Inside Line Promotions – KNOXVILLE, Iowa (July 9, 2018) – Mason Daniel earned his fourth consecutive top-10 finish at the famed Knoxville Raceway last Saturday when he crossed the finish line ninth.
The native of Springville, Calif., has been among the top 10 in each race dating back to his win at the half-mile oval on June 16.
Daniel was ninth fastest in time trials to open the evening, which put him in the first heat race. The young driver finished fourth in his heat and lined up 11th for the 18-lap main event. Daniel worked his way forward a couple of positions to finish ninth.
“This past weekend the car was better than the driver,” he said. “I can’t thank Danny (Lasoski) and the guys enough. They gave me a fast car all night long and I just made mistakes in qualifying and at the start of the heat race. Then I wasn’t aggressive enough at the start of the main event. I’m learning, getting more races under my belt and won’t make the same mistakes twice.”
With just four weeks remaining until the 28th annual 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank the car counts will be on the rise each week as “invaders” visit Knoxville Raceway to get laps in before the big event. Daniel and his team are looking forward to the challenge as they continue to get dialed in for the prestigious event.
“We treat every week the same no matter how many cars are there,” he noted. “You can’t get worked up or let it affect how you do things just because the field is bigger. Being confident in your car is a key and staying calm as well. We’re just taking it one race at a time at Knoxville.”
Daniel is just about to the halfway point of his rookie season in a sprint car. Through 22 races, he has a pair of wins to go along with 11 top-10 finishes. The wins came at Knoxville Raceway and Missouri State Fair Speedway in Sedalia, Mo. – two of the most historic tracks in the country. At the start of the season, every single track that Daniel visited was one that he had never been to.
“On paper I think it looks good,” he said. “There are some nights we could have had better finishes, but it comes down to experience and laps. We’ve raced about 22 times now, which is not a lot. We’ve accomplished a good amount and I’m proud of that, but there are still nights I wish we could have been better, when I made mistakes. I think I’m continuing to improve and am looking forward to the rest of the season and next year.”
Daniel will compete this Thursday at Cedar County Raceway in Tipton, Iowa, with the Sprint Invaders as part of the Cedar County Fair. On Saturday, he will take to the track at Knoxville Raceway.
QUICK RESULTS –
July 7 – Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa – Qualifying: 9; Heat race: 4 (2); Feature: 9 (11).
SEASON STATS –
22 races, 2 wins, 7 top fives, 11 top 10s, 16 top 15s, 19 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Thursday at Cedar County Raceway in Tipton, Iowa, with the Sprint Invaders and Saturday at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa
MEDIA LINKS –
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MasonDRacing
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Delray Tire
Delray Tire is a commercial tire dealer in the Central San Joaquin Valley of California. They provide tires and service to over-the-road, fleets, farmers, and commercial vehicles of all shapes and sizes. For more information, visit https://www.delraytire.com/.
“Delray Tire has been supplying our family business with tires for the last couple of years,” Daniel said. “They have always been there as part of our sprint car operation and I can’t thank them enough.”
Daniel would also like to thank Dillon Risk Management, Golden State Peterbilt, Valley Pacific, Young’s Commercial Transfer, Fresno Truck Center, Bell Helmets and Schoenfeld Headers for their continued support.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –
Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations and media management for motor sports drivers, teams, sponsors, tracks, series, events, organizations and manufacturers. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and the return on investment for your sponsors.
To meet the media relations needs of your program by joining Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or Shawn@InsideLinePromotions.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.
- Shawn Miller on Jul 09, 2018
- Article Date: 7/9/2018 by Inside Line Promotions