Danny O’Brien Starts the 2013 Season With Top 10 Finish at Merrittville Speedway; Will Return to Merrittville This Coming Saturday Night

After a long off-season, Danny O’Brien and his team were ready to get back to business this past weekend with a trip to Merrittville Speedway for their opening night Sprint Sizzler on Saturday night.

O’Brien has had some success at Merrittville in the past, always competitive in DIRTcar 358 Series events, and a past winner at Merrittville in 2011 early season events. O’Brien was fast right out of the trailer, setting the pace in opening hot laps. Although he struggled during his qualifying heat, Danny charged from his 19th starting spot to score a top 10 finish in the 35 lap main event. He crossed the finish line in eighth place.

“We struggled in the heat race, and started pretty far back, so it was a good run for us to get back up into the top ten”, claims O’Brien. “This is a tough track with some great competition, so we will take that for our first race of the year, and build on it when we get back here next weekend”.

O’Brien will return to Merrittville next weekend, looking to fine tune his car in preparation for the Mr. DIRTcar Series event at Merrittville on May 20th. O’Brien will race at Brockville Speedway on Saturday night’s beginning with their season opener on Saturday, May 11th. Cornwall Speedway also opens on Sunday May 19th with the first Mr. DIRTcar 358 Modified Series race of 2013.

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, Bicknell Racing Products, and Integra Racing Shocks for their continuous support and we look forward to a very exciting 2013 campaign.

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

Danny O’Brien Looking Forward to 2013 Season Debut at Merrittville Speedway in Two Weeks; Brockville Speedway Fan Fair This Weekend

Despite the cool temperatures, and a forecast for some snow later this week, Danny O’Brien and his race team are ready for the 2013 season. The first race on the schedule is just over a week away, with the season opening ‘ Spring Sizzler’ at Merrittville Speedway on Saturday, April 27th.

Before the 2013 season starts, there are still a couple off-track events scheduled to take place this weekend. First up on Saturday is the 2nd annual Brockville Ontario Speedway Fan Fair from 10am to 1pm at Walmart in Brockville. This event will be a great chance to meet Danny and some fellow Brockville Speedway competitors and see the cars up close before the season begins at the BOS next month. The event will have live entertainment from a local band called Texas Tuxedos and there will also be a charity BBQ taking place in support of the CHEO (Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario) Foundation.

On Saturday night, O’Brien will attend the Mohawk International Raceway awards banquet, where they will honor the top finishing drivers from the 2012 season. O’Brien will be awarded for his fifth place finish in points.

Once these events are over, O’Brien will shift his attention to Merrittville Speedway for their opening race next weekend. O’Brien has had some great finishes at Merrittville in the past, including an early season win back in 2011.

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, Bicknell Racing Products, and Integra Racing Shocks for their continuous support and we look forward to a very exciting 2013 campaign.

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

Danny O’Brien 2012 Season in Review; Difficult Season Now in the Past as Preparations Begin Already for 2013

When you look back over Danny O’Brien’s racing career so far, and see the fantastic accomplishments that he has achieved, it is hard to imagine him having a bad season.  To put things in perspective, O’Brien is a 10 time champion at Brockville Speedway alone, and has accumulated 146 DIRTcar feature wins over his illustrious career.  Even a bad year for O’Brien resulted in 4 feature wins and 27 top ten finishes in 42 events this season.

O’Brien opened the season in late April with an 11^th place finish at Merrittville Speedway and the following week posted a fourth place finish at Chapman’s Can Am Motorsports Park before opening the season at Mohawk Raceway and Brockville Speedway with wins at both places.  After a great start to his season at his own weekly tracks, O’Brien struggled over the most of the season.  He posted another win at Brockville on July 7^th and again on August 11^th, but the rest of the season was difficult for the O’Brien team.  He had fast cars on many nights, but was the victim of being at the wrong place at the wrong time on plenty of occasions.

“It wasn’t a good year to say the least, but that is behind us now and we are working towards next season already”, says O’Brien.  “I really have to thank all of our sponsors and everyone that works on the car during the week at the shop and at the track.  There support is appreciated”.

Marketing opportunities are available with Danny O’Brien Racing for the 2013 season.  Please contact Danny at dannyobrien17@hotmail.com and he will be more then happy to discuss how your company can benefit by advertising with a successful race team with a strong following like Danny O’Brien has.

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 and we look forward to the 2013 campaign.

