Danny Efland Racing

2008-11-17T14:43:00.002-05:00

DANNY EFLAND SEASON IN REVIEW

After a very respectable 25th place Homestead season ending race, Danny Efland summed up his 2008 season and plans for the future.

"First of all, I want to thank Johnny Davis and Lori Morgan for the opportunity they gave me to realize my dreams" said Danny. "Trusting me, a rookie, with their very livelihood in half the Nationwide races this year is something I will never forget. We had a great run in the last part of the season with consistent finishes in the twenties. I feel like I made great progress towards my life long ambition to be a NASCAR driver. People now actually refer to me as a ‘Nationwide driver’ !"

Danny started the season off in Nashville in the JDM #0 with a 35th place qualifying. JDM has two Nationwide numbers, the 0 and 01. The 01 attempts to race the entire race, while the 0 usually does what is called a start and park. With the high cost of racing and JDM having a mostly un-sponsored team, it is necessary to run an extra car to help cover the expenses of the car that races. Johnny had let Danny make 3 such starts in 2007 in order to persuade NASCAR into giving him a Nationwide license.

A new driver must demonstrate proficiency on various size tracks until finally being permitted to run the super speedways. The start and park car was an effort to gain such approval. Johnny allowed Danny a fair amount of practice and about 30-60 laps in the race. Most young drivers come along with ‘deep pockets’ or family connections. All Danny had was a burning desire, a number of go kart championships and a lot of Late Model experience with quite a few wins. Johnny, an ex-go kart builder, had kept track of Danny. Danny gained Brett Bodine’s blessings (he is head of the license committee for NASCAR) to move to bigger tracks and finally to the high banked ones.

At mid-season Danny was promoted to the 01 car for the rest of the year, when the driver of that car left for another team. Now he would get to run the entire race. Danny responded with a 33rd place finish and was off and running!

After a 28th place finish on Michigan’s 2 mile high banks and a great race at Bristol, Danny made the tough decision to forgo the fall college semester in Engineering where he is a sophomore. He moved to Gaffney, South Carolina and worked full time on the JDM cars while racing them on the weekends.

Finishes of 26th at Dover and Kansas, and 23rd at Charlotte and the final at Homestead helped give Danny a 29.75 average finish in the #01 car with only three DNF’s. Those three were all mechanical issues. Along the way Danny locked the 01 car into the top 30 of team owner points with room to spare. This automatically guarantees the 01 car a starting spot at Daytona 2009, a coveted position among owners.

A locked in car (as Danny was during his stint in the 01car) does not have to worry about qualifying but instead can concentrate on race set up which is very important to the low budget teams.

"All in all it was a great year for me", continued Danny, " We had to just stay out there and make laps during the first half of each race and then Johnny would ‘turn me loose’ on whom ever was on our lap during the second half. I usually beat the cars on my lap. I would truly love to race hard every lap but we were a hand-to-mouth team that depended on what I could win, so Johnny’s direction was critical. Besides, it probably kept me from making rookie mistakes early in the races. With a little bit of sponsorship, JDM would really be able to move up the ladder. No one knows how to produce more with less than Johnny Davis!"

2009

"For the 2009 season all of my options are open," said Danny, " I just hope that something comes along. Having a sponsor would allow JDM and me to move to the next level because I know we could turn some heads. John Huffman of Hufco Pro-Motions is trying to find us a deal and is talking to some very interesting parties. I hope that something will come along and put me in the seat at Daytona but if it does not - I have lived my dream in the way few have and I know that I can run competitively with drivers that have always been my idols."

I want to say a very special thanks to:

Johnny Davis, Lori Morgan and the JDM crew.
John Anderson of Shred 360
John Huffman at Hufco Pro-Motions
Morgan Shepherd
Barry Wise of Wise Tile
Sonja and Mick McCubbins
Rob & Shelly Gunton of Hi Impact Signs
Pyrotect
Tim Lee at SafeQuip/RaceQuip
Ruff & Tuff Golf Carts
Mom, Dad, and my sister

and all of the others who have helped in special ways.

Thanks,
Danny Efland
See you at the races!

