(Photo by Chuck Stowe)
Inside Line Promotions – KNOXVILLE, Iowa (July 30, 2018) – Mason Daniel picked up a top-10 finish Friday at I-80 Speedway and he continued to gear up for this week’s 28th annual 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank with one final visit to Knoxville Raceway on Saturday.
Daniel opened the action at I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Neb., with a fourth-place heat race finish. The 18-year-old then worked his way from the 13th starting spot in the Carpet Land Nebraska 360 Sprints main event to finish a solid sixth, which was his 15th top 10 of the season.
“We progressed all night long at I-80 (Speedway),” he said. “I made a few mistakes at the start of the feature, but once I got the car figured out we were able to pass a lot of cars. We continue to get better as the night goes on and that is a good thing. All in all, it was a solid night and another good learning experience.”
Daniel opened last Saturday’s show at Knoxville Raceway by turning the 12th fastest lap in time trials out of a star-studded 44-car field. He finished fifth in the second heat race, which lined him up 14th in the 18-lap main event. Daniel gained a position to end 13th.
“I need to trust in the car a little more on the starts of races,” he noted. “Once we got rolling and I figured out where to run the car we were pretty good. A lot of that goes back to just having laps and experience and the only way you get that is through time.”
Daniel will return to Knoxville Raceway this weekend for the 28th annual 360 Knoxville Nationals, which brings in many of the top competitors around the country. With the field split in half, Daniel will take to the track on Thursday for the first night of qualifying. He will return to action on Saturday night as only feature events will be run that evening.
“When it comes down to it, that’s just another race,” he said. “There are a lot of drivers from across the country who will be there, but you can’t get caught up in that. Yes, it’s the 360 Knoxville Nationals, but the event happens every year. If things don’t go your way or you have bad luck, there is always next year. It’s not like Knoxville is going anywhere so you have many years to run it.”
Daniel has had several solid runs at Knoxville Raceway this season, including earning his first-career win at the half-mile oval on June 16. He also had a five-race top-10 streak at the track and was fastest in time trials on June 23.
“Having laps at Knoxville all season definitely helps,” he said. “From racing there a number of weeks leading up to the Nationals, you know what the track is like and kind of know what to expect. We have a couple of days to prepare this week and we’ll be ready on Thursday night.”
QUICK RESULTS –
July 27 – I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Neb. – Heat race: 4 (2); Feature: 6 (13).
July 28 – Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa – Qualifying: 12; Heat race: 5 (4); Feature: 13 (14).
SEASON STATS
29 races, 2 wins, 9 top fives, 15 top 10s, 21 top 15s, 25 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Thursday through Saturday at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa, for the 28th annual 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.masondanielracing.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MasonDRacing
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.
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- Shawn Miller on Jul 30, 2018
- Article Date: 7/30/2018 by Inside Line Promotions