The first weekend of August gave me one last chance to hit the track before taking another break from racing. I used this opportunity to the fullest. Not only did I continue to soak in knowledge about the car, but I used every second of track time to improve and revise my own driving. The weekend was amazingly satisfying, although there were some quirks as is customary in the world of racing.
Fortunately, I was in very good company in Daytona. I can not thank everyone enough who made sure I was able to get on the track for every session. Friends, racers, and team owners alike all helped me throughout the weekend. This reminded me how connected everyone is in the racing world and at the track. I need to give a special thank you to Jesse Grose, Brian Schofield, and Duane Neyer whom all helped me tremendously throughout the weekend.
Now for the actual on track action. After a decent qualifying session Saturday morning, I was able to stay in the top three (in class) at the end of the qualifying race. Saturday ended with a twenty minute sprint race. My main focus was to perfect my driving, but the final lap opened up a chance to take the victory. Obviously, I went for it and somehow pulled it off. The feeling of winning a sprint race against two other very solid racers seems indescribable. It was certainly a personal boost, and hopefully a boost for all of my supporters whom I am so thankful for.
Sunday consisted of one on track excursion. The thirty minute main event. I was able to pull off another solid run, finishing third in class. Again, I saw a glimmer of hope at the end of the race to take another victory. Unfortunately, the outcome was much greener and grassier this time. I had a small, innocent spin trying to avoid my competitors. The incident was the fault of no one, but rather simply the nature of racing as hard as possible. The car was completely unharmed, which may have made me happier than my Saturday victory. For people such as myself, keeping the car in one piece is much more important than any single victory (and I share this trait with many racers).
Another great aspect of the Daytona weekend was having a good old friend of mine, Mike Sirochman, come to watch the weekend unfold. Mike, apart from being a great guy, is one of the best racing (and possibly anything) photographers I have ever met. Mike is responsible for all of the stunning and beautiful photos in this article as well as many other photos featured on this website, the QDB Racing facebook page, and beyond. So a special thank you to Mike, for all of these photos as well as sticking around with my 'small team' in Daytona. I look forward to many more weekends like the Daytona weekend.
So that concludes the fun-filled weekend in Daytona. Since then, I have started work on my undergraduate degree at the University of South Florida. An exciting adventure that leaves little time for any racing. However, there may be one last hurrah for the QDB Racing team in 2017. So as always, stay tuned for more news to come! Thank you again for every ones continued support! Also, feel free to check out my youtube video of the Saturday sprint race below (that's right, the entire race, and you already know there's a good ending!).