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By PAUL DELANEY
Staff Reporter 

Havens looks to turn more heads in 2017 K&N Series debut

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Last updated 5/11/2017 at 11:14am



The old adage, “You only get one chance to make a good first impression,” really does not apply to Medical Lake’s resident race car driver, Braeden Havens, when it comes to NASCAR’s K&N Racing Series.

Because he’d likely point back to 2014 — July 12 to be exact — and offer a well-worn retread reply, “Been there, done that.” That’s the day Havens made his initial mark in NASCAR’s Class-A-baseball-version-feeder series at Stateline Speedway. Not only did he best some of the top racing talent in the West, guiding his Western Rail/Power Systems International Chevrolet to the fastest qualifying time, but he went on to finish fourth in the 150-lap race on the tight quarter-mile track.

His earning the pole, “Was a huge thing, we got oo’ed and aah’ed over that,” Havens said.

What might be more gratifying was the competition was largely multi-million dollar race teams. Havens had one car, one motor and one transmission, so to do what they did — winning the pole by .038 seconds — turned heads both early and late with the fourth place finish.

“We’re hoping to do that again at Spokane,” Havens said, referencing Saturday’s visit to Spokane County Raceway’s half-mile oval where the K&N Series runs the Toyota NAPA 150.

After starting this season in the more nimble and responsive late model class where he’s won once locally at Stateline, and then driving a brand new, never-on-the-track car to an impressive third-place finish April 29 at Wenatchee in the Northwest Super Late Models, there’s quite a change in store for Havens Saturday.

“Taxi cabs,” Havens volunteered when looking for a simple comparison to the steel-bodied NASCAR ride.

The late models have about the same 650 horsepower, but push around less weight — 2,850 pounds to about 3,200 for the K&N cars. And consider the 350-pound difference means about a 10-percent heavier car. And like a person who puts on 35 pounds, “It’s noticeable,” Havens said of the handling difference.“

A late model is a lot more darty,” Havens explained. “You can do quick movements with it.

While Havens and his dad, Todd, have their own K&N car at the shop off of Trails Road, for this one race they will do a deal with Thompson Motorsports out of Jerome, Idaho.

“They wanted their car (to) run and Brae in it,” Todd Havens noted in a text message.

Thompson is who Havens ran with in his series debut in 2014 and the deal was perfect since it included both car and a veteran crew. He’s already tested the car at Meridian Speedway near Boise and feels quite comfortable behind the wheel.

But Havens is more excited about running on what he calls both his home track, and favorite place to race.

The motivation for the 23-year-old graduate of Heritage Christian School in Edwall, Wash., besides the challenge of running against big-bucks operations, is doing so in front of friends and family, Havens said.

And he’s hardly there just to turn left for 150 laps, either.

“I’m going out there to win,” Havens stated confidently. “They’re excited to have me in the car because they know I can win,” he added of the car owner.

There are many notable teams that have the same idea. One — points leader Todd Gilliland — has proven his abilities, taking the pole in all four previous races in 2017, plus winning the last three. And there’s local rival, Otis Orchards’ Nicole Behar who is fourth in points and has top-10 finishes in each of her races to date.

The road to making a career out of racing for the 23-year-old, still holds possibilities for Havens. But it’s a spendy path that the likes of K&N Series grads Joey Logano, Martin Truex, Jr., Ricky Craven, Austin Dillon and 2011 Daytona 500 winner, Trevor Bayne have traveled to get there.

A humble, but confident Havens has a more immediate goal. A solid finish means the potential for at least one more race.

“If I know my dad, if we went out there and ran top-three, we’ll probably be going to Evergreen (Speedway in Monroe, Wash. in July),” Havens said.

Paul Delaney can be reached at pdelaney@cheneyfreepress.com.

 

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