Learning the Line: The Rise of Jake “The Snake” Cassel

There’s something special about watching a young racer figure it all out. Not just watching them win. Not just watching them stand on the front stretch and hold a trophy over their head. Watching them learn.

Learning what the car wants. Learning what different racetracks demand. Learning how to pick a line when the obvious one isn't working. Learning how to deal with the nights when everything goes right, and maybe even more importantly, learning how to deal with the nights when absolutely nothing does.

At 16 years old, Jake “The Snake” Cassel is right in the middle of that process, and if you've been paying attention around the Ohio Valley this season, you've probably started noticing that white, blue, and orange 24 coming around the corner.

Jake's in his second season behind the wheel of a Sport Mod, and after earning Atomic Speedway's Sport Mod Rookie of the Year honors in 2025, he's spending 2026 doing exactly what a young racer should be doing: putting laps on the car, learning from every race, and slowly turning himself into a tougher competitor every time he unloads.

The numbers don't tell the entire story, but they're a pretty good place to start. Through 17 events this season, Jake's recorded five top-five finishes and 13 top-tens, with his results including a third at Atomic earlier in the year and top-ten runs at Jackson County Speedway... and he's doing it while still figuring out what kind of racer he wants to become.

“I’ve been in the top 10 all but 3 races, 2 of them being DNF,” Jake told me. “And being able to run good at Atomic is pretty big for me considering there’s some of the best Sport Mods there.”

That confidence hasn't come from nowhere. Jake's already had some moments this season that have started to put his name on people's radar.

He set quick time at Jackson County Speedway during the August 21st Back to School Grand Finale, putting the 24 at the top of the qualifying sheet against a solid field of Sport Mods. Earlier in the summer, he picked up a heat race win at Atomic Speedway during Workin' Man Wednesday.

And then there's that line... if you've watched Jake turn laps, you know exactly what I'm talking about. He's starting to develop a reputation for taking the car right up against the wall, carrying it around the corner and letting the sheet metal clean the wall as he rockets off the corner. It's a line that's become associated with one of the region's best-known wheelmen, and Jake isn't exactly shy about trying it himself. Needless to say there's a bit of Josh Rice in the way Jake attacks the outside.

But make no mistake: Jake's still figuring out how to make that line his own.

“I’m a lot more comfortable with the car and knowing how it works,” he said when I asked what improvements he's noticed since last season.

That's probably one of the biggest transitions a young racer can make. The car stops being something you're simply trying to control and starts becoming something you understand. You begin to know what the steering wheel is telling you. You learn what the rear tires are going to do before they do it. You start understanding why the car does what it does instead of simply reacting when it happens.

Jake's getting there...

𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐏𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐭

If there's one thing Jake's 2026 season has given him, it's variety.

He's raced at Atomic Speedway, Jackson County Speedway, Portsmouth Raceway Park, and Moler Raceway Park this season, with each facility offering something different behind the wheel... but if you ask Jake which one has his heart, there isn't much hesitation.

“Atomic has my heart for sure. That’s where I turned my first ever lap in a Sport Mod.”

It makes sense.

Atomic's where Jake began learning this car, and it's also where he's had the chance to measure himself against some of the strongest Sport Mod competition in the region.

Jackson County is a close second.

“I’ve always done decent there and love the little bullring tracks.”

That description tells you something about the kid behind the wheel, too. He likes the tight stuff. The places where you don't have much room to make a mistake. The places where momentum matters and the line can change by the lap.

Portsmouth was an entirely different animal. Jake was one of 25 Sport Mods that made the trip to PRP for The Revival, the first racing program at the historic facility in two years, and he didn't just show up.

He went out and qualified sixth quick.

For a 16-year-old making his first laps around the riverbank clay, that's one hell of a first impression. He followed that up by finishing second in his heat, putting himself in a strong position for the feature. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans and the features were ultimately postponed.

Jake wasn't able to return for the rescheduled program the following weekend because he had another important commitment waiting for him at Atomic Speedway: the Brock Chaney Memorial. Still, the impression had already been made.

“I didn’t really know what to expect,” Jake said of Portsmouth. “I feel like I caught on quick though, finishing 2nd in the heat.”

That's probably an understatement.

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐅𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤

Of course, racing doesn't always cooperate. Sometimes the car decides it doesn't want to play along. That was the case at Atomic Speedway's Herrnstein Hall of Fame Night.

Jake fought his way through the feature and came home sixth, doing it without any power steering. That's not exactly the ideal way to spend a feature when you're throwing a Sport Mod around a 3/8th mile track. The team eventually traced the problem to the power steering system and got the issue figured out, getting the 24 back into fighting shape.

That's where the other part of being a young racer comes into play. You don't just learn how to drive the car. You learn how to maintain it. You learn how to diagnose it. You learn how to listen to it. You learn that the race doesn't begin when the engines fire.

Jake's preparation during the week is about as straightforward as it gets.

