Two families find solace in extreme off-road racing

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - A Colorado Springs couple found a new racing family after the death of their 6-year-old daughter in what the two called a destined encounter.

Shaun Romano and Kelsey Donnelly lost Teagan in 2023 to a rare genetic disease. The pair raced the famous Mint 400 in Las Vegas the following year in her honor. Soon after, they met the Campana family.

"We knew in our heart that Teagan made sure we met the Campanas. We were meant to be together," Donnelly said.

Austin Campana and his 14-year-old son, Christian, had dreamed of racing the Mint 400 for over a decade. The Mint 400 isn't something you just "do." It's a treacherous, 400-mile race across the desert just outside of Las Vegas. It takes training, endurance, and a custom-built "side-by-side," or ATV, that can handle the terrain.

"They have been through so much. They totaled a car last year. They flipped this one. It was easily the scariest moment of my life," Austin's wife Marci Campana said.

With Austin as the driver and Christian as the co-driver/navigator, the pair won their division of the 2025 Mint 400 on their first attempt.

"Finishing the Mint has been my dream. We did win first, which was insane," Austin said.

"Me and my dad have been watching this race for over a decade now," Christian said. "It was insane being able to do this, especially with my dad and at such a young age."

The Campanas and Romanos are two of just a small number of teams from Colorado who compete in the Mint 400. They kept crossing paths until Marci recognized Shaun and Kelsey's "Tenacious Racing" decal from previous competitions. It's their mantra in honor of their tenacious Teagan.

"I looked at her, and I looked back, and I was like, 'Wait,' and then it was like this full circle moment," Marci said.

Now, the two families share in each other's journeys.

"I’ve learned a lot of things, not from only learning to build and repair and fix, but being a better person in general, and I think since we met them, it’s made racing in general a lot better," Christian said.

"I could really see if Teagan had gotten the opportunity to do so, she would be right in the same seat as Christian, so, I think us getting to be a part of his story is really cool," Kelsey said.

Shaun and Kelsey recently started a non-profit in honor of Teagan to raise awareness for her condition through racing.