The first win for Travis Dann was four years in the making, which made it extra satisfying. However, how he earned it in the sportsman class at Rapid Speedway in Rock Rapids, Iowa, made it even more memorable.
Dann drove a car that he and his father, Tim, built Tim built his own cars for racers as TDR Chassis, for 15 years.
“My dad and I communicated constantly, talking about what adjustments needed to be made to the car to make me faster,” Dann, of Hartford, South Dakota, said. “We decided to try something new this year — we used different springs. That seemed to make the car faster.”
A bit of luck struck last Friday, although some might say luck is just where preparation meets opportunity. That opportunity arose as Dunn ran in third going into the white-flag lap. The two cars in front of him — Alex Hemmingson and Kaden Klaasen — were duking it out.
“They got together, so I went above them,” said Dann. “I was excited that I would be in first at the restart, but I almost blew it. I got loose coming out of four on the last lap.”
Competitor Brian Kroon saw the bobble and ran on the outside of Dann toward the checkered flag.
“We raced to the finish line, and I barely won,” Dann said. “I had to work for the win, which makes it even more rewarding.”
Among those who greeted Dann in victory lane were his father, mother, Rebecca, and sister, Allison.
“My mom and sister were real happy — they said I was following in Dad’s footsteps,” said Dann. “I watched [my father] race forever, as long as I can remember. I helped him out on his car until I was 14. [Then] we decided it was time for me to take the wheel of one of his cars.”
With his first win under his belt, Travis Dann now eyes win No. 2.
“They say the first win is the hardest, and that proved to be true,” said Dann. “Hopefully, the wins will come a little easier and faster now.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
