Michigan
The best run yet for Danny Efland in the Nationwide Series.

Danny had his best NASCAR Nationwide Series finish yet on the 2 mile Michigan Speedway Saturday afternoon. The 28th place finish moved the Johnny Davis MotorSports Chevy into 29th place in the full time owners points. That is important because the top 30 teams are locked into the fields.

Danny was approved for 2 mile tracks only last week by NASCAR. He had no previous experience on tracks that big and was amazed upon arriving and seeing the track for the first time.

The JDM cars were not fast in practice and did not qualify well. The team car did not make the race and Danny had to use a provisional to start in the 42nd position. But things would change. Team owner Johnny Davis made some changes after qualifying and right from the start the car was much more competitive. Danny immediately moved into the top 30's and found a drafting partner in Morgan Shepard, one of the most experienced drivers in NASCAR. During the next 50 plus laps Danny went to school on the draft and was surprised how much he liked it!

With about 20 laps to go Danny was well into 26th place and gaining but soon after the tires began to go away. Morgan caught Danny on the last lap and Danny spun the car in a complete 360 and continued on - but to a 28th place finish.

After the race Danny said " I enjoyed this race more than maybe any other I have ever run and can not wait to continue learning about the draft. I want to thank Johnny Davis for his patience with me and for his continued work on the car until it was competitive!"

Next week the Nationwide Series moves from one of the longest tracks on the circuit to Bristol - one of the shortest.

See you at the races!

PS- A special thanks to:

* thehotlap.com for their sticker this week.

* The wonderful fans at Michigan who invited me over to eat at their camp site - twice!