MONROE – Naima Lang, the defending Bombers class points champion at Evergreen Speedway, found out last weekend that he has another driver to worry about this season. And the new threat is someone Lang knows really, really well – his wife, Jill.
Michael V. MArtina / The Herald
A week ago, Jill Lang became the first woman in the 51-year history of Evergreen Speedway to win a Bombers “A” Main race, edging Travis Blackwood. Naima Lang finished third.
“It was like winning the race myself,” Naima Lang said. “I had the best seat in the house. I was so excited for her.”
Jill Lang, 28, is in her rookie season on the Bombers circuit and until last week, her season hadn’t been all that notable. In five previous races, she finished no higher than 14th, and May 7 she was involved in a crash with five laps remaining and came in 15th. But the wreck proved to be somewhat of a blessing, as it allowed her to start on the pole in the next race.
“I didn’t expect to win this early in my racing career,” Jill said. “A lot of people said because I’m new, I’m oblivious to the pressure. I just looked straight ahead and tried not to pay attention to what was going on around me.”
“I wasn’t surprised at all,” Naima Lang added. “She’s been good in every race. She seems real comfortable out there, and she has good equipment around her.”
Jill Lang, a Mill Creek native, might be a rookie on the Bombers circuit, but she’s no rookie racer. She was racing quarter midgets when she was 7 and worked her way up from there. Her dad, Ron Fritzley, is a long-time driver at Evergreen who still races in the Super Stocks division, so Jill knows the track as well as anyone.
Naima Lang, who grew up in Kirkland, started off racing dirt bikes and go-carts, and competed as a pro wakeboarder. He met Jill at a wakeboard competition in 1996 and they were married in 2001.
While Naima Lang began making a name for himself at Evergreen, Jill Lang put racing behind her. But the pull of competition ate at her, and after watching her husband win the points title last season, she decided to get back into it.
“I missed being out there,” Jill Lang said. “I felt like we were at a point where the kids could come out and enjoy what mom and dad were doing. (Tyson) helps dad work on his car and he’ll start racing quarter midgets when he turns 5. I think we’re all having fun with it.”
Jill Lang said the biggest adjustment was getting used to the size of the car. She had been racing shifter carts with little hardware around her and Bombers are street cars with modified larger engines and extra safety gear.
Naima Lang said he was less concerned with his wife’s safety than with the amount of time she would put into the car.
“When she got in the crash a couple weeks ago, I was worried until I found out she was OK,” he said. “But safety wasn’t really the issue. I didn’t want her spending all her time on her car like I do. We didn’t need two people in the family like that. And she hasn’t been. It’s working out real good.”
The couple say they don’t spend much time off the track talking about racing, and don’t pay specific attention to each other when they are on the track. The first race they were in together, Naima Lang ran near the front the whole time and said he never even saw his wife, though his radio man kept him informed on how she was doing.
Last week, Naima Lang had an excellent view of Jill Lang’s historic run.
After a caution with one lap left kept the cars bunched, Blackwood challenged Jill Lang, going inside and by turn two the pair were racing side-by-side. She held her speed through turn three to pull ahead and crossed the line first.
“I guess I just had a better line at the end,” Jill Lang said. “They told me I was the first woman after the race, and that was pretty exciting.”
So what if it had been her husband racing alongside her instead of Blackwood?
“He told me if he could have caught me, he would have let me win,” she said of her husband. “If it was some other guy who let me have a free ride, you don’t want to do that. But if it was my husband, it might have been OK. Of course there’s competition, and he’s my husband so I want him to do well. I’m not out there thinking ‘I’ve got to beat him.’ I would pass him if I could and he would pass me. But we’re both supportive of each other.”
The win vaulted Jill Lang to 13th place in the point standings. Naima Lang continues to hold a 323-308 lead over Darin Stordahl as he tries to repeat his championship.
“I’m really proud of her,” said Naima Lang, who owns Lang Auto Sports in Lynnwood. “It’s not an easy sport and there’s a lot of people who watch her just because she’s a woman. But she’s doing great.”
Jill Lang, who recently began selling real estate, said she likely will continue racing until her kids become active in the sport. But until then, she’ll continue challenging all racers, including her husband, every week.
“I just think it’s great that we have something that we can all share like this,” Jill Lang said. “The fact that I won a race is great but just being out there with my family, having fun, that’s been the best part.”
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