JW: Hey Danny! Thanks for taking the time to speak with me. Before we get into our chat today, I have to say… You have been in the spotlight lately! Lots of racing with both of the national series and on the regional level so far this year. How has this year been for you up to this point?
 
DS: We started down in Florida with 360s. We have had a really good season so far. This is the biggest stage that we have raced on. It’s huge for me. My name has been getting out there and a lot of people have been like; “You have been racing every weekend!”. That’s what we have been pushing for this year. We are just trying to get us better - make laps. Pushing to get to the next level.
  
JW: Let’s take a step back to the beginning, as I would argue there a lot of sprint car fans that don’t know much about your history. Do you mind sharing a bit about your time growing up and how you got into racing?
 
DS: I have always loved racing since I was young. I love Jeff Gordon; that’s why I’m 24. Some people love it, some people hate it. My dad had a mower shop in Florida. That’s where I lived and grew up. I was in there playing with a toy car and someone came in getting a part for their go-kart. I was four years old at the time. They said to my dad that I should try a go-kart. We went to the track and bought one that night. I wouldn’t say “the rest is history,” but it was the beginning of a passion and a love for me.
 
From racing quarter midgets and onward. We ran local for a couple years and then went on the USAC National tour. Raced against Harrison Burton, Carson Hocevar, and Todd Gilliland. Very blessed to be able to run against them and win the championship. We always had a family budget at the time, so we didn’t have a ton of options to choose from. But, we decided to try a 305, as I was 14 at the time. We ran it at one of the Winter Speedweeks for the 360s down in Florida and I ran really good against them.
 
Later in the year, we went to the PRI Show and enquired about a 360. The guy who dynoed our 305 said he would build us one from parts. So, to afford it, my dad sold everything from go-karts, to golf carts, and even my dirt bike. We became a full-on single-car team. If I wreck? The car is done. It’s put away for a long time to be rebuilt. We did pretty well with the single 360.
We ran USCS and finished 3rd in the national points which was huge for us. We were teammates with Conor Morrell at the time and with a turn of events from that year, that’s how I met my current car owner - Rocky Anderson. We raced the Michigan series to get my name a little more known and then raced the ASCS tour during 2020. That year was tough as it was only me and my dad working on the car and I was finishing high school at the time and needed to fly back and forth to Florida. We did pretty well and finished 10th in points which I was happy about. Plus, it was the COVID year which made things a little more difficult on the financial side as we lost a couple of sponsors that year. We backscaled again and decided to run the Michigan series again for the following year. Then, my car owner [Rocky Anderson] called me and asked what the plan was and we discussed some ideas on what to do. That call changed everything for me three years ago.
 
We had one old Triple X car, a small trailer, and one 360 engine. Between Rocky, my parents, and myself, we all got together and said; “let’s go racing!”.  We won Rocky’s first race at the end of the year and it was huge for Rocky. I always felt like I needed to prove to Rocky we are capable of it. The next year, we got a new 410 and got a sponsor. Won my first 410 race three races in. At that point, we weren’t sure what to do as we couldn’t afford to go further. We just raced as much as we could do on our budget at the time. Then last year, we decided to run the FAST tour, which was my first full year in a 410.
 
Unfortunately, we had a wreck that took us out from finishing that tour. But, we decided to go down to World Finals at Charlotte and compete with the Outlaws to finish off the year to keep building on our experience and keep our team in tune. It’s a small operation we have here as my dad crews the car, my mom helps with the tires, and Rocky helps in anyway he can. Up until last year, I was still working a full-time job to help with the funding, so I was constantly travelling all over between my job, helping to work on the car at the shop, and going to the races. Being able to fly Allegiant for $70 a flight was a big help with all the travel I was doing. This past off-season I had a come to Jesus moment. I was thinking a lot and praying about it. If I want to make it to a national tour one day, I need to go all in. I talked to Rocky about it in the offseason and he said let’s race as much as we can. Rocky has always been there and is pushing for us to be better. Rocky has missed some races this year because of a surgery he went through recently, but he is supportive and 100% behind my goals. I’m super grateful and appreciative to have the opportunity and I want to make the most of it this year by pushing myself as far as I can go. 
 
JW: If we are going to be honest here, even though there is some sprint car racing in Florida, it’s not the most popular motorsport down there. How does a kid who grew up in Florida get the bug for sprint car racing?
 
DS: Like I said, we went on the national tour with USAC in the quarter midgets and that was the best thing I could have ever done. To run with the best in that series, it got me hooked. Florida during winter is amazing [for dirt & sprint car racing]. February is insane; it’s the best thing ever. During the summer? No one watches sprint car racing down there. It’s unfortunate because Florida is amazing. I love Florida and I loved living there. Florida wouldn’t be the main place to stay for dirt racing anyway as it’s mainly pavement-focused. That’s why we are up here in Indiana. 
  
