JASON REISS TRIBUTE

“ I was pulling up to the track at around midmorning and I parked my car and started unloading my equipment. I walked up the stairs to the media center and struggled to open the door because of all the equipment I had. Once I finally got it open, I saw Jason standing there,” Jackson said.“ It was the first time I had seen Jason since he had been diagnosed with cancer, which made for a long offseason. I didn’ t know if I would ever see him alive again, so when I saw him standing in the front of the media center by the windows, I dropped all my stuff, which ultimately startled him.

“ But when he saw it was me, he let out a familiar,‘ What’ s up, dude!’ I ran over to him and gave him a big hug, which led to tears. I had never been so happy to see Jason with a smile on his face at the races. It was truly a special moment for me. There aren’ t enough words to express how much

I’ ll miss him, but I will carry the things he taught me in all of my images forever.”

Jason continued to travel to PDRA races as much as his health and treatment schedule allowed. When Pro 632 championship contender Jeff Melnick revealed in May 2023 that he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’ s lymphoma, Jason closely followed and reported on Melnick’ s season, which resulted in his first of two PDRA world championships.

“ We would talk and share stories about our own health and chemo treatments,” Melnick said.“ I’ ll never forget at the banquet when I announced I was cancer-free and in remission. He gave me the biggest hug and he was so happy for me. I always wished that same outcome for him. He has gone through 1,000x more than I have and he is an absolute dog. A frickin’ warrior to endure what he has.”

Throughout his cancer battle, Jason used his voice and platform to raise awareness and encourage others to get checked. On social media, he provided regular and painstakingly detailed updates on his condition and treatment, shedding light on just how brutal colorectal cancer can be. Sometimes it was a paragraphs-long report accompanied by a selfie from a hospital bed and other times it was just a few words with a photo looking out the back of an ambulance. He made these posts not to garner sympathy, but to persuade his followers to get a colonoscopy so they could catch potential issues as early as possible. Jason’ s efforts saved lives.

Outside of racing, Jason was passionate about fostering homeless kittens with his wife, Rebecca, who shared his wishes upon his passing.“ Jay would like you to do the following: pet a cat( adopt one if you’ re really feeling wild), do a burnout, listen to some metal, and schedule your colonoscopy.”

In lieu of flowers, Jason’ s family asks that you donate in his name to one of his favorite causes, Forgotten Cats, or Man Up To Cancer. DI

Two men from the drag racing community, Clarence Hannon and Jason Reiss, remind us of that in the most painful way possible.

Clarence was part of the heartbeat of the Virginia racetrack scene, always behind the lens at his home track, Virginia Motorsports Park, capturing smiles in the staging lanes and action on track.

Outgoing, dependable, and sharp as ever, he didn’ t look or act sick. But in 2022, his life came to a screeching halt. A doctor’ s visit turned into a diagnosis: colon cancer. Just 37 days later, Clarence was gone.

Jason Reiss, a fellow drag racing photographer and a member of the board at Trials of Color, knew that track life inside and out. He had the spirit of a fighter. Diagnosed with the same disease, Jason turned his fight into a mission, encouraging others to pay attention to their health. But despite his strength and advocacy, we lost Jason on January 23, 2026.

Two racers, two lives that ended far too soon. Clarence and Jason did not lose to speed, they lost to silence and late detection.

The New Face of Colon Cancer For years, colon cancer was thought of as an“ old man’ s disease.” The data now tell a different story. Across the nation, cases are rising fast among people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s. According to the American Cancer Society, it is now the leading cause of cancer death in men under 50 and the second for women in that same age group.

Too often, younger people ignore the warning lights flashing on their dashboard – stomach pain gets chalked up to bad food, blood in

Racing Against Time on Colon Cancer

the stool dismissed as hemorrhoids, fatigue shrugged off as stress. Even doctors sometimes miss the signs. By the time symptoms send someone to the ER, the cancer is often in its final laps.

Why Screening at 45( or Earlier) Matters The rules have changed because the disease has changed. Experts now recommend starting regular colon screening at age 45 or earlier if there’ s a family history.

Think of it like a tech inspection: screening does not just find problems, it prevents them. Colon cancer often starts as tiny growths, called polyps, that can be easily removed before they even have a chance to turn lethal.

Clinical Trials: The Fast Track to Better Treatment Clinical trials are the fast lane to tomorrow’ s medicine. At Trials of Color, we work to make sure diverse communities are represented in these studies so the breakthroughs help everyone, not just a few.

It is how we have made progress against other aggressive cancers, and it is how we will find better tools to battle the one that took Jason and Clarence.

What You Can Do – Starting Now a. Listen to your body. If something feels off in your gut, don’ t ignore it. b. Ask about screening. If you’ re 45 or have a family history, get it done now. c. Talk to your crew. Conversations save lives, especially with the people who think they’ re too tough, too young, or too busy to see a doctor.

We can’ t bring back Clarence or Jason, but we can honor them by keeping others in the race. In motorsports, no one wins by staying silent when something’ s wrong. The same goes for our health.

It is time we stop treating colon cancer like a finish line we cannot see coming and start catching it before it catches us.

48 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated. com Issue 199