2008-10-31T08:40:00.003-05:00

DANNY EFLAND AT TEXAS

Danny will run the Nationwide race at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend (Saturday, November 1st at 3:30 ET and shown on ESPN2). The #01 Johnny Davis Motor Sports Chevy will be sponsored by Lowery Plumming and S&W Tile (both of Kerrville, Texas) with some help by Rural Land Development, a South Carolina investment company.

Danny will drive the same car in whch he finished 23rd at Charlotte. He and the crew look forward to another good finish. After Texas, the hauler goes straight to Pheonix for the next to last race of the season.

See you at the races !

2008-10-20T20:23:00.002-05:00

Danny Efland to sit out Memphis

After an excellent 10 race run in the Johnny Davis Motorsports #01 Chevy, Danny will take a break at Memphis. JDM has a prior commitment to Wheeler Boys, who drove the car in the 2 earlier road races. Danny hopes to be back in the #01 at the Texas race and the remainder of the season.

JDM set up and tested the #01 car on Monday at the Motor Mile in Radford, Virginia for the Memphis race with Danny doing the driving. Danny reported that the car should be good at Memphis.

See you at the races!

2008-10-12T19:21:00.001-05:00

Danny Efland is 23rd at Charlotte!

Danny finished 23rd Friday night in the Camping World 300 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Driving the Johnny Davis Motorsports, Shred 360 Chevy, Danny had his best finish yet in the rain interrupted race. The average finish with the #01 car is 29.9 for the past 10 races. Which is among the best JDM has ever had. None of Danny's previous races for JDM were designed to go the full distance- so we only averaged the last 10.

The weekend did not start off too well as the team was forced to use a short track car (the ORP/Bristol car). With Thursday practice rained out, NASCAR scheduled a one hour session for everyone on Friday morning. Immediate problems, later traced to a suspect steering box, led to only 7 laps of practice and a very poor qualifying effort.

During the race Johnny Davis and his crew made considerable changes to the car and Danny brought the Shred 360 Chevy home in a career high 23rd place!

Random Topics

* This is the 10th race for JDM. Danny is not sure of the schedule for the rest of the year due
to other commitments of JDM.

* The Ruff & Tuff Campfire Golf Cart Tour was a success on Thursday might despite rain. It
was great meeting with fans at their campsites.

A special Thanks to Wise Tile and Ruff & Tuff Electric Vehicles for sponsoring the event.

* Danny attended Morgan Sheppard's surprise birthday party at the track and wishes to
thank his family for making him a part.

* On Monday Danny expects to be back on the Lowes Motor Speedway taking part in further
tests of the Nationwide Car of Tomorrow.

See you at the Races!

2008-10-07T19:35:00.003-05:00

Danny Efland Campfire Golf Cart Tour

Danny Efland, driver of the #01 'Shred 360' Johnny Davis Motorsports Chevy, will continue meeting fans Thrusday night at Charlotte.

Danny takes the Ruff & Tuff golf cart out among the campers to meet fans and sign autographs on the night before races.

"The fans are what make it all possible" said Danny, "and I would like to meet as many as I can." Look for the blue golf cart at Charlotte!

See you at the races!

Danny with fans in Dover

2008-09-29T21:49:00.003-05:00

Danny All Smiles After Kansas City

It's funny the difference a week can make. Danny was all smiles as he climbed from his Johnny Davis Motorsports Chevy after the Kansas Lottery 300. "You may remember we finished 26th last week and it was 26th again this week but the difference was we were very competitive this week" said Danny. "We could run with some very good cars and except for being caught in the pits when the yellow came out we would have finished a lap or two higher. It was an excellent run for our team and makes the crew anxious to get to Charlotte because we will use the same car."

At Charlotte Danny's car will have some sponsorship help from Shred 360, a document shredding company from South Carolina. Also, the Ruff & Tuff golf cart Campfire Tour will continue. On the night before the race Danny will be wandering around the campsites meeting race fans. Danny said it was really cool meeting the fans at Dover.

Danny, Johnny Davis, and Lori Morgan were really proud to have the Hot Lap Sticker on the car at Kansas. Each week TheHotLap.com forum votes a driver to carry the sticker and it is a real honor to receive it.