“Throughout the week I stay up in maintenance and checking every bolt in the car and making sure she shines at the track.”

Then when race day arrives?

“I try to keep things calm so I’m not rushing around and possibly forgetting something.”

There's wisdom in that answer that goes far beyond his age. Racing's chaotic enough once the green flag drops. There's no reason to create more chaos for yourself before it does.

𝐀 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐀𝐟𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫

Jake isn't doing this alone... Not even close. Behind the 24 is a village of people who make sure the car gets to the track, gets unloaded, gets maintained and gets back home.

His mom, Jamie Cassel Lawson. Pap, Joe Cassel. His brother, Jackson Robbins. His dad. His stepdad, Adam Lawson. Step-sister, Reese Lawson. Jack Martin. And Jake himself.

Everyone has a job.

“Mom is there to keep us all in line.”

Pap charges the battery, Jackson's usually on tires, Jack handles the gear changes, Dad handles fuel, Reese puts on the wheel covers, Jake checks the air pressure, and Adam?

“Adam's usually there to help me if I can’t figure something out.”

There's another pretty important piece to that particular relationship... Adam isn't just Jake's stepdad. He's a Sport Mod racer himself, and he's not exactly hanging around the back of the pack.

Adam currently sits third in the Atomic Speedway Sport Mod points standings, directly ahead of Jake, who sits fourth.

So Jake has a fellow competitor, mentor, and family member standing right there whenever he needs another set of eyes on the car. That's a hell of a resource to have at 16 years old.

And Jake isn't just taking from the people around him.

“I’m usually helping everyone with something,” he said.

That's how racing families work, everybody has a job, everybody contributes, everybody gets dirty, and when the car rolls through the gate, everybody has a little piece of that 24.

𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠

That family effort has Jake sitting fourth in the Atomic Speedway Sport Mod points standings, just 46 points behind current leader Austin Barker. That's a pretty tight battle, especially considering the level of competition at Atomic and the fact that Jake is still only in his second year in the division.

His season hasn't been about dominating every Saturday night.

It's been about becoming more consistent. Getting more comfortable. Learning how to make the car work. Learning how to make different racetracks work. Slowly turning good nights into great ones.

Now that goal is starting to change.

“I want to stay in the top 5 every race.”

That's Jake's target for the remainder of 2026. Not some grand proclamation. Not some promise that he'll win everything. Just get better. Get more consistent. Keep putting himself in position.

When I asked what he's looking forward to next season, his answer was even simpler.

“Next season I’m looking forward to see how much more I can improve.”

That's the answer of a racer who understands where he is in the process. He's not finished. Hell, he's just getting started.

𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐝

There's still plenty of laps left for Jake this season. He plans to make the trip to West Virginia Motor Speedway for the Dirt Track World Championship, giving him another opportunity to see a new piece of dirt and test everything he's learned throughout the year.

And now, another potential stop has opened up. With Atomic Speedway announcing that there will be no racing this weekend, Jake won't be making his scheduled trip back to the track that has his heart. Instead, when I asked him what his plans look like now, he wasn't ready to commit to anything just yet.

“Not 100% sure yet,” he told me. “If anything it’d be PRP.”

That Dirt Classic Extravaganza at Portsmouth Raceway Park would certainly be one hell of a place to spend a Saturday night chasing $1,000-to-win. It would also give Jake another shot at a track where he already turned some heads during his first visit earlier this season.

The steering problem that sidelined him during last weekend's run at Atomic has also been sorted out, with the team getting the power steering situation figured out, so now it's simply a matter of where the 24 unloads next... because that's racing.

You make a plan. Then the schedule changes. Then the car needs something. Then Mother Nature gets involved. Jake will deal with whichever one shows up.

Wherever that next green flag falls, he'll have another opportunity to do the same thing he's been doing all season:

Put laps on the car. Learn. Improve. Keep moving forward.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐢𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟐𝟒

There's plenty of young racers across the Ohio Valley dreaming about what comes next. Jake "The Snake" is already doing something about it.

He's putting laps on a Sport Mod. He's learning tracks. He's learning the car. He's learning how to race against guys who've been doing this a hell of a lot longer than he has. He's learning how to deal with adversity. He's starting to develop a style people recognize when they see it coming around the corner.

That outside line. That wall. That 24 getting closer and closer to the edge on corner exit.

Someday we'll look back at these races as the beginning of something much bigger. Maybe the trophies will start stacking up. Maybe the points championships will come. Maybe the wins will come in streaks... but that's not really what this story is about.

This is about a 16-year-old racer in his second year of Sport Mods who's doing what young racers are supposed to do. He's learning... and if you've watched him this season, you can see the progress. Now it's time to see where he takes it from here.

Be sure to follow JC Motorsports and keep up with Jake “The Snake” Cassel and the 24 as he finishes out the 2026 season, because the kid isn't done learning yet.

I have a feeling we're going to be hearing a hell of a lot more from that 24 before he's finished.

Photo courtesy Nate’s Racin’ Photos