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Carrying the Torch: Daniels Hopes to Repeat Father's Success, Find Victory Lane at Five Flags

By Chuck Corder

Brian Daniels always gets a warm-fuzzy feeling each time he comes to Five Flags Speedway.

After all, the 42-year-old Vintage car driver spent most of his childhood at the famed half-mile asphalt oval, watching his father hold his own against short-track legends, such as Dickie Davis.

Bill Daniels got his racing career going around 1966 in the Spectator Class at Five Flags. Young Brian Daniels would cheer his daddy on from the pits or the big hill where all the kids gathered.

“It was neat — getting to watch him and see what he did out there on that track,� said Brian Daniels, a Pensacola native now living in Bay Minette, Ala.

This Friday, their roles will be reversed as father will be rooting for son when Brian Daniels accompanies his Southern Vintage Racing Association compatriots in their annual stop at Pensacola’s high banks.

The Faith Chapel Super Stocks, The Dock on Pensacola Beach Sportsmen and Butler U-Pull-It Bombers round out the racing schedule while a $10-admission night for all adults promises more bang for your buck.

The annual kids’ bicycle races for children ages 12 and under also highlight Friday’s festivities. Age divisions will be broken down into three groups — 5-under, 6 to 9, 10 to 12 — and all riders must bring a helmet with their bike and are asked to complete registration between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Friday. Each rider will earn a trophy and ice cream, courtesy of Panhandle Grading and Paving.

Plus, stunt motorcyclist Tim Dyson will entertain with his death-defying spectacular. Again, admission is $10 for all adults, $5 for kids ages 6 to 11 and free for kids under 5. The gates open at 4 p.m. Friday.

With assistance from Jerry Venable, Bill Daniels founded the Southern Vintage Racing Association a few years ago with the mission to grow a fun, affordable class.

“He wanted to revive a class that had dwindled away,� Brian Daniels said of the elder Daniels. “He likes to see the growth. He didn’t expect it to get as big as it has. It’s gotten huge and continues to steadily grow.�

From its humble beginnings on the dirt of Flomaton (Ala.) Speedway, the association, which is comprised of 1934 Ford and Chevrolet coupes and sedans, quickly expanded to dirt tracks across the Florida Panhandle.

Five Flags first brought back the Vintage class in 2013. When Brian Daniels brought his 1934 Ford to a third-place finish during last year’s Vintage class feature, it fulfilled a lifelong dream for the truck driver by day.

“It was awesome,� said Daniels, a dirt-track racer for all of his life. “It’s a lot different from dirt. It ain’t as forgiving and it becomes more challenging when you factor in we run on dirt tires. It’s way faster.

“It takes few laps to get adjusted. If it starts sliding out there, you’re in trouble.�

He got into racing because of his dad in 1994. Brian Daniels raced pure stock, hobby class and late models — all on dirt — before joining his father’s quest to create an appeal for Vintage.

With the help of April, his wife, Brian Daniels has helped carry the torch for five years now. The car is numbered 26, which is the couple’s wedding day. Husband and wife, who met online, recently celebrated nine years of marriage on May 26.

“Whatever needs to be done, she’ll do it,� Brian Daniels said of his wife. “She turns wrenches and changes tires. April is actually more into it than I am.� Fifteen-year-old daughter Tiearra also assists her father come race night, as Daniels passes down his family’s love of racing to the next generation. Two more daughters, Aislynn and Emma, figure to get involved in years to come.

Daniels has raced just four times this season because of work, which takes him all the way to Texas and south Florida, demanding so much of his time.

But he’s eagerly anticipating Friday night at Five Flags, to relive past memories and find Victory Lane the way his dad used to.

Daniels already knows the recipe for success. “There’s gonna be a bunch of (Vintage drivers) out there that aren’t familiar with Five Flags,� he said. “So, I need to save my tires and be cautious. And just finish the race.�

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