By Bill Martin
QUINCY, Ill. (Oct. 29, 2026) – Jake Griffin brewed up something special during the latest season of his racing journey.
The Quincy, Ill., driver earned national Sunoco IMCA Late Model rookie of the year honors, after getting an unexpected ride just weeks before the season started.
He made the most of his opportunity, with three feature wins and 16 top five finishes, and an eighth place finish in national points.
“I didn’t have any expectations. I thought we’d start off better than we did but when everything came together it was great,” said Griffin, owner of the Roost Coffee Co., the online coffee company with the slogan Fuel For The Driven in Quincy. “We’ve been together as a team for a while and knew we could do it, we just had to stick it out.”
Behind the wheel of the Warner Racing-owned 2023 Barry Wright Chassis, he was third in standings at Quincy Raceway, fourth at Lee County Speedway and eighth at 34 Raceway.
“Late Models are just so racy. I’ve run just about everything and I truly had fun this year. We may not have had the best car on a given night, but you could use your skills and maneuver the IMCA Late Model so much more easily than any other class I’ve been in, other than SportMods,” Griffin said. “And the competition level is so high. You get to race against so many good guys, but this is a class where you don’t have to have the best equipment to be competitive.”
His first win came in the ninth of what would be 30 starts on the season.
“I’ve raced a long time but the guys who have been in this division are tough to beat. We struggled early in the season and it was kind of eye opening. We struggled and struggled, then finally everything clicked and we got that first win (May 29 at Donnellson),” Griffin said.
“We won again there in June and then won at 34 on season championship night, which was great because we struggled there all year,” he continued. “That meant the most to us because it was such a battle. It’s so hard to win at 34 because their regulars are so good. To win there really meant a lot to us.”
Griffin has asked the Warners to test their car last year and shake off some cobwebs for an upcoming race he had in Alaska.
“That went pretty well. They had a new car, they had all this stuff planned, and then Robby got hurt at work,” he explained. “With the season about to start and him not able to drive, they asked me to drive for them.”
“We didn’t have a lot of goals at the start of the season. Tony was my crew chief when I was 10-16 years old in a late model and modified, so I’ve been around them for a long time and I’m sure they had faith in me, but I’m sure there was that thought in the back of their heads that they didn’t want this kid going out and wrecking their new car.”
Griffin was just three years old when he followed his father into sand drag racing.
“I went to quarter midgets at about seven and that’s where my love for circle track racing got its start,” he said. “I started racing in a late model class when I was 10, then UMP Crate Models and Modifieds, then UMP Super Late Models when I was 12. I’ve got a long history in racing, and I ran a SportMod for someone else for a couple years. We got up into NASCAR and ran some truck stuff. I have about 14 starts in that and finished fourth at Eldora in 2016.”
“I’d never run IMCA because you had to be 16, and I wasn’t 16 until after the first six years of my Late Model and Modified racing career.”
Wherever his career takes him next, Griffin will have plenty of accomplishments to reflect on from 2026.
“I’ve pretty much been at the track since I could walk. It’s been a journey,” he said. “I don’t know if we’ll continue with the Late Models next year but it was a very successful season and we had a lot of fun with it.”
Wins – 3
Top Five Finishes – 16
Starts – 30
His Crew: Tony Warner, Robby Warner, Monty Snyder and cousin Griffin Padgett.
His Sponsors: Roost Coffee Co., Wilco, Silver Dollar Saloon, Kustom Cuts, Pristine Window Tint, Seth Reed Comedy, ABC Roofing and Courtesy Towing, all of Quincy.