HARKIN: TWO WEEKS...
TWO DIVISIONS...TWO WINS
Maddie Harkin went to the front of the Mini-Cup 12-lap feature on the green, getting past polesitter Hugh Bowser, then spent the remainder of the caution-free feature holding him off. Bowser was just a third of a second off Harkin’s pace, while the rest of the field was 4 seconds back. Third went to Michael Cooper, while Ava Chouinard and Zachary Martinez completed the top five. It was Harkin’s second feature win in two weeks, but in two different divisions. Last week, she snagged the top spot in Bandolero Outlaws.
Harkin and Bowser ran wheel-to-wheel out of the box and stayed alongside until turn four, when Harkin surged ahead. Into the second circuit, Cooper was already in his finishing position (third) and Choinard was fourth as Nikolas Frechette fell back. The top four were already decided, now, and fifth was disputed by Frechette and Martinez.
By lap six, Harkin had three cars on Bowser while a short distance back, Cooper and Chouinard were speeding bumper-to-bumper. Martinez had disengaged from Zachary Levesque and Frechette who were debating position.
Lap eight saw Levesque and Frechette get together, run across the grass infield for a stretch and then return to racing without bringing out caution.
Bowser had whittled Harkin’s lead down to a car-and-a-half by lap 10 as the twin sticks came up in the starter’s hands. Cooper managed third with Chouinard on his bumper and Martinez closing. But two laps was not enough for Zach to close the distance, and the field crossed under the checkers with his efforts unrewarded.
Sixth went to Jake Melberg, followed by Levesque, Frechette and Tommy Harris.
MINI CUPS