POST FALLS — Braeden Havens of Airway Heights placed third out of 26 racers at the Idaho 200 race at Stateline Speedway Event Center in Post Falls over the weekend. He overcame a lost alternator, motor issues and only seven functioning cylinders near the end of the race to do so.
After rolling off ninth in a 12-car invert, the 26-year-old Havens managed to take the lead around lap 120 despite his car’s motor beginning to “miss” around 50 laps in.
“That was caused by the alternator failing,” Havens said.
Havens then had to race the last 25 laps on seven cylinders, which he described as “not helpful.” He was eventually passed by first and second place finishers Jeremy Doss and Glenn Knutson.
“As soon as that motor started missing again … it was just survival time,” Havens said.
He still managed to make a podium finish after the top three racers built a big lead from the rest of the competition.
“We were in a league of our own, and we kind of pulled away from the rest of the field,” Havens said. “Luckily we had a big enough gap between us that I could finish third.”
Havens said he relied on his racing experience (he’s been racing late models since 14) to stay focused during car troubles and the late hour the race was held.
“You just gotta know what you have to do to maintain your position on the racetrack and maintain the car handling,” Havens said. “With the motor missing … you have to know when to give up, and luckily we didn’t have to hit that point. The battery lasted just long enough to keep the motor running.”
The race was a late night-affair, starting around 9:30 p.m. before concluding around 1 p.m.
Havens said he raced for breast cancer awareness in honor of his aunt, Sabrina Deguiseppi and family friend Staci Sawyer, both of whom are battling the disease. He put pink ribbons on his car to symbolize the cause.
“We ran those to give them a little pump-up and help them,” Havens said.
Drew Lawson can be reached at drew@cheneyfreepress.com.
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