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

Danny O’Brien Ends Tumultuous 2012 Season With Early Race Incident at Brockville Speedway in Mr. DIRTcar 358 Modified Series Finale

After staring the season with wins at Brockville Speedway and Mohawk Raceway back in May on opening night, the rest of Danny O’Brien’s 2012 racing season has been a struggle.  He has had fast cars on plenty of nights, but has an untimely mechanical failure or simply a victim of being at the wrong place at the right time hindered O’Brien all season.  With the 1000 Islands RV DIRTcar Northeast Fall Nationals on the schedule for the last weekend of the season, O’Brien hoped to put together a strong run to close out the year.

With Saturday being a rare afternoon event at Brockville Speedway, time trials started early, and O’Brien struggled through his session, posting the fifth fastest speed in his group.  He lined up in that fifth position to start the qualifier and needed to gain one spot to solidify his spot in the 100 lap main event.  Handling issues continued to plague him during the heat race, and he would remain in fifth when the checkered flag was displayed at the end of the eight lap race.  After making some adjustments to the car, O’Brien returned to the track for the last chance qualifier, and he led every lap and took home the win.  He started the main event from the 19^th position, and hoped that they had hoped they had all their troubles behind them.  Like his luck has been for most of the season, Danny lasted just two laps into the race as cars piled up in front of him leaving him no room to escape, ending his day 98 laps before the finish.

“It hasn’t been a great season for us.  We really hoped that we could end the season here on a good note, but it wasn’t meant to be”, claims O’Brien after the race.  “We have a great team, great sponsors and great fans here that support us each week, and we look forward to a much better season next year”.

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 and we look forward to the 2013 campaign.

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 Third Place Finish at Rolling Wheels on Thursday Night; Brockville Speedway 1000 Islands RV DIRTcar Nationals up Next

As the 2012 racing season begins to wind down, the big racing events through the early part of the fall continued this past weekend as Danny O’Brien and his team took in the Satellite shows during Super DIRT Week in the Syracuse area.  First it was a trip to Cayuga County Fair Speedway in Weedsport, New York on Wednesday, and then a few minute drive down the road to Rolling Wheels Raceway on Thursday night.  Both events were part of the Mr. DIRTcar 358 Modified Series.

On Wednesday night, Danny O’Brien was at Cayuga County Fair Speedway in Weedsport, New York.  Many people believe that this race could very well be the final event in the long history of this race track, and a packed pit area and grandstand were on hand.  Danny posted the fastest speed in his time trial group, which was third fastest out of the 44 cars on hand.  He started his qualifying heat race from the front row, and finished second, making the redraw for a top ten starting spot in the 75 lap main event.  Danny started from third place, but a crash on lap four sent him to the pits and done for the night.  As a sign of Sportsman ship, the O’Brien crew helped get his competitor back on the track before the race resumed.

The following night, O’Brien traveled just a few miles up the road to Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in Elbridge, New York.  Danny qualified fourth fastest in his time trial group, and advanced one more spot to third in his qualifying heat race, making the redraw for a top 12 starting spot in the main event.  He would draw position number seven, and lined up on the inside of row four.  O’Brien moved to the top five by the first lap, and just a few laps later he was up to fourth.  With 36 laps in the books, Danny had moved into third place, and held that spot until lap 55.  O’Brien would cross the finish line in fourth place, but would later advance to third after a car failed post race inspection.

This coming weekend Danny will be back at Brockville Speedway for the 1000 Islands RV DIRTcar Northeast Fall Nationals.  He will race on Saturday afternoon with the final 358 Modified Mr. DIRTcar Series race, and may race on Sunday as well, attempting to run his 358 Modified against the Big Blocks.  This will be the final weekend of the 2012 racing season.

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 Grabs Top Ten Finish in Big Block Modified Series Race at Mohawk International Raceway; Battles to a Top Five in 358 Modified Series

It was all set to be a full weekend of racing for Danny O’Brien at Mohawk International Raceway.  The full weekend turned into a full day of racing on Saturday after rain postponed virtually all of Friday night’s schedule to Saturday, making for a very long day at the track.  O’Brien raced the Big Block Modified Super DIRTcar Series show to begin the weekend and followed that up with the 358 Modified Mr. DIRTcar Series to conclude the weekend.

The rain held off on Friday night just long enough to complete the time trials for the Big Block Modifieds.  Danny was second fastest in his time trial group, giving him an outside front row starting spot for his qualifying heat race.  The rain arrived just after time trials were completed, forcing DIRTcar and track officials to set up an all day event on Saturday.

