The second annual Winter Showdown Series was in full swing last week in Florida. The Mighty TQ Midgets ran out of New York and ran by Jimmy Smith, hosted an event to get out of the cold and into the Florida sun. 20 drivers total headed down south to do battle. 6 of which, were part of our Can-Am Midgets club. Dominique Smith (49), James Stanley (57), Darren McLennan (78), Cory Whittam (55), Mike Westwood (8), and our 2024 champion, Daniel Hawn (42) all were representing the Canadian side.
The event was held at Auburndale Speedway west of Orlando. Set up and practice was from Monday to Wednesday (with some sun in there as well). Drivers and crews got their cars ready to beat fellow competitors. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were go time and race days. Thursday was Albert Banyard memorial night. Presented on TV, and some interviews from our drivers were spotlighted for the memory of a great pioneer of the TQ Midget racing clubs. Thank you to Jimmy and the series to honour a great man.
Dominique Smith was very quick in practice, and on night #1 with a podium finish in 3rd place. Daniel Hawn was able to finish runner up, in 2nd on Friday evening. Scary moment on Friday, where Kenyon Zitka had a mechanical issue. His car lit up in flames causing an immediate red flag. Fellow Can-Am driver, Cory Whittam had an issue himself and was in the infield. He ran from turn 2, all the way to turn 4 to help Zitza get out of the car, and put the fire out. Great sportsmanship, and quick thinking on Whittam’s end. Zitka was able to run on Saturday night…running Stanley’s back up car. Saturday evening ended the week with Hawn finishing second. This would secure the championship for the Showdown Series for Daniel Hawn, continuing his great fortune from last season.
Thank you to Jimmy Smith, The Mighty TQ Midgets, Auburndale Speedway, and the Showdown Series for inviting us down to be apart of the event. The drivers and crews loved it, and can’t wait for next year!