Hawaii for now, feature win later

Rookie driver will take girlfriend’s prize while awaiting first victory

His girlfriend pulled out the elusive win he hasn’t had.

So when rookie driver Brett Hansen was queried as to whether or not he would trade her trip to Hawaii for his first feature win at Outlaw Motor Speedway, there was a slight pause, then a sigh, and finally a chuckle before giving a reply.

“Why are you putting me on the spot? You know I can’t answer that,” he said.

His girlfriend, Wendy Smith, won a special fan drawing for a trip for two to Honolulu last week. The couple are in the midst of planning their four-night, five-day trip.

Hanson, 26, is in his first full year of racing. Although leading a 360 Modified feature several times, he’s come up short of taking the checkered flag, winless in 19 races.

But, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t had success. He has been out of the top 10 only four times, which includes only two “did not finish” asterisks next to his name.

He is in fifth place in the division point battle, well in position to challenge for the championship when the track enters its “NASCAR-style” chase Aug. 21.

The Fort Gibson native has 1,088 points. Braggs’ Patrick Goodnight leads with 1,512, followed by Muskogee’s Dale Richardson with 1,352. Spiro’s Brookin Stephens has 1,260, and Muskogee’s Heath Weston 1,126.

“I’ve had opportunities to win, but I’ve made some bad driving mistakes that really hurt my chances,” Hansen said. “I’m learning something every week about racing. It (first feature win) will happen, I just hope it’s is sooner than later.”

Hansen was in prime position to get that first checkered flag last race, but in his words, he “got happy feet and lost control of my car.”

“I was trailing Brookin and his car broke and I found myself in the lead. I got onto the gas too heavy and my car spun around and that ended whatever chance I had,” he said.

The former Fort Gibson High football player says racing a car had been a childhood dream and after entering the two Enduro races at OMS last season — winning the second one — he has truly been bitten by the racing bug.

“I knew from those two experiences that I was going to drive this year,” Hansen said.

He said his only decision became which class to race in, and that choice became obvious after a chat with his friend and OMS driver Justin Fulton.

“I told Justin I wanted to eventually drive a Modified and he suggested that I start in the 360s,” Hansen said. “He told me ‘driving a Hobby stock or Pure Stock car is so different than driving a big car, you should start with a big car’.

“I figured, what the heck; if I want to race a big car, I might as well drive one. So, here I am.”

Hanson and his dad, Dan, are “having a fun time” working on the car while also involved in the family business at York Street Tires.

“We’re able to spend some quality time together away from the shop,” the younger Hansen said. “He is my pit crew.”

Hansen said his racing goals are high and getting that first feature win would validate his start.

And, you can bet that initial win — and the Hawaiian vacation — will be first-time experiences he’ll always cherish.

“I’m looking forward to both,” he said.

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