Rum Bum Comes Close in Vegas
They say what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas… but that motto shouldn’t apply to Rum Bum Racer Shawn Gann. In the home stretch of the NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals on Sunday, Gann put on a performance worthy of bragging rights. And he didn’t have to break any course records or place in the winner’s circle to leave the Las Vegas race weekend feeling like he just swept a table at seven-card stud.
“I’m feeling so good,” Gann gushed while the enthused, packed-in fans roared in the background. “You know I’m sitting pretty… I’m so happy.” During his first race, though, the sun’s harsh reflection made it impossible to see the shift light on his pro stock motorcycle. But Gann’s years of experience allowed him to shift without any indication – except instinct. He explained, “I shifted by the seat of my pants,” and added, "Which are rarely wrong.”
Gann and his pro stock motorcycle dominated his first elimination race with a time of 7.116 seconds against Junior Pippin, a rider Gann greatly respects. Furthermore, he ran his bike beautifully in his second and final elimination round against Matt Smith’s monster of a machine. After that loss, it was time to proudly take his leave the Vegas Speedway till next year.
But in the spirit of teamwork, his fellow Rum Bum Racer, Bailey Whitaker and the rest of the Rum Bum gang stuck it out till the end of the day with Gann, helping keep up morale, prepping the bike, and staying positive. “Even when Shawn goes out I feel butterflies,” Whitaker chimed. “That’s what happens when you work as a team.”
As the Rum Bum racing duo subjected themselves to the masses of fans clamoring for autographs, Blake Gann, the man behind the mechanics – aka. Rum Bum Crew Chief – added some sentiments from the final races before the big dance that completes the season. “The Crew Chief is happy,” he expressed. “We tried some things this weekend,” he continued. For example, the team installed a new pressure sensor clutch lever that helped Shawn get off the start line faster. “He had a flawless race,” Chief Gann said of his son. “He didn’t tear up anything. It was just good.
Rum Bum Racing is headed back to their shop on Monday to prep the bikes for the last race of the season in two weeks. Stay tuned for the final leg of the NHRA Full Throttle Series!
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