Inside Line Promotions - CARROLLTON, Mo. (Jan. 22, 2019) - The 2018 season was mission accomplished for Mason Daniel, who moved to the Midwest and embarked upon a busy year of competing in 360ci winged sprint car competition.
Daniel won a pair of races and drove his way into the 360 Knoxville Nationals A Main, which were amazing feats that caught attention nationally. Last week Daniel was awarded the 2018 North American 360 Sprint Car Poll Rookie of the Year as selected by a voting panel of media members, promoters, sanctioning officials and manufacturers.
"It was kind of unexpected," he said. "You never know if you're in the running for one of those things. They announced it at the Chili Bowl, but I didn't hear it. I got some text messages so I talked to Bob Baker from the Hall of Fame and he confirmed it. It's really something special and it means a lot to me. Looking at the names of the past drivers who captured it, it's pretty cool to have my name there with those drivers."
The prestigious award is extra validation as Daniel will make another move this year, this time stepping into the 410ci winged sprint car ranks on a regular basis. He made a pair of starts with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series toward the end of last season, making the A Main with 'The Greatest Show on Dirt' in only his second career race.
This year's action will begin later this month as Daniel ventures to Florida for the Ollie's Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions tripleheader at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala beginning Jan. 31.
Daniel will then race all five nights of the sprint car portion during the DIRTcar Nationals the ensuing week before making his 360ci winged sprint car season debut at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, Fla., Feb. 14-16. Daniel will follow that by joining the World of Outlaws as the series heads toward the West Coast and his plan is to tackle all of the series' races through April before making a decision about the remainder of the season.
"If we can get up to speed and be competitive each night, we will stay as long as we can," he said. "Either way, we have a lot of great racing in the Midwest, tracks I love like Knoxville. With the Outlaws it's probably unrealistic for a rookie to get a win their first year, but we are not judging our program that way. We just want to be competitive and see where we stack up.
"I want to say yes I'll adapt quickly like we did in the 360. The biggest difference is the competition level. Now you're racing with the World of Outlaws. Those guys do this for a living and race 90 times a year. I'm the new guy on the scene. I need to prove I can race with them consistently and clean. It's going to be a fun challenge."
UP NEXT -
Jan. 31 - Feb. 2 at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Fla., with the Ollie's Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions
MEDIA LINKS -
Website: http://www.masondanielracing.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MasonDRacing
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT - Young's Commercial Transfer
Young's Commercial Transfer is a family-owned business with deep roots in California's Central Valley. Young's Commercial Transfer is the largest for-hire hauler of tomatoes in the United States. For more information, visit http://yctinc.com.
"Young's Commercial Transfer started my racing career," Daniel said. "Without them I would never have set foot in a car or had the opportunity I have now. I can't thank them enough for all that they do for us. They have supported me since Day 1 and that means the world to me to have that support."
Daniel would also like to thank Valley Pacific, Dillon Risk Management, King Racing Products, QA1 Rod Ends, Stevie Smith Titanium, Wings Unlimited, Bell Helmets, Golden State Peterbilt, Fresno Truck Center and Suncrest Bank for their continued support.
Daniel won a pair of races and drove his way into the 360 Knoxville Nationals A Main, which were amazing feats that caught attention nationally. Last week Daniel was awarded the 2018 North American 360 Sprint Car Poll Rookie of the Year as selected by a voting panel of media members, promoters, sanctioning officials and manufacturers.
The prestigious award is extra validation as Daniel will make another move this year, this time stepping into the 410ci winged sprint car ranks on a regular basis. He made a pair of starts with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series toward the end of last season, making the A Main with 'The Greatest Show on Dirt' in only his second career race.
This year's action will begin later this month as Daniel ventures to Florida for the Ollie's Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions tripleheader at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala beginning Jan. 31.
Daniel will then race all five nights of the sprint car portion during the DIRTcar Nationals the ensuing week before making his 360ci winged sprint car season debut at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, Fla., Feb. 14-16. Daniel will follow that by joining the World of Outlaws as the series heads toward the West Coast and his plan is to tackle all of the series' races through April before making a decision about the remainder of the season.
"If we can get up to speed and be competitive each night, we will stay as long as we can," he said. "Either way, we have a lot of great racing in the Midwest, tracks I love like Knoxville. With the Outlaws it's probably unrealistic for a rookie to get a win their first year, but we are not judging our program that way. We just want to be competitive and see where we stack up.
"I want to say yes I'll adapt quickly like we did in the 360. The biggest difference is the competition level. Now you're racing with the World of Outlaws. Those guys do this for a living and race 90 times a year. I'm the new guy on the scene. I need to prove I can race with them consistently and clean. It's going to be a fun challenge."
UP NEXT -
Jan. 31 - Feb. 2 at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Fla., with the Ollie's Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions
MEDIA LINKS -
Website: http://www.masondanielracing.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MasonDRacing
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT - Young's Commercial Transfer
Young's Commercial Transfer is a family-owned business with deep roots in California's Central Valley. Young's Commercial Transfer is the largest for-hire hauler of tomatoes in the United States. For more information, visit http://yctinc.com.
"Young's Commercial Transfer started my racing career," Daniel said. "Without them I would never have set foot in a car or had the opportunity I have now. I can't thank them enough for all that they do for us. They have supported me since Day 1 and that means the world to me to have that support."
Daniel would also like to thank Valley Pacific, Dillon Risk Management, King Racing Products, QA1 Rod Ends, Stevie Smith Titanium, Wings Unlimited, Bell Helmets, Golden State Peterbilt, Fresno Truck Center and Suncrest Bank for their continued support.
