Eric Jacobsen
Eric Jacobsen is coming off a successful run in the Southern Nationals that saw him earn a second place result in the standings for that mini-series as well as a victory in the final race of the two week stint at the Tazewell Speedway. Now, the California native hopes to build on that success with a strong run in Thursday’s Lucas Oil Late Model Series event at the Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap.
“We really couldn’t have asked for much better,” Jacobsen said of his team’s efforts during the Southern Nationals. “We had a couple of mechanical issues when we lost a shock in the car down at Boyd’s and had a fuel pump go out on us at Smoky Mountain, but other than that, it was a good two weeks.”
Because of family business commitments at home, Jacobsen races somewhat infrequently in his Dirt Late Model. For that reason, getting in ten races over the course of thirteen days was important for gaining valuable seat time in the Rocket Chassis he began running earlier this season.
“That was the main goal,” Jacobsen explained regarding the laps he was able to complete in the Ray Cook promoted series. “We just wanted to get all ten races in and Mother Nature cooperated so we were able to do that. We got all of our laps in and that was really important, just from a foundational standpoint. We kept getting a lot of good runs and it couldn’t have been a better trip.”
Jacobsen capped off the SoNats with the win in Tazewell, which was the second triumph of his career on the super high-banked facility.
“We’ve been fortunate enough to get a couple of wins there,” the pilot of the No. 5 machine declared. “I don’t know if there’s a place that I’ve ever been to that’s more demanding on the car and the driver. With all the things that go into play in a night, they all happen at Tazewell.”
Eric Jacobsen was the winner of the SoNats finale in Tazewell.
And now, Jacobsen has his sights set on Thursday’s LOLMDS race at the Volunteer Speedway.
“I like it equal to Tazewell,” he said of the Bulls Gap track. “It’s a little rounder than Tazewell, but those would be my two favorites when we come out here to race. Typically with the Bristol(NASCAR) weekend, it’s a packed house. With all the Lucas Oil cars there, it will be a tough show to make and we all want to run well. We’re really looking forward to it.”
With drivers such as Jimmy Owens, Scott Bloomquist, Don O’Neal, Steve Francis and John Blankenship among those expected to be on hand for ‘The Scorcher’, the driver often referred to as ‘The Earth Shaker’ knows the competition will be tough. But it is a challenge he is ready to take on.
“All the boys will be up there and we want to be one of them. We’ll see if we can get in the hunt.”
