I’ve been fortunate enough to attend several drag races this year and I have such a great time that I like to write about my experiences.  I’m definitely not enough of a motorhead to be able to report on the technical aspects of racing, but I do like sharing the interesting things I see and hear while hanging out with the teams.  I was very surprised to learn that many of the teams don’t know each other very well unless they’ve been racing together for years.  They recognize the other drivers’ names and their cars and they wave as they pass in the staging lanes, but often that’s as far as it goes.  After spending time with various teams, I understand how that happens.  There is a lot to focus on throughout the day to ensure that your car makes it down the track in the manner that you expect and walking next door to see if your neighbor likes piña coladas and getting caught in the rain is not part of it.  So we’ve decided it’s time to devote a corner of the web to getting to know the teams!  And since the teams do such a great job of taking care of me, giving me water, and patting me on the head, my dad has started referring to me as the Pit Pet.

I’ve been fortunate enough to attend several drag races this year and I have such a great time that I like to write about my experiences.  I’m definitely not enough of a motorhead to be able to report on the technical aspects of racing, but I do like sharing the interesting things I see and hear while hanging out with the teams.  I was very surprised to learn that many of the teams don’t know each other very well unless they’ve been racing together for years.  They recognize the other drivers’ names and their cars and they wave as they pass in the staging lanes, but often that’s as far as it goes. 

After spending time with various teams, I understand how that happens.  There is a lot to focus on throughout the day to ensure that your car makes it down the track in the manner that you expect and walking next door to see if your neighbor likes piña coladas and getting caught in the rain is not part of it.  So we’ve decided it’s time to devote a corner of the web to getting to know the teams!  And since the teams do such a great job of taking care of me, giving me water, and patting me on the head, my dad has started referring to me as the Pit Pet.   

The Daniels Racing Team: A Family’s Commitment

Some of you may recall me (HIJACKING THE GEEZER'S COLUMN) spending time with the McDonald racing family. I’ve recently had the pleasure of experiencing ADRL with another racing family, the Daniels.  Like most racing families, everyone is involved.  Brian is the driver, his dad drives the rig, his wife does the cooking, and his kids do all the cheering and keep the pit area jumping.  I’m sure the guys have noticed all the blondes standing on the line behind the Daniels car.  Even the crew chief, Sam, has his dad working alongside him.

It’s the cohesiveness of this family that keeps this team going because they operate on a lower budget than many teams.  I was overwhelmed by the money and time that is needed to race.  The Daniels are located in Jackson, Ohio, and the recent trip to Rockingham, NC is considered one of the closer races for them.  The cost of gas just to make the trip was about $450.  As they replaced parts throughout the weekend, they told me the cost of things and I flinched each time.  In addition to the financial cost, you must also factor in the massive amount of time that is required from the crew at both the track and back at home to prepare for the races.  In the case of the Daniels, Sam lives two hours away from Brian and therefore must coordinate the times to work on the car.  They each have regular day jobs that keep them busy for most of the week and must find the time in the evenings and weekends to rebuild engines, test, tune, restock the rig and trailer, and if there is time left, sleep.  There is a definite commitment from the team to put on a good show at each race.
The Daniels’ last pass in Columbus resulted in a blown head gasket which meant a lot of engine work for Sam and Brian to prepare for Rockingham. I kept up with them and their progress throughout the two weeks and the engine didn’t come to life until late Wednesday night before the race!  They were packing up the trailer and making last minute preparations at 2AM but when they arrived in Rockingham on Thursday, there were smiles all around!  I spent the weekend with the family and even assisted by taking video of the car from the line.  We were all visibly shaken when Brian got sideways on this pass against Quain Stott. 

It was really interesting to playback those videos in slow motion and compare it to the data from the car.  I’m slowly learning more about how these cars work!  Give me a few more races and I might be able to speak intelligently with the drivers and maybe even identify a fuel pump!

Speaking of fuel pumps, I am always amazed at how the teams help each other and that was demonstrated again when Jason Scruggs provided a fuel pump for the Daniels during the race.  Unfortunately for Scruggs, he was eliminated in the first round but that just meant he had some free time on his hands to assist the Daniels as they moved on to round two!  The sportsmanship, the friendship, the camaraderie…simply amazing.

As always, I’m looking forward to the next race.  I’ll be spending time with a different team in Ennis, TX and helping everyone get to know the people behind the cars.  If you’re in Ennis, come find me!  I’ll be the one with the big smile on my face!

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