There are rituals in racing that strike me as cool. Chugging some milk after winning the Indy 500, being awarded a Stetson hat after winning the NHRA event in Dallas, and F1 drivers dousing everyone within a 50 foot radius with champagne from the podium are all cool. These things give moments and events identity and set them apart from others. Sprint Car racer Blake Hahn recently won the Grizzly Nationals at Gallatin Speedway in Montana and we’re not sure he knew what was coming as part of the post race celebration. The end result are photos we’re sure the guy will cherish for life but when Adam the bear shows to take his place in the starring role you cannot help but to have your eyes bug out a little.
Adam proved to be an awesome addition to this program, mainly because he did not decide to use his amazing strength and 900b weight to mangle, eat, or otherwise ruin the days of everyone and everything around him. He does everything that the handler asks him to do from climbing up on the tire, not playing with the trophy, and ultimately opening his huge mouth repeatedly. They give him some treats and stuff for the good work.
You get a great sense of how large Adam is when he comes lumbering up to the car and when you see the Hahn crouching down next to him the bear really looks hulking. We give Hahn big credit for not seeming jumpy or scared when all of this was going on. We’d have been looking for a way out from the first time we saw that big beast coming our way!
The second place finisher was unbearable.