This is the time of year when Danny and JDM are eagerly hunting sponsorship. Danny said, "You know as a team we are beginning to gel and if JDM and I could get a little help, I feel we could really step up the program. We have a lot to offer and now is the time!"

See You At The Races!

2008-09-22T09:33:00.000-05:00

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!

That just about sums up Danny's weekend on the 'Monster Mile' at Dover.

Good: The 26th place finish was his best yet in the NASCAR Nationwide Series!

Bad: Danny and the crew missed the set up so the car did not handle as well as was expected.

Ugly: With only a few laps to go the track bar mount broke, forcing the car out of the race.
(This could have accounted for why the car did not respond to changes during the race.)

" Things will get better this next week in Kansas." said Danny "We'll use a different car at Kansas and one I really like. I haven't been to this track before and I'm really looking forward to it."

Meanwhile, the Johnny Davis Motorsports team will disassemble the Dover car to see if they can fix what was wrong with it.

See you at the races!

2008-09-17T22:57:00.000-05:00

DANNY EFLAND CAMPFIRE TOUR

Danny Efland announced this week that he will begin a new program the night before each of the remaining 2008 Nationwide races. Danny said "It's the fans that make it possible for me to race which is and has been my life long goal. I have decided to wander out among the fan's campsites the night before the race to meet with them and show my appreciation. Ruff & Tuff Electric Vehicles has furnished me with a golf cart for this venture. I know that I will not get to meet a whole lot of folks - but we will see how it goes. Dover will be a learning experience for this program"

Danny will return to the track this Saturday in the Johnny Davis Motorsports Nationwide Chevy. Last year, Dover was supposed to be Danny's first full race but the "Monster" struck in the form of a cut tire on lap 48 and subsequent hard trip into the turn 4 wall! The return to the 'Monster Mile' this year is a chance to settle the score.

The JDM Chevy has had some good finishes recently and everyone is looking forward to the weekend.

See you at the races!

2008-09-09T09:03:00.001-05:00

Richmond and the COT

Danny Efland and the crew were back on the 3/4 mile Richmond Virginia track on Monday and Tuesday testing the new Nationwide Car of Tomorrow (COT).

After qualifying was rained out last Friday, the field was set by points for the rain delayed race on Sunday night. "My car was very loose off the turns," commented Danny " but the crew was working with me when we developed a bad oil leak. A trip to the garage did not solve the problem and the car was still smoking when we tried to return to the track. I was very disappointed to drop out of the race after several good weeks for the JDM team."

"We rushed back to the shop Friday night after the rain out to put the finishing touches on the COT." said Danny, " It was loaded up by Saturday night and we brought it back to Richmond with us."

"After the press introductions on Monday morning we went to work on final set up and finally got the car on the track in the early afternoon. Morgan Shepard, a driver I really respect (he probably has about 300 years experience compared to me) did the early testing on the JDM car. Morgan’s last run put the car right into competitive times with the big teams and then it became my turn."

Danny said " On used tires I ran the car faster than I had run my Nationwide car all weekend and was within one tenth of a second of Morgan’s time, all in only 6 laps."

"Today (Tuesday) I will be in the car all morning. I can’t wait!! The car is one of the best handling cars I’ve driven and does exactly what I expect. Johnny Davis Motorsports built this car in-house using an Orteck frame and should be proud!"

The team has the weekend off from racing to prepare for the next Nationwide race at Dover.

See you at the races!

2008-09-01T19:45:00.002-05:00

NASCAR Nationwide Series Car of Tomorrow

Johnny Davis Motorsport's new Car of Tomorrow is scheduled for it's first test on Monday and Tuesday (Sept. 8 & 9, 2008) on the Richmond track after this weeks Nationwide race.

Danny Efland, the team's regular driver will share time with a couple of other more experienced drivers in shaking the car down.

Although some of the bigger teams have already privately tested their COTs, this will be the first NASCAR sanctioned test.

It is believed that the JDM Chevy will be the first attempt by one of the smaller independent teams to get a jump on the future with a COT. The COT may be used as early as the middle of the 2009 season on a limited basis but is expected to be required for 2010.

2008-08-31T18:11:00.003-05:00

California!

