From Daytona to Dirt was a relatively quick trip this week, as Frontstretch kept tabs on NASCAR’s past and present regulars and their dirt racing exploits.
Alex Bowman
The Cup Series regular shook off a disappointing week at Volusia with two improved showings in the sprint car ranks as the All-Star Circuit of Champions hit East Bay Raceway Park last Monday and Tuesday (Feb. 13-14). Bowman put together one of his career-best performances Monday night, setting fast time in qualifying and then winning the pole Dash en route to finishing sixth.
Tuesday was a more workmanlike effort after a pre-race issue saw Bowman unable to start his heat race, but Bowman still transferred from the B-main and then improved from 22nd to 11th in the feature. Only Zeb Wise’s ridiculous 21st-fourth run passed more cars than Bowman on the night.
Stewart Friesen
The Truck Series regular easily won the first heat race of the Super DIRTcar Series season Wednesday night in his modified at Volusia Speedway Park and got off to a roaring start in the feature, going from sixth to third in only six laps. That was as far as Friesen would get though, as what the driver characterized as mistakes running the high side of the half-mile cost him too much track position to challenge race winner Max McLaughlin.
Thursday night saw Friesen playing catch up, as he was forced to start at the rear of his heat race after missing qualifying at Volusia due to Truck Series practice at Daytona. Friesen would win his Last Chance Showdown race Thursday night and improved from 20th to eighth in the feature, one of only two drivers in the field to improve by double-digit positions on the night.
Friesen’s last dirt race of the week came in the DIRTcar Nationals finale at Volusia Saturday night, where he finished eighth in the 50-lap feature. Friesen was a top-10 fixture all night long but stayed in the back of the top 10 the entire race, never threatening for the race win.
Kyle Larson
The Cup Series regular was a surprise entrant in the DIRTcar late model portion of Volusia’s Tuesday night race program.
By night’s end, he was proof positive of how big one mistake in super late model racing can be. Larson jumped the cushion late in his heat race Tuesday, losing the final transfer spot to Chris Madden and forced to win the second Last Chance Showdown race to qualify for Tuesday’s feature.
Starting 20th, Larson managed to improve to 13th by the…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at …