Jason Horn admitted that the plan was just crazy enough that he didn’t think his son believed it would actually happen at first. The conversation started at the family pool before ending up in Colby’s room – during a bout of sim racing – late Sunday night.
“I’m sure he thought I was joking at first … he might have been on iRacing when I went up and told him, but there’s no joking now. We came, we figured it out and we won, and I think we’re ready to come back and go for a few more here as the summer goes on.”
As far as the driver was concerned, Colby Horn’s biggest worry was a caution period that bloomed just as he was rounding turn three on the last lap to come to the finish line.
Ty Lloyd – a rookie from Florida making his Millbridge debut in Nick Hoffman’s No. 2 Phantom Racing Chassis entry – spun in turn four right in the middle of the racing groove, necessitating a yellow flag and placing three-time track champion Hubert on Horn’s bumper for a one-lap sprint to the finish line.
“As soon as the (caution) lights came on I thought to myself, ‘Dang, we’ve gotta hold on for one more now,’” recalled Horn of the closing moments in the feature. “I could hear (Carson) Kvapil’s 450 behind me and I knew that Tom – who’s one of the fastest guys out here every week – was on my tail too.
“I knew he was back there and all I could do was hold my line and do what I could, but I didn’t want to give them an opportunity. Thankfully it all worked out on that last lap.”
Horn got a perfect restart to open up the gap in the final lap and Hubert, though he railed the top side for much of the feature, couldn’t get close enough to challenge the No. 22H.
“If I’d had one more lap, it might have been a drag race, but Colby did a really good job,” praised Hubert. “He was really fast the whole time and the restart at the end, he did exactly what he needed to do. It was a good race and I think he’ll be tough the more he comes out here this summer.”
With one win already under his belt, Horn is already amped up for what’s to come as he continues his travels back and forth from the Gulf South to the East Coast and chases a ride with Keith Kunz, who stands as one of the most-noted midget owners in the country.
Horn arrived back in Texas Thursday afternoon, turns 14 on June 29, and his story is very similar to Logan Seavey, who already drives a midget for Kunz and returned to racing following open-heart surgery two years ago.
At four weeks old, Horn had a similar open-heart procedure to Seavey’s, and since then has grown up and raced with no lasting health issues as he continues to chase his dreams.
His dream of winning the Giveback Classic is bringing a lot of added effort with it, but Horn feels that his busy summer will give him a better chance of succeeding on Halloween night.
“What we’re doing is all about commitment, and I think we’re going to prove that with how the next few months are going to be for us … flying back and forth, leaving our equipment here … we don’t actually have a car back in Texas right now but I think we’re where we need to be,” noted Horn.
“Being invited to compete in the KKM Giveback Classic is awesome, first off, and then coming out here and winning on our first night practicing and testing for that race … it’s beyond what we hoped for and a dream come true. I’m so excited for the rest of the summer now.”
