Woodbridge driver off to good start at Old Dominion Speedway

Dave Daniels is on his way to having a good rookie season in Late Models at Old Dominion Speedway.  The 19-year-old Woodbridge driver has collected two fourths and seven top 10s.  He is also ninth in points, despite missing two races.

"I'm pretty satisfied with the season," Daniels said.  "Early on, we had a bit of a rough spot, but that was just circumstances and rough racing for a couple of weeks.  We're starting to settle into our own now and setting a pace for the rest of the year."

Daniels had his best race two weeks ago.  He snagged a fourth in the Military Appreciation 150.  He started 10th, dropped back to 11th, and then battled his way through the field to take over fourth from Dave Moon on lap 126.

"I'm pretty ecstatic with that finish," Daniels said.  "It's so hard to finish well in that division.  Getting two top fours is the encouragement I needed to come back from those bad nights in the first three races.  And I was pleased that I survived a 150  lap race straight through."

Only weeks before, Daniels was wondering if he really belonged in Late Models.  He wasn't running as well as he wanted and he didn't feel that good inside the car.  He started second guessing himself as a competitor.

But the 150 changed that.  Daniels had to pass a lot of cars to snag his fourth place finish in the 150.  And he didn't bump or wreck people for position.  He waited patiently and made passes when he could.  And he was there at the end of the race for a strong, well-earned finish.

"That race did more for teaching me what I can do than anything else," he said.  "And it definitely makes me feel better knowing I can compete with these guys." 

Daniels won the pole in his first race.  But he was involved in a wreck in the first lap and had to pit to work on his car.  In fact, he thought his night was finished because he knew he didn't have enough crew members to put together his car so he could get back in the race.  

But members from Steve Jenkins' and Tyler Cypher's crews, as well as Steve Smith and Dave Moon started working on Daniels' car and he was able to return to the race and finish eighth.

"Thirteen guys put my car back together," Daniels said.  "And I was totally elated.  Theoretically, it should have been the worse night of the year but it was actually the best night because I realized that I have friends at the track and that people do care.  You go into this thinking that it's a lone venture.  But I learned really quickly that we weren't going to be alone in this."

Daniels also found that racing Late Models is more difficult that he imagined.  He was amazed at the amount of work required for getting the car race ready, both at the track and during the week. 

"It's unbelievable as far as what we have to do to get the car ready to race," he said.  "The car requires much more attention that a Mini Modified.  It's really a lot of work but it's really rewarding when things go right."