Danny O’Brien Enters Final Points Night at Mohawk Raceway Looking for 2012 Championship; 125 Lap DIRTcar/Canadian Nationals Race at Cornwall

The season long battle at Mohawk International Raceway and Brockville Speedway are about to come to an end this coming weekend, and Danny O’Brien has his eyes on the 2012 Mohawk Raceway championship coming into the final night. A mechanical failure in the closing laps by the point leader last week opened the door for Danny, and two other drivers, and will set the stage for an epic showdown this coming Thursday night at Mohawk Raceway.

O’Brien has posted some consistent top ten finishes all season long at Mohawk Raceway, placing him in the hunt for the championship as we approach the final night. He won on opening night at the track and would like nothing more then to close out the 2012 regular season in similar fashion with Thursday Night’s 50 lap Frenchie’s “Chevy Runs Deep” Series race also part of the final points showdown. The final point totals from last week have not been tallied as of yet, but O’Brien will enter the night fourth in track points. It will be an uphill battle with a point deficit to overcome, but stranger things have happened in this sport.

“We are a little bit behind the leader, but we are not giving up”, says O’Brien. “Hopefully we can go out there and get the win, and see how it all plays out in the end. We haven’t had a great year, but it would be nice to build some momentum going into the bigger races coming up”.

Danny will close out the 2012 regular season at Brockville Speedway on Saturday night as well. Sitting in seventh in track points, O’Brien will not be in the battle for the championship, but with 10 championships at Brockville Speedway over his career and many feature wins, he will be back strong in 2013.

Once Labor Day Weekend is over, Danny will shift his focus to the MR. DIRTcar 358 Modified Series. He will race at Autodrome Granby on September 8th, Mohawk Raceway on September 15th, Brighton Speedway on September 22nd, and Rolling Wheels Raceway Park on October 5th as part of Super DIRT Week. He will close out the 2012 season back at Brockville Speedway for the 1000 Islands RV Centre Northeast Fall Nationals October 12th to October 14th.

Danny O’Brien would like to thank 1000 Islands RV Centre, Pat’s Rad, BOB FM, Ponte Bros. Masonry, Morrison Racing Engines, Snap-On Adam Way, Wurth, Bicknell Racing Products, and Integra Racing Shocks for their support during the 2012 season.

For more information on Danny O’Brien and the 17D racing team, please visit our brand new website, www.dannyobrien.ca. The website just received a new look this week. You can also follow Danny O’Brien through www.1000islandsrvmotorsports.com, a new website recently launched by longtime sponsor 1000 Islands RV.

Danny O’Brien Has Strong Weekend With Top Five Finishes at Mohawk Raceway, Brockville Speedway and Cornwall Speedway

After getting back to victory lane last week at Brockville Speedway, Danny O’Brien returned this week with a busy weekend schedule with races at Mohawk Raceway on Friday night, Brockville Speedway on Saturday night and a 100 lap Canadian Nationals Series race at Cornwall Motor Speedway on Sunday.  In addition, Danny also took part in 1000 Islands RV Customer Appreciation Day Sales on Saturday afternoon in Gananoque.

At Mohawk Raceway on Friday night, Danny finished his qualifying heat race from third place.  In the 25 lap main event, he lined up on the outside of row four in eighth place.  The first caution on the night came on lap eight, and Danny had already climbed to fourth place and would soon find third place before the race approached halfway.  With one lap remaining, the caution was out again, setting up a final lap dash to the finish.  Danny was still in third place, and used the high side of the track to try and make a pass for second, but the lack of grip caused him to fall back to fourth at the checkered flag.

“The car was pretty good.  I tried to get around the 151 car for second on the last restart, and the car just wouldn’t stick at the top”, says O’Brien.  “It wasn’t a bad night though, and we will move on to Brockville and Cornwall the rest of the weekend”.

After spending early Saturday afternoon at 1000 Islands RV for their Customer Appreciation Day event, Danny and his team hit the road to Brockville Speedway looking to repeat their win from last weekend.  He started the night with a win in his qualifying heat race, and started the 30 lap main event from 11^th place.  The entire distance went caution free, and Danny was able to move through the field quickly, reaching the top five by halfway.  Over the final 15 laps, O’Brien climbed to second place.

“It was a great run for us again this week”, says O’Brien after the race.  “A caution with a few laps to go would have been nice, but it didn’t happen.  It has been a good weekend so far, and hopefully we can keep it going”.

The final stop on the weekend was at Cornwall Motor Speedway for round two of the Canadian Nationals Series that had been postponed from August 5^th.  Danny qualified for the 100^th lap main event by finishing fourth in his qualifier, but just missed out on a redraw spot for a top 12 starting position.  He would roll off the starting grid from the outside of row seven in 14^th.  Danny patiently move through the field throughout the race, and when the caution came out on lap 95 he was in sixth place.  On the restart, Danny was able to move into the top five and finished with his third consecutive top five finish of the weekend with a fifth place finish.

This coming weekend, Danny will be back at Mohawk Raceway on Friday night, and Brockville Speedway on Saturday.

Danny O’Brien would like to thank 1000 Islands RV Centre, Pat’s Rad, BOB FM, Ponte Bros. Masonry, Morrison Racing Engines, Snap-On Adam Way, Wurth, Bicknell Racing Products, and Integra Racing Shocks for their support during the 2012 season.

