By Tom Rohrer
For two decades, Jay Cole racing at Grays Harbor Raceway has been as consistent as taxes, failed diets and scandal in the news.
The Shelton native competes in the 360 Sprints car division, and as of June 15, Cole stands atop this season’s poll standings at the raceway with a total of 657 points.
With a large track and terrific facilities for fans and drivers alike, Grays Harbor Raceway is an ideal stop for Pacific Northwest Race fans. Support from the local business community, such as nearby Quinault Beach Resort & Casino, means that the raceway can attract top talent.
“It’s always great to travel to different places, but (Grays Harbor Raceway) is the nicest place I go to,” said Cole. “It’s got the bigger track size, the high speeds of the drivers, and the facilities. It’s what you would call a ‘grade A’ type of track.”
360 Sprint Cars have a noticeable “wing” above the driver’s seat, which increases the down force and control the driver has of the car, a necessity when going 90-150 miles per hour among drivers.
Like many involved in the sport, Cole got an early start in motorsports and racing, as he began racing dirt bikes and motorcycles competitively as a young teenager.
“I pretty much always had a motorcycle, at least as far back as I can remember,” said Cole. “I started racing at age 14, just around the northwest, stuff like that.”
The wear and tear stemming from motorcycle racing took its toll on Cole, and he looked to find a new way to satisfy his racing itch.
“I had some bad crashes on motorcycles,” said Cole. “I fractured my back, had my spleen removed…..and I thought, there has to be something else.”
Sprint cars turned out to be that “something else” and Cole took up racing in Grays Harbor County. Throughout his time racing, Cole has seen the ups and downs of the sport first hand.
“When I started off, there was only a few cars, then there was a big boom in the numbers,” Cole said. “These days, it’s gone down from the boom, but there are still a lot of fast cars and a lot of good drivers. It’s competitive.”
Cole has also traveled around the west coast and into Canada to take on new drivers and tracks. Some of the locations he has driven to include tracks in Alberta, Montana and California.
“Well, for one, you hope you don’t crash, and every day, have to perform maintenance car,” Cole said of his checklist at out of state raceways. “You get ready for the next day, and keep the car in best condition.”
A terrific mechanic, Cole is able to diagnose issues on his vehicle and work on the repairs with his dedicated crew. He has noticed the new age of drivers, while talented, have distanced themselves from the insides of their engine.
“I see a lot of kids come up and they don’t know what their dads are putting in the car,” said Cole. “But that doesn’t stop them from going fast.”
As one of the most experienced drivers at the track, Cole passes down advice to this younger generation if asked.
“I like to be friendly, promote the sport in the right direction,” said Cole. “I’m an open book. If they want to know something I’ll tell them, but I’m still there to win in the end.”
The competiveness, exhilaration and adrenaline that comes from racing makes the long drives and large amounts of money spent on the car worth it.
“Sprint cars are unique with as much down force they create….the exhilaration and amount of speed you can get out of it is the thrill,” said Cole.
Almost exhilarating for Cole is winning, and one victory in particular (of many over the last two decades) at Grays Harbor Raceway stands out.
“I would say the Fred Brownfield Memorial race in 2004, that was a great one,” said Cole. “It was a big crowd, lots of people supporting. It was a great experience.”
Sharing the experiences of racing with his family, pit crew and friends at the track continues to drive Cole to race.
“I’ve definitely got some years left in me,” said Cole, who noted that the support of crew member and sponsors like Our Community Credit Union and Trev Wilson, owner of Bulldog Tailers, has been integral to his racing career. “I’ve been racing at Grays Harbor Raceway so long that I have lots of friends out there and being there is just family time. I’ve had the same crew the whole time, so we know how to work together and how to handle situations. Spending time with my family, my crew, I’ve always loved that. They might not say the same about being around me at that time though.”
To Cole, winning a race is not rocket science, nor does it require the strategy others put into each event.
“I just want to pass as many cars as possible,” said Cole. “It’s pretty simple.”
Judging by his success, that simple strategy appears to be working.
For more information on Grays Harbor Raceway, Jay Cole and all the other participating drivers, visit http://www.graysharborraceway.com.
