Daniels strong, but sees a challenge ahead

Mini Modified driver Dave Daniels is off to a good start at Old Dominion Speedway. It's his first year in the division and the 17-year-old Woodbridge driver is tied for second with Scotty Gore. Daniels has two thirds and a fourth.

"It's pretty cool to run well," Daniels said. "Second in points is pretty good. But I don't think we have what it takes to hold off the double zero car [Gore] the rest of the year. We have a really good car, but we didn't build the type of car those guys did."

Daniels' team, in fact, bought their car from Al Dailey, with both Dailey and his grandson Davey Callihan dominating.

Daniels said that the car is running faster than it did last season, some two tenths a lap faster. However, Gore and Bobby Able have stepped up their performances and points leader Paul Green is off to a strong start as well.

"The car is faster but we're still getting beat," Daniels said. "That's just a testament to how much the competition has improved."

Daniels had his best race two weeks ago when he finished third for the second straight outing. He battled Mike Carte for nearly eight laps, going door to door with the former champion before getting by him.

Daniels said he is honored to race Carte since he grew up a fan of his.
"When I was a kid, I would come to the track to see three people: Danny Fair, Mark McFarland and Mike Carte," Daniels said. "Now, the fact that I even get to take the green flag with Mike Carte, much less race him every week, has been an awesome experience."

After running Legends for two years, Daniels is still adjusting to the bigger Mini Stock.

"It's definitely an adjustment," he said. "You have to get used to where your boundaries are and how far you can push that. But the car is very well handling, while the Legends' cars are not. The Minis are a lot easier to drive. They were things I had to learn. And every week I discover something new."

One thing Daniels likes about Minis is that they are safer than Legends cars. Last season, Daniels had two serious accidents; in the last, he suffered a bruised lung and muscle and tendon injuries.

"I'm still in pain from that wreck," he said. "I've kind of moved on from it. But I still wake up every morning with my neck and back hurting from tendons and muscle damage."

Despite racing only six times, Daniels finished ninth in points, with three top fives last year.

"That was my most frustrating season," he said.

At 12, Daniels raced go-karts, winning rookie of the year. In 2005, he won 32 races in 33 outings, two division championships and a WKA championship at King George and a championship at ODS in 2005.

In 2007, he finished eighth in points in Legends and came on strong at the end of the season with three top fives, including two thirds.

Now, Daniels is looking for his first win in Minis. But he knows that will be hard to come by because of stiff competition.

"I'm happy with how we're doing," he said. "So I'm not going to overextend myself going for a win."