For more information on Danny O’Brien and the 17D racing team, please visit our brand new website, www.dannyobrien.ca.  The website just received a new look this week.  You can also follow Danny O’Brien through www.1000islandsrvmotorsports.com, a new website recently launched by longtime sponsor 1000 Islands RV.

Danny O’Brien Returns to Brockville Speedway Victory Lane

It was a relatively slow week for Danny O’Brien and his team with just one night of racing on their schedule for the weekend.  Mohawk Raceway was closed for the week because of their local fair, so it was just Saturday night’s event at Brockville Speedway this week.

Danny began the night by setting fast time in opening practice.  It was clear that he would have a fast car, but time would tell if the bad luck that had hindered him all season would subside. After a strong second place finish in his qualifying heat race, O’Brien hit the track again for a final practice session before the 30 lap main event and once again he was on top of the scoreboard.  Danny rolled off the starting grid from seventh place, and after avoiding an opening lap incident, he restarted the race from fourth.  Just four laps into the race, Danny was in the lead, and built up a half track advantage over second place.  The big lead evaporated with a lap 26 yellow, but over the final four laps he was able to pull away, and pick up his third win of 2012 at Brockville.

“The car was great tonight, and we were finally able to finish the race”, says O’Brien.  “It has been a tough few weeks here, so its nice to get back to victory lane.  I knew we had a big lead early as I could see the scoreboard coming off turn two and seen that second place hadn’t crossed the line yet.  I didn’t want to see that last caution, but we were able to pull away again on the restart”.

This coming week, Danny will return to Mohawk International Raceway on Friday night, then on to Brockville Speedway on Saturday.  On Sunday night, he will travel to Cornwall Motor Speedway for their 100 lap Canadian Nationals Series race.


Danny will also be at 1000 Islands RV on Friday afternoon from noon until 2pm signing autographs.  He will be there as part of 1000 Islands RV’s Customer Appreciation Sale that runs all week long at their Gananoque, Ontario location beside the 401.

Danny O’Brien would like to thank 1000 Islands RV Centre, Pat’s Rad, BOB FM, Ponte Bros. Masonry, Morrison Racing Engines, Snap-On Adam Way, Wurth, Bicknell Racing Products, and Integra Racing Shocks for their support during the 2012 season.

For more information on Danny O’Brien and the 17D racing team, please visit our brand new website, www.dannyobrien.ca.  The website just received a new look this week.  You can also follow Danny O’Brien through www.1000islandsrvmotorsports.com, a new website recently launched by longtime sponsor 1000 Islands RV.

Danny O’Brien Gets Fourth at Mohawk International Raceway; Wrong Place at the Wrong Time Sidelines O’Brien on Lap One at Brockville

It was all set to be a big weekend for Danny O’Brien, with a regular Friday night event at Mohawk International Raceway, then off to Brockville Speedway on Saturday for their BOB FM-Coca Cola Triple Double event, featuring double laps, double purse and double points for all classes.  On Sunday, it was a 100 lap Canadian National Series event at Cornwall Motor Speedway.

At Mohawk Raceway, O’Brien started his qualifying heat race from fifth place and quickly moved forward to finish with a strong second place run.  In the 25 lap main event, Danny started from the outside of the fifth row in 10^th place and steadily worked his way forward.  Danny ended the night with a fourth place finish. 

Saturday was going to be a full night of racing at Brockville Ontario Speedway with double laps in all divisions, along with double prize money and double points on the line.  He easily won his qualifying heat race, and was confident going into the 60 lap feature race with a fifth place starting spot.  At the drop of the green, O’Brien’s night would end before completing a half a lap as the leaders bottled up in front of him, causing a multi car crash.  O’Brien’s car suffered heavy damage and was unable to return to the track for the restart.

“We can’t seem to catch a break here at Brockville this year”, says the 10 time track champion.  “I guess its just one of those years that nothing seems to go right.  We will be back next week, and hope for better results”.

Despite a forecast for rain on Sunday, Cornwall Speedway remained dry all day long, and it looked like racing may go on as scheduled.  O’Brien only planned to race at Cornwall for specials only, and with a 100 lap Canadian Nationals Series race on the card, they were hoping for a great night.  The skies opened up around 5:30pm, and track official were forced to cancel the night’s events.  The 100 lap Canadian Nationals Series race will rescheduled later in August.

This coming week, O’Brien will have the night off at Mohawk Raceway as they are closed for the night with their local fair taking place.  He will be back at Brockville Speedway on Saturday night for his only appearance of the weekend.

Danny O’Brien would like to thank 1000 Islands RV Centre, Pat’s Rad, BOB FM, Ponte Bros. Masonry, Morrison Racing Engines, Snap-On Adam Way, Wurth, Bicknell Racing Products, and Integra Racing Shocks for their support during the 2012 season.

For more information on Danny O’Brien and the 17D racing team, please visit our brand new website, www.dannyobrien.ca.  The website just received a new look this week.  You can also follow Danny O’Brien through www.1000islandsrvmotorsports.com, a new website recently launched by longtime sponsor 1000 Islands RV.