Below is a Q&A with Tiffany Daniels, who graciously answered every question about her remarkable invitation to compete in the ASA Transcontinental event in South Africa, the Inaugural Free State 500 at the Phakisa Circuit.
RacingWest: Congratulations on your invitation to compete in the ASA Transcontinental race. What in the world did you think when you first received the invitation to go?
Tiff Daniels: I first heard about the ASA Transcontinental Series “Free State 500” when Harry Davis, Marc’s dad, called to tell me that Marc would likely be racing in an ASA race in South Africa and they would possibly be running a second car. I was very grateful to receive an invitation from ASA and to be able to work out all of the details to drive Marc’s second car.
I am also lucky to have several great partners for this event. SnowTheRacehorse.com, a children’s adventure book series providing life lessons for young boys and girls, is an ideal partner for this journey, joining TheWordNetwork.org. – and with added support from Swiss skincare line Skincode.com & product sponsor HINT Water – we hope to have a great race while also making a difference. I also cannot thank Marc Davis enough for letting me run his car.
RW: How did you and Marc Davis first become friends?
TD: My family and I met Marc when Cliff, Marc, and I were all in our early years of racing. I remember Marc and Harry pulling up to Southside Speedway near Richmond, VA with their Bandolero car on an open trailer - we have definitely all come a long way since then! We have always kept in touch with the Davises and I consider Marc to be a good friend.
RW: Can you tell us about the car and if you had any hands on as far as the car goes?
TD: I will be driving the #19 SnowTheRacehorse.com Toyota for Marc Davis Motorsports (MDM). I am very confident that the MDM team cars will have a good showing in South Africa. Jeff Spraker and his team worked very hard to prepare our cars for the event. I was able to get my hands on the car and spend time going over the car prep with Jeff, Scott and the rest of the Spraker Racing group, and they were very good about filling me in on everything.
RW: Who all is going with you as far as family/crew?
TD: My parents and brother will be travelling with me. My brother, Cliff, who also drives racecars, will be my crew chief, and my dad, Charlie, will be spotting for me. I will also have fantastic PR support from Demi Knight Clark, and talented crew members in Devyn Sitler, Mike Herman, and the Spraker Racing team, who will be traveling with us.
RW: Of all the family/crew that is going with you, who was the most excited to learn they were going to be a part of this event?
TD: I think the two who were most excited were my dad and Demi. My dad was excited because he’s looking forward to watching me race in such a unique event. Demi has a very adventurous and outgoing personality so she is looking forward to the experience as a whole, plus she sees the potential for us to bring a larger meaning to the event by participating in humanitarian projects while we are there.
RW: This looks to be a very nice 1.5-mile track. What do you expect? What was your opinion of the track? Do you see any challenges?
TD: I think I will be able to adjust to the track quickly because I have spent the majority of my racing career traveling to a variety of different tracks and racing against seasoned veterans. I am ready for the challenges that the Phakisa circuit will present, especially after traveling regionally this year and racing at the notoriously tough Dover and New Hampshire. The race is going to be very competitive. There are a lot of talented drivers entered in the race, including my teammate and car owner Marc Davis, and we will also be joined by several experienced veterans. I expect a lot of tight, door-to-door racing. From the videos I found online, the 1.5-mile D-shaped oval should provide for great action, as it looks to be fairly smooth with a wide racing surface that will promote side-by-side multi-groove racing.
RW: Can you share with us your excitement, fears, and hopes with regards to this race?
TD: I look forward to representing the USA in the first stock car motorsports race in South Africa, being able to inspire South Africa fans – especially the women and young girls. It sends a great message to dream big & believe in their ability to achieve those dreams. I hope to have a very successful race and to be able to compete for the win! As far as fear goes, the only thing I’m worried about is whether we forgot to put anything we need for the race in our container with the car and pit equipment. We won’t exactly be able to run to the parts trailer if we need anything!
RW: Being that there are live pit stops for this race, have you and the team been doing anything special in preparation for the race, such as pit stop practice?
TD: Both Marc and I have raced in series with live pit stops, and the Spraker Racing team participates in series with live pit stops as well, so I think we will be prepared. Of course we would have loved to be able to fit in extra practice, but we finished preparing the cars just in time to ship them to South Africa several weeks ago, so we haven’t had the ability to practice with them.
RW: Will you be carrying any good luck piece with you for this race?