The #01 Johnny Davis Motorsports Nationwide Series Chevy finished 27th in California Saturday night with Danny Efland aboard. After qualifying 39th with only 16 laps of practice, learning the track was left to the actual race. But learning was quick! By lap 50 Danny had progressed to 29th place and was feeling more and more comfortable in the draft at speeds approaching 200 miles per hour.

"We lost 4 laps in the first half of the race," said Danny "but only one more in the entire 2nd half. I passed the #28 car on the last lap to beat everyone on my lap. It would have been cool to run further as I was really beginning to feel comfortable. It will be great to come back to some of these tracks for a second time and actually even know what they look like!"

Danny and the team will arrive home Sunday night, the hauler arrives Tuesday and leaves with the Richmond cars on Wednesday night.

See you at the races!

PS Thanks to Sonja and Mick for the extra set of new tires - they made a difference on that last run where we gained 2 positions.

2008-08-31T18:06:00.003-05:00

SAD NEWS

Last year when I first went to Johnny Davis Motorsports to attempt my first Nationwide (then Busch) series start, the team manager was Kenneth Campbell. Kenneth died this week very unexpectedly. In the short time I worked with Kenneth I learned he had great knowledge and was very patient. He left the team shortly afterwards but remained a good friend at the track. I will miss him and only wish I could have worked with him longer in order to learn a small part of what he knew.

Danny Efland

2008-08-25T10:14:00.003-05:00

Bristol is Bristol!

Danny had always heard that driving at Bristol was like flying a jet fighter in a school gymnasium, but nothing can really prepare you for the sight and sounds of the track! With some of the steepest banking in NASCAR and only 1/2 mile around makes it one of the most unique tracks on the Nationwide circuit.

Danny immediately set to work in the #01 Johnny Davis Motorsports Chevy but learning was tough among the 52 car entry field. Because Danny was locked in the field after the excellent Michigan finish the decision was made to be very conservative on the set up for qualifying. Even though he had to use a provisional to make the field it was probably a smart move as about 7 cars hit the wall during their qualifying runs.

In the race, Danny moved steadily up to a very well respected 30th place finish on a track where the cars make laps every 16 t0 17 seconds and is called the World's fastest half mile! The night was a great learning experience for Danny and a big points gain for the car owner. JDM was very happy the car survived at a track known for tearing up equipment. A complete race at Bristol may be one of Danny's best learning experiences yet.

The race car hauler got back to the shop Saturday morning, the cars were unloaded, new ones loaded up and the hauler left for California Saturday night. Danny and the crew fly out on Wednesday where Danny will make his first laps at the famed 2 mile Auto Club Speedway in Fontana California.

See you at the races!

2008-08-17T13:34:00.002-05:00

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!

2008-07-30T11:43:00.001-05:00

Last Saturday night – July 26, 2008 – saw Danny in his first effort at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis. Danny qualified the Johnny Davis Motor Sports #01 Chevy Impala for the race and immediately began moving up through the field. On a restart at about lap 20, the number 9 car tagged Danny creating rear spoiler damage. Danny brought his car to the attention of the pit crew but lost a total of 5 laps in the pits while correcting damage. Danny finished the race in 31st position - his highest yet- but we can only dream about what the finish would have been.
JDM now moves to 2 road course events where Danny is not scheduled to drive but will go on a stand by basis. The next scheduled race is the 2 mile track at Michigan. That start is contingent on NASCAR approval for 2 mile speedways but indications are that approval will be granted. Danny and the crew are looking forward to that race. Danny will be back in the car he drove at Chicago – one that he likes.
Last week at the St. Louis track, a failed engine valve part caused a short race after moving speedily though the pack at the start.

See you at the races!

2008-07-17T15:37:00.000-05:00

NASCAR NATIONWIDE UPDATE

Danny Efland has agreed to race the #01 Chevy Impala belonging to JD Motor Sports for the immediate future.

“This is a great opportunity” stated Danny, “This is what I have been working for. It will probably take a few races before we are a real team and our results begin to show. I am working in the shop on my cars doing the set up work so I have a lot on my plate! JDM has been using various drivers since Kertus Davis left earlier during the year but now I will be the driver.”

