
to Lincoln to go to college. Kaser attended Southeast Community College,
earning his associate degree in auto mechanics.
In 1996 Kaser decided to get
serious about racing.
"I always loved racing, so one day I just
decided to go out and buy a car," said Kaser. He worked on the car all
winter and raced it in the Pro Am class at I-80 Speedway in 1997.
Kaser decided upon his number by combining his name with
those of his two sons, Jase and Jared. Since the three of their names all start with
the letter J, they decided on the number 3j.
Kaser has made steady improvements each year. The first
couple of seasons he made his way through the learning curve that all rookies face.
By his third season, he came very close to winning his first A Feature at Eagle
Raceway, only to have a late race caution allow one of the racing veterans to close
the gap and eventually force Kaser to settle for second on that night.
For the 2000 season, Kaser decided it was time to upgrade to a better car and aim
at doing all he could to make a run at the Eagle championship (he kept his
old car complete as a backup car, with crew member Jason Clark behind the wheel
at Eagle throughout the season). At the same time,
he knew the competition was going to make that a tough goal to attain.
Several DNF's, mostly due to flat tires, hindered Kaser's efforts in the championship
race, but Jay finished a very respectable fourth in the final points standings.
However, it was the runs along the way that were most impressive. He nailed
down that first feature win in the middle of the season, and then backed it up a couple
weeks later by dominating the field for his second win of the season. The success continued
at the end of the year as well with a second place finish in the State Championship race
at the State Fair in Lincoln.
Kaser plans to keep racing as long as he
can, and someday wants to see his sons race. "I would like to see
my kids involved in racing," said Kaser. "I want to get Jase involved in
mini sprints next year." Kaser is a supportive father who wants to see his
children succeed at whatever they do, but the one thing he wants them to shy
away from is wrestling. "Wrestling is too demanding on your body," said
Kaser. "When I was involved I hated to watch the guys who had to cut weight
or gain weight. I'd like to see my boys do something else." For the time being,
the boys, along with Jay's wife Shari, enjoy cheering their dad on from the grandstands
each week.
When Kaser isn't working on the race car, he and Shari keep plenty busy operating their painting
business - Kaser Painting, Inc. Jay's love of the sport of racing also led them to sponsor
the Kaser Painting Pro Am division out at Eagle Raceway this year.
In his spare time, Kaser enjoys listening to music by Shania Twain and watching the
television sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond." But most of his hobbies center
around racing.
Jay is currently in the process of deciding whether to make another run at a Pro Am
championship or make the jump up to the Limited Late Model class. "A lot depends on whether
I can get the Pro Ams sold," said Kaser. Judging by how competitive Jay has been
this season, there will surely be lots of interest in his cars by other racers.
Kaser would like to thank his sponsors who help make his racing efforts possible. Besides Kaser
Painting, Jay also receives support from ICI Paints, Devoe Coatings, Lincoln Financial Services,
Mann Custom Homes, Pinnacle Bank, Iowa Paint, Diamond Vogel Paint, Sherwin Williams,
Insurance Business Services, Harris Decals, Willard Automotive Machine, Star City Auto Salvage,
and Design Wear. Jay's pit
crew consists of Crew Chief Ken Northup, Jake Northup, Jason Clark, and Dennis Smith.
Jay would also like to extend a big thank you to Shari, Jase, and Jared for all their help and support.
Kaser has been someone to watch this season and
will continue to strive for excellence in the years to
come, regardless of which class he winds up in for the 2001 season. Keep your eye on
the 3j!
Written By Dustin Yurize
September 15, 2000
View Jay Kaser's Dirt Driver Profile
|
|
|
|
|