TD: Snow the Racehorse!! Snow, the official mascot for the children’s book series, is coming with us on the trip to South Africa, and I know she will bring us good luck. Snow’s number is #19, just like my racecar, so that has to be a good sign!
RW: Long ride to Africa! What will you be doing on the plane for those 19+ hours?
TD: I hope I will be able to sleep on the plane during part of the flight. I’m also going to be bringing lots of reading material – South Africa travel books, racing magazines, plus regular novels. I’ll have my laptop with me as well in case I can get some work done. I’ve also heard that it’s very important to stay hydrated on long flights, so I will be drinking plenty of water.
RW: Do you plan on doing anything in Africa besides racing? If so what do you have planned?
TD: My team and I are hoping to able to contribute to a humanitarian project or a school visit with the kids while we’re there. We are still working to pick the right opportunity and get something set up. As a team, it’s really important to us that we take advantage of every chance we have to contribute time to something positive and inspire young people!
RW: Does your job as an engineer help with your driving career?
TD: My engineering background has proved very useful in my driving career, giving me a solid foundation so I could fully utilize my driving skills. Graduating magna cum laude from UNC Charlotte's Motorsports Engineering program and working as an engineer for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates has helped grow my knowledge of the race car, which is particularly useful when diagnosing handling issues on the racetrack, suggesting changes to the setup, and communicating with the crew.
RW: What are your hopes/plans for the future as far as your racing career goes?
TD: After the ASA race in South Africa, I will be looking at opportunities to race in the NASCAR Camping World Series East, Camping World Truck Series, Nationwide Series, and the ARCA Series in 2010, and would welcome support for next season.
My goal is to be a NASCAR Sprint Cup winner and champion, and to be respected on the track and off for being a tough competitor, a good person, and a role model.
RW: How will this race benefit your career?
TD: This race will be a huge opportunity for me to get seat-time on a mile-and-a-half track, contribute to a useful humanitarian project, and experience a new country and culture. The exposure from this race is helping all of the drivers gain new fans, add value for our sponsors, and become ambassadors for our sport.
RW: If you have dinner with and pick the brain of someone involved in motorsports, who would that be? What would you be discussing?
TD: This is a tough question because I can think of so many interesting people I would love to talk to. I think it would be really interesting to have a discussion with Junior Johnson. I heard him speak at the marketing seminar for the NASCAR Touring Series awards banquet this year, and he was one of the best speakers I’ve ever listened to. I knew he was a great driver and team owner, but his knack for the business and marketing side of the sport really impressed me. He may be one of the most well-rounded racers of all-time, and it would be great to have a chance to pick his brain on a variety of racing topics.
RW: How do you plan to keep the boys behind you during the race?
TD: I think the key to this race isn’t going to be about keeping the field behind me all race, but to stay near the front and try to be there to race for the win at the end. It’s going to be a combination of a good setup, good adjustments, tire management, endurance, and solid pit stops.
RW: Do you ever feel uncomfortable when people refer to you as being “hot” ? How do you balance that with little girls looking up to you as the wonderful role model that you are?
TD: I simply try to be gracious about accepting compliments, and keep my focus on racing and not get caught up in the rest. I’m lucky to have a platform for sending a positive message to young girls. Racing has provided me with an opportunity to share my story, and highlight the importance of education, self-confidence, being true to yourself, and working hard to achieve your dreams.
Specifically as a woman in racing, it has been important for me to take steady progressions and not push things. We have a lot to prove, but we have also been given an amazing opportunity to inspire generations of women (and men!) If you stick to your dreams, never give up, and always approach every challenge with grace, respect & dignity - you will succeed with the right attitude.
RW: A little unrelated, but still would love to know what you do when you aren’t racing!
TD: Racing occupies the majority of my time. Between working for the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates NASCAR Sprint Cup team as an engineer during the week, and racing on the weekends, the majority of my “spare” time is spent working on my driving career and training to stay in shape. I also love playing sports, and I play on a recreational volleyball and flag football team with my brother and our friends. If I do have any free time, some of my favorite hobbies are gokarting, snowboarding, dirtbiking, wakeboarding, skydiving, and spending time outside, especially by the water.
RW: How can fans follow you on Twitter? On Facebook?
TD: For more updates & recent news, check out www.tiffdaniels.com, or follow me on Twitter twitter.com/TiffDRacing and Facebook at facebook.com/TiffDanielsRacing.
