(October, 2006 - Hartford, OH)

Jarod Larson of Rock Creek, OH, wrapped up the 2006 season at Sharon Speedway by placing a seventh jewel in his championship crown from the Hartford oval. He finished 170 points ahead of the second-place finisher, which is a sizable point difference in the highly-competitive 410 Sprint division sponsored by Warren Harley-Davidson.

Larson is originally from Jefferson, OH, where he graduated from Jefferson High School and participated in various sports including basketball, football and soccer. He was introduced to the racing scene “when I was 6 or 7” by a family friend, Tom Johnson, who competed in the V8 Modified division. The racing interest was sparked and around the age of 12, Jarod started racing go-karts. He competed mainly on the asphalt road course at Columbiana Speedway for a few years, then moved up to the local ‘big tracks’ when he purchased a stock car his junior year in high school. He raced the stock until 1993 when he first strapped into the Clemson-owned 410 sprint. The team raced mainly at Hickory Speedway in New Castle that year, and although the season was already underway when they got together, Larson managed to finish in the top 10 in points. This was only a glimpse of things to come.

In 1996, the Clemson team started racing full-time at Sharon Speedway and finished second in the season points chase. The very next year, Jarod Larson claimed his first title. Since 1996, Larson’s stats at Sharon have been consistently impressive. In eleven seasons of competition, he has won seven Point Championships, finished as the runner-up 3 times and was third once in the point battles. Of the fifteen weekly point races at Sharon in 2006 alone, the Larson Racing Team had four feature wins, eleven top five finishes, 14 top tens and nine heat race wins. It is that consistency that has enabled Jarod to clinch his seventh Championship title.

Like many local racers, Larson competes on weekends and holds a full-time job Monday thru Friday. He is a mechanic for Clemson Excavating. He has thought about racing for a living, but knows that sponsorship is a huge factor in being able to compete at that level. The Larson Racing Team lost major sponsorship dollars for 2006 and limited the team to racing one night a week. Not only did this have an impact on the budget and frequency of events, but also on the psyche. Larson explained, “There’s not as much pressure when you don’t have a big sponsor, but it’s a lot harder to race competitively. We were only able to run one night a week instead of 2 or 3 nights and you need to be racing at least 2 nights a week if you’re going to be on top of your game. Right now, we have Clemson Excavating, Lautanen Trucking, S&S Machinery, Midway Garage Doors, Kenny Yarish, Hemly Tool, Hanson’s Automotive and S&S Repair helping us out, but we’re always looking for more sponsors.”

Larson’s crew consists of himself, Jerry and Brian Orr, and Jimmy Hawk who spend 8 to 10 hours a week preparing their car for the next weekend’s events. “That’s if we don’t have any wrecks or major problems,” laughs Larson. Jarod’s father, Norm, and his mother, who passed away in 2005, have been solid supporters of Jarod’s racing career.

In summary of his 2006 season, Jarod said, “I really enjoyed racing with everybody. It was a good year. There were no tragic accidents and everybody in the division really seemed to get along good.” In closing, Jarod stated that his main goal for 2007 is “to get more sponsorship so we can get back to racing 2 to 3 nights a week.” Spoken like a true Champion. Congratulations to Jarod Larson, the 2006 Warren Harley-Davidson Sprint Division Champion!!!

(August 5, 2006 - Hartford, OH)

Jarod Larson took the checkered flag for the third straight race in the Warren Harley-Davidson Sprint Car Division feature. Kevin Schaeffer and Mike Kekich paced the field to the green flag in the 25-lap event. Schaeffer took the early lead, but Kekich reeled him in before the cars completed the second lap. The man on the move at the start was Larson. Larson passed six cars on the cushion of turns one and two during the first lap. Back at the front, Kekich won a drag race to turn one on lap number two, and snagged the lead away from Schaeffer. Kekich quickly pulled away from the second place runner. The field was slowed when C.W. Harshman slowed from third spot after a right-rear shock failed in turn number two. On the restart, Kekich streaked away from the battle for second between Schaeffer and Larson. Larson moved into second and set sail for Kekich. Kekich pulled away from Larson as the race approached the halfway point. He held a 10 car-length edge over Larson as the two leaders caught lapped traffic. Kekich had the advantage in clean air, while Larson was strong in lapped traffic. Kekich held off the current point leader for 20 laps, but one slip in traffic opened the door for Larson to take the lead. The two drivers raced wheel-to-wheel for the last five circuits. Kekich closed on Larson’s machine as the two leaders caught traffic on the last lap. Kekich looked low on the backstretch, with Larson holding him off for the win. Larson beat Kekich to the finish line by only six one-hundredths of a second. Schaeffer finished in third. Jamie Martin drove a good race to finish fourth after starting in 15th position. Scott Bonnell started 19th and finished in fifth. Keith Taylor and Larson took the heat races.

Accepting his award, Larson stated that after his mother’s passing early in the season, he had “difficulty focusing” and credited his father and crew for their support in helping him to stay on task and clinch the championship . Jarod also expressed sincere gratitude his major sponsor, Mark Thomas Ford of Cortland, OH, for their continued support along with Tom’s Sewer and Drain Services, Clemson Excavating, Larson Trucking, Geneva Truck & Equipment, Lautamen Trucking and Kear’s Speed Shop.

September 23, 2005

HARTFORD, OH…. Jarod Larson brought home a fourth place finish, also capturing his sixth sprint Point Champion title since 1996. Only once, last year, did Larson finish out of the top 2 in final point standings in 10 years (he was 3rd in 2004).......more