Danny ran the first entire race in the #01 car at Chicago last week with a 33rd place finish in spite of losing 2 laps when the caution came out during a green flag pit stop and another 3 laps when miscalculations lead to running the car out of gas near the end of the race. “All things considered,” said Danny “it was very successful. This was my first full race and we have a few bugs to work out”

The team has put together a ‘new to them’ car for the Gateway race near St. Louis this weekend and Danny is looking forward to racing it.

See you at the races!

2008-06-30T12:08:00.000-05:00

SATURDAY NIGHT AT DILLON WITH DANNY EFLAND
Saturday night June 28th saw the Danny Efland Late Model Team at Dillon South Carolina. Danny brought the Shred 360 Monte Carlo home in 2nd place! For only the second time out in the car everyone was pretty happy and realizes that when Danny and this car ‘bond’ the out come should be success!
You may remember that this car was built from frame up in our shop last winter using mostly Danny’s ideas. In only it’s second race, much has been learned. The first race Danny decided the car needed some handling adjustments. "The car is very responsive" said Danny after the race. "I think we went too far in our changes from the last race. We hope to get right for the race the 4th of July weekend." says Danny, " All the cars are so close I qualified 4th only 3/4 of a tenth out of first!" July 5th will see the Team back at Dillon for their special Independence Day races and fireworks show.
Danny does not know when the next Nationwide race will be. July 4th is in Daytona where he is not yet NASCAR qualified but several things are in the works for July and August. We hope they pan out. Until then - See you at the Races!

THE HIGHEST OF THE HIGHS……TO THE LOWEST OF THE LOWES!

2008-05-25T14:39:00.001-05:00

The Johnny Davis Motor Sports #0 Chevy Monte Carlo was painted a brilliant shade of red for Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide race at Lowes Motor Speedway in Charlotte.

After beating 20 cars to gain a career high 26^th place qualifying run – the team’s spirits were very high. With a new set up on the car it settled into the turns like never before. The crew had worked a miracle.

But it was not to be! Danny lost radio communication with his spotter on the parade lap. From the start without knowing where the other cars were, Danny began to run a slightly high line in order to leave room for any car that might try to pass without Danny knowing the car was there. The upper lane was not worked in yet and when the outside wheels got in the unclean part (we call this the marbles), the car got loose and crashed……. the lowest of the Lowes. Probably no other sport can have such fast swings as that of Racing!

Danny feels bad about wrecking the car he has driven this year and wishes to thank Johnny Davis and his crew for all of their hard work.

See you at the races!

2008-05-21T10:29:00.000-05:00

Danny Aims for Charlotte

Danny has turned his first laps at Lowe’s Motor Speedway which the racing world calls "Charlotte". Last Tuesday Johnny Davis Motor Sports met Danny at Charlotte with the same car Danny drove at Darlington. With a few changes to the #0 car Danny ran about 100 laps, finding his way around a 1 ½ mile track for the first time. Based on the test session NASCAR has approved a license up grade for the ‘arena’ tracks.
This past weekend Danny spent over 30 hours in the JDM shops plotting and changing the car. JDM has also painted the #0 car to bright red.
Danny is looking forward to his first attempt at qualifying for Charlotte. There are 46 entries for a 43 car field. "I feel good about my chances of making the field and really appreciate Johnny Davis and Lori Morgan for giving me this opportunity even though we will probably only run about 25% of the race due to no sponsorship" said Danny. He continued "This is giving me a lot of experience on the NASCAR tracks that I hope to be full time on in the near future."
Gaining this experience in Nationwide cars comes at the expense of the Late Model which will sit idle for another week.

See you at the races!

2008-05-10T18:05:00.002-05:00

THE LADY IN BLACK!
Friday night Danny had his first date with "The Lady in Black" - Darlington Speedway - driving the Johnny Davis Motorsports Monte Carlo. It was hard to tell if the "Lady" was smiling but Danny sure was. He can not wait to come back to what most drivers consider the toughest track on the circuit.
Practice, Qualifying, and the race went by uneventfully for Danny, which is a good thing. At least half of the other cars got some kind of damage.
Danny went to work learning the track while being very respectful of her. As a native of South Carolina he grew up hearing the stories of Darlington. He qualified the car into the race in38th place putting the two Davis cars side by side in the 14th row. The car steadily moved forward passing cars until brake trouble developed about 25% through the race, thus ending the night in 35th position.
Due to the success at Darlington Danny has been offered a car at Charlotte in two weeks provided that NASCAR approves.