Saturday turned out to be a much better day.  Big Block Modified heat race action was the first order of business for the day.  Danny started from second and maintained that spot throughout the race, earning a spot in the redraw for a top 12 starting spot in the 100 lap main event.  Danny would redraw sixth, and started from outside of row three.  O’Brien moved up early, running fourth on lap 10, but slid back on the dry slick surface as the race approached the 25 lap mark.  O’Brien made a pit stop under a lap 36 caution for a tire change, and returned to the track at the rear of the field.  Over the duration of the event, Danny moved through the field patiently, and by the end of the race he was eighth place.

Once the Big Block race was over, teams began to prepare for the scheduled Saturday night portion of the weekend.  The 358 Modified Mr. DIRTcar Series was on the agenda, and O’Brien was looking for a solid run.  The evening started off well, as O’Brien set fast time in his qualifying group, and was fastest overall amongst the 40 cars that were on hand.  He finished third in his qualifying heat race, transferring to the redraw for a top 12 starting spot.  The first caution of the race occurred on lap 10 and Danny was running strong in fourth place.  He remained in the top five for most of the event and crossed the line in fifth place.

“It was a pretty good weekend, considering all the rain we had on Friday night”, says O’Brien.  “The track was really slick, especially tonight in the 358 race, but we battled hard and were able to get a top five out of it”.

This coming weekend, O’Brien will continue with the 358 Modified Mr. DIRTcar Series as they roll into Brighton Speedway for their inaugural Mr. DIRTcar event.  The annual Applefest Weekend will close out the racing for the month of September and O’Brien will then prepare for the Super DIRT Week Satellite shows at Cayuga County and Rolling Wheels in early October before closing out the season at Brockville Speedway on October 13^th and 14^th for the 1000 Islands RV Centre DIRTcar Northeast Fall Nationals.

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’s Disappointing Weekend Ends on a Strong Note With Second Place Finish in Mr. DIRTcar 358 Modified Series Race at Cornwall

The weekend didn’t start the way Danny O’Brien and his 1000 Islands RV Centre team had hoped with a mechanical failure at Mohawk Raceway on Friday night.   The frustrations continued over into Saturday night at Brockville Speedway with another frustrating night at the BOS.  Sunday’s Mr. DIRTcar 358 Modified Series event at Cornwall Speedway was the highlight of the weekend with a strong second place finish.

O’Brien entered Thursday night’s race at Mohawk Raceway with a shot at the championship. The cards would definitely have to fall his way for that to happen, but at the drop of the green flag for the 50 lap Modified feature, O’Brien’s car wasn’t right, and he made his way to the infield, out of harm’s way on the very first lap of the race with a broken valve in the engine.  Any chance of a championship was now gone as he was unable to continue.  O’Brien would go on to finish the season fifth place in points.

Danny’s luck wasn’t much better on Saturday night at Brockville Speedway.  After a fourth place finish in his qualifier, he started the 30 lap main event from 12^th place, and once again was sidelined in the opening laps, this time with front-end damage.  He was unable to continue.  O’Brien, a 10 time champion at Brockville Speedway, would a disappointing season with a seventh place overall finish in the 2012 point standings.

Cornwall Speedway was up next with their 125 lap Mr. DIRTcar 358 Modified Series race which also counted towards the Canadian Nationals Series Championship.  Danny started the night by setting the pace in the opening practice session for his group, and backed that up in time trials, earning a front row starting spot for his heat race.  He won his heat, and made it into the redraw for a top 12 starting spot for the 125 lap race.  Danny drew the 12^th position and would start the race on the outside of row six.  By lap 25, O’Brien advanced his position to sixth place, and soon made his way into the top five.  With 50 laps complete, he was up to third, and was looking real strong leading up to the scheduled 75 lap competition caution.  With 70 laps complete he made the pass for the lead, and held the top spot when the pre-determined caution was displayed to the field.  The pit crew went to work, changing tire and making some adjustments to the car during the 10 minute break.  When the race resumed, Danny would soon lose the top spot when the race resumed, but maintained the runner-up spot over the remaining laps.

“It was a good run for us tonight, we just needed to he just a little better to contend for the win”, says O’Brien.  “After the rest of the weekend that we have had, we will definitely take and move on to the next race”. 

Danny will be back in action at Mohawk Raceway on September 15^th, Brighton Speedway on September 22^nd, and Cayuga County Fair Speedway and Rolling Rolling Wheels Raceway Park on October 4^th and 5^th 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 12^th to October 14^th.

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.