[1][2] Hansen was nicknamed the "Firecracker Kid" because he loved to throw the explosive devices under chairs and behind people who were gathered in groups.

[3] Hansen grew up in Bloomington, California, and began racing in stock cars in 1931 at the Riverside Fairgrounds.

As this early version of track roadsters waned, he switched to midget car racing, where he achieved great success.

Hansen's first big win was the 1939 Turkey Night Grand Prix at Gilmore Stadium in Rex Mays' Offenhauser.

Hansen was paralyzed after a midget racing crash on September 8, 1949, at Detroit, and he died on June 5, 1963, after being a paraplegic for fifteen years.