JW: Since you are no longer based out of Florida and you are now based out of Indiana, what was the reason that this base has become your mainstay? What made you choose that particular location?
 
DS: Since Rocky [Anderson] already had the shop here, it made sense for us to be based out of Indiana. It’s perfect for the location. He lives right down the road from his shop. I have slept in the shop more times than I can count on air mattresses. We are grinders. We are trying to make it happen. I’m so blessed to be here. I couldn’t do it without Rocky. He is a major factor in helping us [our family] get to the next step. 
 
JW: As a young driver like yourself who is wanting to break into the sport and make a name for yourself, what is one or two of the biggest challenges that you have faced or are maybe currently facing?
 
DS: Well, the two biggest ones are help on the track by hiring on a crew and sponsors. Rocky’s companies are currently on the car. It would be nice to have a sponsor come onboard as that would be a major support for us. The only thing that has been keeping me afloat is my merchandise, and I’m not even that huge of a merch guy. I’m not there yet, but we are just grinding. Hopefully, if we keep making some more dashes and winning some heat races with the Outlaws, we can get some more eyes on the car to put something together down the line for sponsorship. Someone who has helped me a lot lately is David Gravel. I told him my situation like we are talking now. He had a similar path coming up to my situation and has given me a lot of help on the mindset game of this sport. He has taught me the grind since he has been through. He has also been very gracious to share information with me and I can’t thank him enough. 
 
JW: Last year [2023] you ran 32 races, which were mainly a mix of FAST, World of Outlaws, High Limit, and All Star races. You actually scored 3 FAST feature wins last year! How do you look back at your 2023 sprint car season?
 
DS: We were the most consistent and most in-consistent team you could be around. We would go out and win one night and then run last in a feature, and we don’t know why… It was a tough feeling. We were really good at the beginning of the season, but we had a really bad wreck at Wayne County prior to the High Limit show. That messed up some things for us as we were switching cars, trying to solve the problems we had. We were an even smaller team then compared to what we are now, even though we are still a small team. I was flying in and out all year as I was working back home [in Florida] 55 hours a week, then coming to meet up with our team to drive the truck and trailer with my dad to the next race. It’s a mindset game. That’s when I decided that if I wanted to do this full-time, I had to go in and do it full time for this year. I was able to put away enough money from working and racing last year to live off that now. If I can sell three T-shirts a week, that’s big for me! Even twenty-five dollars is huge for me right now. I never realized how much it meant, as I had an amazing job at home. I was doing really well, and it was super hard to leave that, but I have been super happy with my choice. I feel like I can make it if I keep pushing. Rocky [Anderson] and I had talks about this early in the year that it’s new territory for the both of us. We want to go for it, let’s go for it. We are here moving forward. 
 
JW: Is it fair to say that your ultimate goal is to race full time at the national level, whether it’s with the World of Outlaws or the Kubota High Limit Series?
 
DS: Absolutely! Next year is really what we are trying to aim to do. It would be a miracle if we got there. If it’s in our mindset, then maybe we can make it happen. If we can get the proper help, get the equipment we need, and the funding tied down, then for sure we would. If we can get something set up for next year, that would be great. If not, next year would be fine too. That’s the ultimate dream. I would love to be able to be a national driver and race at that level. I really enjoy it. I have never been more into it than I am. I love spending a week at the shop working on the car and gaining as much knowledge as I can to help me on and off the track. To race at the national level and be on the biggest stage every weekend would be something I would be extremely grateful to achieve.
 
JW: If we take a look at how much you have already been racing in 2024, it’s looking like this will be your fullest calendar as a sprint car driver in your blossoming career. What are some of the plans that you have for the rest of the year?
 
DS: We have about 70 more races scheduled if we can make them all. We are going to run Ohio Speedweek, which is 9 races there. We want to spend some more time in PA later this year. We are going to run as many as the World of Outlaws and High Limit races that we can get to from our area. Anytime anyone comes close to our neck of the woods, we will go out and race—pick and choose. We are only going to a place when we are ready and prepared to go to a show so we can perform as good as we can. It’s tough to compete with teams that have four crew members when we are a small operation. That’s why spending as much time at the shop to prepare the car before we head to the track to be competitive right out of the gate. Weather will also play a factor depending on if we decide to travel or not to an event. It’s only my second year in a 410 so seat time is major for me at this point. In a perfect world, if we can be close to 90 races by the end of the year; hopefully, I’m ten times the driver I am compared to when I started the year. That’s the goal.