NATIONWIDE RACE AT DARLINGTON!

2008-05-06T11:34:00.001-05:00

Danny will get his first laps on the famous “Lady in Black” this weekend, May 8^th & 9^th. Johnny Davis has entered Danny in the NASCAR Nationwide race in the Lori Morgan #0 Monte Carlo. The car is the teams second car and Danny will probably only run to the first gas stop but the experience of practicing, qualifying, and racing at Darlington is very valuable to his career.

See you at the races!

A DOUBLE WEEKEND

2008-05-05T11:30:00.000-05:00

Danny started the JDM #0 Nationwide car at Richmond on Friday night and ran his own Late Model at Dillon on Saturday night!

Engine trouble on the 3^rd lap of practice set the tone for the entire day at Richmond. Johnny Davis Motorsports hired Danny to put the Lori Morgan #0 in the show at Richmond International Raceway. Richmond is a beautiful 3/4 mile NASCAR Speedway. Practice was limited while the team patched the engine. Danny qualified the car and started the race but with re-occurring engine problems only completed 16 laps.

Finally we had good weather in Dillon, South Carolina. The new Late Model was quick in the first practice and qualified 3^rd. The tire compound of this year’s tire is a little different and none of the drivers were used to them yet. The race ended just like it started with almost no passing. Danny finished 3^rd. We were happy - it was the first race for the new car and we have a good understanding of what to do with these tires now. Danny anxiously awaits the next visit to Dillon on May 24^th.

Danny Efland Racing News Update

2008-04-02T20:46:00.003-05:00

Danny Efland will compete during the 2008 season in the Late Model Series at Dillon Motor Speedway in South Carolina.

SCHEDULE:

April 5,19
May 3, 24
June 21
July 5, 26
August 16
Sept. 1, 13, 27
October 17/18

DIRECTIONS TO DILLON SPEEDWAY:

Exit 193 on I-95 (one exit before the South of the Border)

Go West on Hwy 9

After 1/2 mile turn right on Old Race Track Rd. (track is very close to I-95)

TIMES (appox)

4:00 pm Grandstands open

6:00 Qualifying

7:30 Races start

www.dillonmotorspeedway.com

Dillon Motor Speedway is a very nice 4/10 mile paved track built in 2006 over the top of an old dirt track by ex-NASCAR driver Ron Barfield. He enjoyed a great reputation as a promoter his first year and has great support from the community.

19 year old Danny will be competing in his 6^th year of Late Model racing. Unlike in years past he will be at the wheel of a completely in-house car that he designed and built himself. (see web site for photos). Early tests have shown much promise and at quicker times than in 2007! Danny won at Dillon last season.

Keep up with Danny’s progress on his web site: www.dannyefland.com

Hope to see you at the Races!

2008-03-27T12:20:00.002-05:00

NASHVILLE NATIONWIDE RACE

Danny qualified the Johnny Davis Motorsports back up car at Nashville last weekend. After significant changes to the Lori Morgan Monte Carlo qualifying resulted in a 35th place start. Danny was faster than 9 other cars and only one spot behind Kertus Davis, his teammate.

The race start was clean and Danny eventually moved into the 30th spot where he could hold his own until pit stops gave some fellow competitors the edge. On lap 62 the transmission gave trouble while Danny was biding his time in 34th place - giving him a 37th place finish. A whole race with a good finish is just around the corner - hopefully sooner than later!

Meanwhile everyone is looking forward to the first Late Model race at Dillon Motorspeedway on April 5th - See you there!

First Test of New Late Model

2008-03-20T19:20:00.002-05:00

Danny and Tom took the new late model to Dillon for two days of testing last week. See the pictures for views of the new car and its construction. The first test day, Danny shook the car down and ran faster times than last year. Everyone was very pleased because there was not one problem with the car. The second day was very productive; over 100 laps and no problems. They made many small changes- some good and some not so good and finally produced a 0.4 second gain over last year and held constant times faster than any race pace we witnessed last season. Needless to say, the team is very excited. Of course maybe it was just an exceptionally fast track. We will soon know.