and meniscus while on the hardwood at Bloomington. He was on the shelf for nine
long months.
As for basketball he returned to the court and reports that his high school
squad won more games than they lost. He was also anxious to get back behind the
wheel. “I was ready to go in 2018,” he says, “so we raced that car all year at
Bloomington and Brownstown.” The result? He earned Rookie of the Year honors
at both tracks. Flushed with success, it was decided to get a new TSR racecar.
His first win, which came in 2020, was particularly special. “It was the Josh
Burton Memorial at Bloomington,” he recalls, “so it was ten minutes from my
house and the biggest race of the year.” While he did not know Josh, as his career
has blossomed, he has made more friends at the track, including Jerry Burton.
Showing remarkable progress, in 2021 it came down to the last race of the
year, but in the end, Sasser edged Austin Phelps by six points and joined his father
as a Bloomington Speedway champion. In 2022, Phelps turned the tables on his foe
at Bloomington, but Sasser was the UMP National champion. It is getting to be a
habit. “It seems like we are always one-two in everything he says,” but Austin and
I have never had a problem. It has always been good clean racing.”
Winning the UMP title was important, and he thinks he has a good grasp on
what it takes to get to the top. “Two years ago, we set up to run for the UMP
points,” he says, “and we learned what we needed to do to give it our best shot. We
learned you have to run every night you can. If there is a race and it is for UMP
points you have to go. If you get rained out at one track, you try to go to another
one.”
As for 2023 the Sasser’s would like to take another run at the UMP title, but
given that they have one on their resume, they are not going to take drastic
measures to get it done. “You have to have a lot of luck go your way,” he says,
“You must finish races and not have anything break. At the start of last year, we got
on a hot streak. We won three in a row or so at Bloomington and won a couple at
Brownstown, so we got off to a big start. Then from about three-fourths of the way
into the season to the end we fought motor problems. We hurt a couple of engines
trying to figure out the problem.” In the end the culprit proved to be something he
deemed “silly” but once found he was able to hold on and grab the brass ring
This year father and son have some additional help with friends Jason Polley
and Josh Miracle lending a hand. Zach’s 16-year-old brother Isiah, a budding racer ?
(and high school basketball player) chips in, and mom Dana offers moral support.
While he would like to race a late model someday, he also likes where he is. One
might think given his father’s experience a modified might be in his future. “We
have talked about it,” he says, “but my dad really likes the super stock. We think
the super stock is about the best bang for your buck and it is still a tough class.”
As the record shows, Zach Sasser is one of the key players that makes this group
special.
After graduating from high school Zach earned an associate degree from Ivy
Tech. Today he works for a firm that assumes government contracts, and Sasser
molds rubber parts for underwater sensors used by the United States Navy. At 21
years old he has a responsible job and takes it seriously. Still, he has the heart of a
Sasser. Today, Adam Sasser gets his kicks helping his son’s race. “He’s ate up with
it,” Zach says with a laugh. Then, when asked to reflect about his own love of the
sport Sasser says, “This is my pride and joy.”
- Jill Spiker on May 02, 2023
- Article Date: 5/2/2023 by Patrick Sullivan