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McDonnell takes the long road to victory
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FarkRAPID CITY — It doesn’t matter where you start, just where you finish.
Travis McDonnell can attest to that old adage after winning Saturday night’s Badlands Mini Sprint Association “A” feature the hard way at Heartland Speedway.
McDonnell earned the win by hustling his No. 37 from last place on the starting grid after falling short of a transfer spot in his heat race, then spacing the “B” feature last-chance qualifier altogether.
“I was up in the stands watching the trophy dash,” he said. “I didn’t even know there was going to be a “B” Main.”
It didn’t take long for McDonnell to find his way to the front of the large 18-car starting field on the tight 1/5th-mile oval.
He swept to the low side of leaders Jeff Mount and Jess Island on the 10th circuit.
“They were both pushing so bad,“ McDonnell said of the leaders. “Jeff and Jess gave me an opening and I took it.“
Two laps later the race was halted when Doug Napier spun into the infield after getting tagged from behind on the front stretch. Fuel gushed from a puncture in Napier’s tail tank, but Napier safely climbed from the machine and there was no fire.
Once the race restarted, McDonnell steadily pulled away. Island, current BMSA point leader and winner of Saturday night’s trophy dash, settled for second, with Brandon Mills, Jeff Mount and “B” feature winner Larry Reub rounding out the top five.
“I was expecting one of them to show their nose to me, but they never did,” McDonnell said.
The Dakota Kart Racers’ Briggs Medium class finale ended with even the apparent winner unsure of where he finished.
“I think I won it,” said Jess Gikling of Rapid City after surviving a furious last-lap challenge from Kyle Gerlach, set up by a late-race caution.
Gerlach nudged his way into the lead only to spin into the infield right at the finish line when a drive chain broke. Gikling was scored the winner.
“After the caution the tires cooled down and there wasn’t any grip,” Gikling said.
Other winners were Mackenzie Von Colln in Junior 2 Sport, Darin Hauff in the Animal class, Jacee Gerlach in Junior 1 Stock, Chelsea Oines in Junior 2 Stock Light, and Dylan Pudwill in the Rookie class. Levi Brown, not Chase Morris as reported in Sunday’s Journal, was the winner of the Junior I Sport main event.
Next up for both the BMSA and Dakota Kart Racers is a doubleheader race night at Heartland Speedway next Saturday, starting at 3 p.m.
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