8/27/2020
Ransomville Speedway
Ransomville Speedway Driver Profile: "Showtime" Jaren Israel
Some of auto racing’s most polarizing personalities are drivers that are known to go out and drive every lap like it’s the last one. Earnhardt. Stewart. Busch. They put on a show with their intense pursuit of another checkered flag. Jaren Israel is a very similar personality when it comes to the Street Stock division at Ransomville Speedway. The man they call “Showtime” has been competing weekly in the Street Stocks since 2003 with 50 feature wins to his credit.
“I come here every night to win,” said Israel. “Every night I pull into the pits I know I have a chance of winning. I don’t go there thinking oh I just need to finish fifth tonight, and I think sometimes that can get me into trouble. The aggressiveness can bite you in the ass sometimes, but the aggressiveness can win you a lot of races.”
Israel grew up at the other end of Braley Rd. from Ransomville Speedway, but going to the track was just a once or twice a year occasion for his family. It wasn’t until some friends starting participating in demolition derbies that Israel, his father Roger and his brother Justin got interested in spending more time at the track.
They started out by entering their first demo derbies in 1998. “You’re there all night to do the demo, so then you’re watching the racing,” said Israel. “That looked like fun too, so we decided to see what the Street Stocks were all about.” Justin Israel made his on-track debut in 1999 after he put together a car with help from his dad and Dave Jowdy. Roger got to make one start in the car in exchange for helping out his son, and that one start was all it took to hook Roger into becoming a wheelman. He joined Justin in the Street Stocks in 2000.
A work commitment forced Justin out of the driver’s seat in 2001, which opened up an opportunity for 16-year-old Jaren. He put together a ride to run a partial rookie season. Israel planned on running all the races the next year, but engine issues brought his 2002 season to an early end.
“It was a low budget operation, and I think I had $800 in it, just to get my feet wet,” said Israel. “In 2003, my dad and I decided to spend some money to upgrade our cars and motor program, and that’s when we started winning.”
The father and son duo quickly rose through the ranks in the Street Stock division, which made them not only rivals with their fellow drivers but also each other. “You definitely raced him (Roger) differently, but if you had to make a pass you couldn’t sit around and wait,” said Israel.
Roger Israel won the Ransomville track championship in 2006, but Jaren takes some credit for his dad’s title. “Jeff Schulze finished second to my dad by two points, and with three weeks left in the season, I let my dad by me to gain more points. It wound up coming down to that one position, and I tell him that whenever he brings it up.”
Israel’s most memorable moments in racing came during the years he raced with his dad. These happened when Jaren and Roger managed to win races on the same night during the years when the Street Stocks ran double features. This made for a wonderful family moment in victory lane with father and son celebrating together. “It was super cool, I’ll be able to tell my grandkids about that,” said Israel.
The one thing that eludes Israel after all these years is a Ransomville track championship. He’s been in the title picture many times in his career, but he hasn’t been able to close the deal. “I feel you can look back on all the years, and every year you can pinpoint something that went wrong,” said Israel. “One bad night can be it, and it can ruin your whole your season and you spend all year trying to make it up.”
Israel will continue to chase for that first title in 2021, and he’ll do with the support of his wife Joanne and their kids. He’s also supported by Bailey Brothers Landscaping & Snowplowing, Investor’s Service, Swimco Pools, Empro Niagara and Durf’s Hot Wheels Cool Deals.
Submitted By: Dave Buchanan
