Get To Know Up-&-Coming Open Wheel Racer Jack Lehner

Column By: PHYLICIA CADWELL / RPW – SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – For 19-year-old Jack Lehner, becoming a racecar driver is what some people would call the chance of a lifetime.

Lehner’s dad, who raced Street Stocks at Lebanon Valley when he was younger, started Jack in go karts at the age of five. By a chance of luck, Lehner got a big break to start his career of open wheel racing, when Rocky Warner left the West End Towing team, and an extra car remained.

“My dad’s great friends with Ray Sefrin, so he let me run it a couple times and we ended up buying that car,” he said. “That’s pretty much how we ended up here.”

Lehner, who now runs a Sportsman and a Small Block on the King of Dirt 358-Modified tour, is happy to call Albany-Saratoga Speedway his Friday night home.

“I just really like the size of the track,” Lehner said. “There’s usually a good top and bottom groove and about 15 cars in the Sportsman field that could win it so the competition is really tough.”

With tough competition comes the need to be aggressive, but also race clean. However, sometimes shooting the hole to make moves you have to make is critical.

“Ronnie Johnson is really good at that [shooting the hole],” Lehner stated. “He takes advantage of any opportunity he gets and racing with him on the King of Dirt tour has definitely showed me some things that I can do that I didn’t think I could.”

Racing both of divisions, for Lehner, feels good. He has hopes of making the jump to running Modified soon and the 358-Modified is how he’s getting used to the style of Modified racing.

“We really like racing with those guys [Modified drivers],” he said. “The style of racing in the Sportsman class is great too, and really competitive, but we’re looking to make the jump pretty soon.”

Although the Modified goals for next season rest on what happens with funding, Lehner says he doesn’t mind running in the Sportsman class again if needed.

“If we end up running Sportsman again, I’d just like to win more races, be consistent, and be in the contention for points,” Lehner said.

With one career Sportsman win already under his belt at Albany-Saratoga, more wins has been a big goal for him this season. To the young driver, it was a goal that he thought was obtainable. But that’s not his only goal.

“I want to try to get a win on the King of Dirt tour and win at some tracks that we don’t normally race at,” he said. “I’d say we’re doing pretty well this year and kind of living up to what I hoped and expected.”

Living up to his goals as a driver also extends to who influences him the most.

“I strive to be like my dad pretty much in anyway, whether it’s on the track or how he is in person,” Lehner said. “He’s taught me pretty much everything I know and gave me the right resources to be able to do what I do now.”

Lehner has more than just his dad to thank for getting him this far in his racing career as well.

“I’ve got to thank the whole Bellinger crew (John, Bodie, Karen, Joe, Brock),” he said. “They’ve taught me pretty much everything I know about these cars and help me set them up work on them. My buddy Ryan has also been a huge help he’s always helping in the shop and at the track. He doesn’t even get to drive the car, but he likes to work on it just as much as I do so that’s pretty important cause two cars would be tough if it was just me.”