Daniel Hawn overcame a big points deficit to win his first career Can-Am TQ Midgets championship.
Hawn started the season with three Top-5 finishes, before a wreck at Sunset Speedway, which left him in a 51-point hole in the standings.
He then finished second in the opening race of a doubleheader, at Sauble Speedway, where he received some unintended motivation from the defending champion.
“Cory Whittam said something that really turned my season around – all he needs is podiums to win a championship,” said Hawn. “That’s something that stuck deep with me. It takes more than podiums and we proved that.”
Hawn says the path to overcoming the gap was to win races, with first place receiving 10 more points than second place. He started that quest right away, winning the other half of the doubleheader.
A pair of Top-5 finishes then left him with a 28-point deficit, before three straight victories gave him a 14-point lead entering the finale.
Hawn was the championship bridesmaid the last two seasons; this year, a runner-up finish at Flamboro Speedway was all he needed, clinching the title by four points over Whittam.
“After the last two years, I didn’t think we were actually going to be able to get it done,” said Hawn. “We run a good program; I just knew that, if I could keep my cool and drive the way I know I can, we could get it done…reminiscing about the last three years and what it took to get there and what I missed out on family-wise, the best word to say is it was surreal.”
Hawn builds TQ midgets for other drivers, including James Stanley; he says Stanley’s help was important last season. Adding to his family’s racing history was also huge for Daniel.
“Everyone says you don’t have to fill the shoes but my dad and my brother have won a lot of races and I really didn’t want to let them down,” concluded Hawn. “It’s not something that we do for fun or for a hobby, it’s really in our blood, it’s what we’re about.”
