RPW Exclusive: Perseverance Has Been The Name Of The Game For Jake Spraker; Part II
Column By: LAURIE FALLIS / RPW – GLOVERSVILLE, NY – In part two of this special interview with Jake Spraker, I move forward to the next phase of his journey to becoming one of the most influential owners in the Big Block Modified ranks. These were the years where Spraker’s reputation as a winning car owner formed.
Spraker decided to buy a used Olsen halfway through 1986 and put Mike Romano in the drivers seat. The team wasted no time as they would be a winning combination.
When Spraker and Romano went to a race at Weedsport Speedway and saw that Danny Johnson had a new style Troyer car, Spraker realized this was a major turning point for his team.
“Now keep in mind, Troyer was in a bit of a slump at the time,” he said. “Other car builders were raising the bar and elevating their product.”
As they were looking the car over, Jake noticed the motor looked like it was just taken out of a truck just so they could race. Well, the Doctor started in the rear of the field and got to the front. That set the wheels in motion in his mind. If Danny can win with a junk motor in the new style Troyer, could you imagine how good the car could be with a stout power plant?
It just so happened that Jake was a Troyer dealer at the time, so he called and talked to Billy Colton to see he could make a deal and order a new-style car.
“Everybody told me I was nuts,” he said. “I had a new Olsen on order. We were winning with the Olsen but I had a strong feeling.”
Turns out the owner intuitions were correct as they were winning all over. They even racked up two Championships.
“It was the best move I ever made,” he said. “Switching from Olsen to Troyer and using a 410 Malcuit that I bought from Jack Johnson was amazing.”
The duo had a big win and in 1989 at Fonda Speedway during the McDonald’s 200 weekend. A twist to the race was when Promoter Ralph Compani decided to do away with the mandatory pit stop. A week earlier, Spraker and Mike Romano took the car to the Rolling Wheels 200. In the race they pitted on lap 10 and finished the race with five gallons of gas left in the fuel cell.
This left them with high expectations heading to Fonda and they made the distance without a stop.
Word around the pit area that day was that there was no way anybody could go the distance with out running out of fuel, but the #97 team had something up their sleeve.
With Malcuit telling them the best jetting to save fuel without hurting the motor, along with already testing it at the Wheels, they were confident they could. That’s exactly what they did and they took home the big win and huge check.
After the race, protests came streaming in foran illegal fuel cell and a fuel hose that was too long. The car was checked and deemed 100% legal. That made the win even sweeter for the team.
Going full bore with the team over the years, Spraker decided to step away in 1992 due to personal and financial reasons. Once again, Tommy Spencer was there to buy Jake’s equipment.
Spraker laid low for the next five years helping out Romano as much as possible.
Jake’s itch would come back in 1997, but this time around, he would go in a different direction. Jake heard about a Pro Stock car that had a talented driver at the controls by the name of Steve Welch. Jake inquired on the car when he found out it was for sale. Jake purchased it and asked Welch to be the driver.
The pairing won several races and got the Fonda championship in 1999. They also tried their hand in the Sportsman ranks but Welch never felt comfortable in those cars.
Jake would next look to his childhood friend, Timmy Clemons, to step into his Sportsman car. From there it was on. By 2003 Spraker went full-bore, owning five cars with three drivers. Alan Johnson, Jeff Trombley and Clemons.
Johnson went on to win many races for his car owner, and even a track championship at Fulton Speedway.
“Alan was such a smooth driver,” he said. “He wouldn’t tear up a car and always had great runs. He was a great driver for me and wherever we went with Alan, we were treated like royalty. He was easy on equipment.”
Trombley was second in points at Fonda in the Modifieds with Clemons finishing second in Sportsman points. Jake admitted it was his fault Timmy didn’t win the title due to his “bull-headed behavior.” Clemons did, however, take home the track championship at Rolling Wheels and Utica-Rome for his childhood friend.
Jumpin’ Jack Johnson would spend some time behind the wheel in 2004. Nothing really went right for them and the two parted ways halfway through the season.
Enter, Bobby Varin.
Tomorrow will conclude this three part series with Jake Spraker, taking us from 2005 to present day with one of the Northeast’s most prominent car owners.
