Jason Kiser a fast learner at LVMS’ Bullring
Fred Kiser waited four years to pick up his first victory, and the patience paid off with the 2004 season championship in what then was called the Chargers division.
So he knew how difficult it was to break into that class and find success, and he expected his son, Jason, to experience similar growing pains.
Only Jason Kiser’s first victory came much sooner.
“It took him half a season,” Fred Kiser said.
Jason Kiser not only won midway through his rookie season in what now is called the NASCAR Super Stock class, he also took first four times en route to capturing the series championship.
“It was the first time I ever experienced something like that,” Jason Kiser said. “It was pretty cool.”
Showing that last season wasn’t a fluke, Jason Kiser has matched his four victories from 2014 already this year. He again leads the points standings entering Friday’s “Night of Fire” at Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s Bullring.
Spectator gates open at 5 p.m., with opening ceremonies at 6:55 and a fireworks show closing the evening. This will be the final night of racing at the Bullring until Aug. 22, an annual break this time of year because of the high summer temperatures.
Jason Kiser has been on fire since breaking into Super Stock, and how far he can take his racing career is uncertain. He also is a crew chief in the Rocky Mountain Challenge Series and hopes to eventually drive in it because of its unique points system that awards drivers for more than just winning races.
Fred Kiser said he would love for his son to break into NASCAR’s big time, but in motor sports, financing goes a long way in determining which drivers have a realistic chance to be successful and which ones don’t.
The family business, KRT Installations, is Jason Kiser’s primary sponsor, so they understand the importance of cash.
They also understand the importance of responsibility. Jason Kiser became interested at a young age in racing, watching his dad at the track and NASCAR on TV.
“To be honest with you, he kicked my butt on any racing video game we put on,” said Fred Kiser, laughing.
Fred Kiser stoked his son’s interest by insisting that Jason learn how to build his own car.
“I had a lot of input, but I let him make some decisions on the car,” Fred Kiser said. “That way, he would respect his equipment and respect everybody else’s equipment and appreciate that he’s getting to race a racecar.
“A lot of the newer kids are being branded spoiled brats, and I didn’t want mine to be one of those kids,” Fred Kiser later added. “I didn’t let him just show up to the racetrack and race. He has to put his time into the vehicle, and he learns about it. He doesn’t just crack a book or look up online or ask other drivers.”
That sense of responsibility is evident in Jason Kiser, even at age 23. He lives in Las Vegas, but drives trucks for FedEx with the operations based out of Salt Lake City. He makes regular drives to Salt Lake to pick up his truck to head to different parts of the nation. He spoke while in Iowa, on his way to Minnesota.
Such a job hasn’t made preparing for races easy, but Kiser gave FedEx his competition schedule, and the company has been good at working around it.
And given the results of the first half of the season, Kiser has been good at making sure he’s more than competitive.
“Financially, I wasn’t sure I was even going to run the entire season, and I landed a pretty good job trucking,” he said. “It’s been pretty good. We’ve just kept the momentum going.”
Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.
