BY MARK McKEON<\/p>\n
Vermont native Jeff Horn, who\u2019s lived the flatlander\u2019s life in Massachusetts for the past few decades, hasn\u2019t left many mountains unclimbed. The 67 year old began his racing career at the late, lamented Catamount Stadium in Milton, VT back in 1965 and except for a couple of years in the U.S. Army- including a tour of duty as an infantry soldier in Viet Nam- he hasn\u2019t stopped racing since. <\/p>\n
A pavement specialist, Horn has had spectacular success with Midgets, Supermodifieds, Late Models and Modifieds, but he\u2019s never raced a Sprint Car, let alone raced one on dirt. That omission will be rectified this Saturday night when Horn makes his Sprint Car debut with the Sprint Cars of New England at Bear Ridge Speedway.
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\u201cIt\u2019s just something I\u2019ve always wanted to do and I\u2019m lucky to have the chance to scratch it off the bucket list\u201d, said Horn, who owns and operates A-1 Automotive in Ashland, MA. \u201cButch Valley, Jr. had another commitment so when he and Butch Sr. offered me the chance to run their New England Motor Racing Supply sponsored car, I couldn\u2019t say no.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not as if Horn has anything to prove. He sits 12th on the all-time NEMA Midget feature win list with 20 victories. He has dozens of wins in Supermodifieds and Late Models, but he never bothered to keep an exact tally. He didn\u2019t try his hand at dirt track racing until 2010, when he made a handful of starts at now defunct Whip City Speedway, after demolishing his NEMA Midget in a headlong crash into the first turn wall at Monadnock Speedway.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve raced at lots of tracks that don\u2019t exist anymore,\u201d Horn observes. \u201cBesides Catamount and Whip City, we had some success at Norwood Arena and Westboro Speedway. Through the years, I\u2019ve been fortunate in having top shelf equipment. Most of my Midget wins came in a great car owned by Bay Hayes and I built my Supermodifieds myself, so I knew what was in them. The Valley\u2019s Sprint Car is a great piece too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Currently, Horn competes with his son Mike in the NEMA Midgets and shares a ride with his car owner Jim Mossman in the USAC Dirt Midget Association.<\/p>\n
Horn\u2019s Sprint Car debut takes place during Bear Ridge Speedway\u2019s 45th season of racing. This week it\u2019s the Remembrance of Lost Friends event presented by Dad\u2019s 4 By Tool & Supply. A full card of the 99ROCK Weekly Racing Series- Modifieds, Coupes, Late Models, Fast Fours, and Hornets- is on tap, in addition to the WYKR Sprint Cars of New England and the Hornet Queens. Special general admission is $13 for adults (age 18-61), $10 for teens (12-17) and seniors (62+), and $2 for children; Visa and MasterCard are accepted. Racing begins at the famous \u201c6:00-ish\u201d start time.<\/p>\n