STAFFORD – A week ago at Stafford Speedway Chris Danielczuk finished fifth in the Street Stock division feature. It marked his first career top-five finish after 94 career starts in the division.
Friday at Stafford, Danielczuk lined up in fourth for a green-white-checkered restart. The Goshen driver was simply excited to be in a spot to possibly score consecutive top-five runs.
He accomplished that feat of getting back-to-back top-five finishes, but that feat came along with something much bigger.
Danielczuk came out on top of a wild final lap to win the 20-lap Street Stock feature Friday at Stafford.
“Today is my mother’s birthday,” Danielczuk said. “I told her I’d do something special. This is beyond belief.
“… It’s totally amazing. It still hasn’t sunk in yet what just happened. When it does it’s going to be crazier.”
Ryan Waterman of Danielson was second and Marvin Minkler of Stratford third.
Danielczuk drives for the Rent-A-Racecar team. For a high school graduation present, Danielczuk got to drive a Rent-A-Racecar ride at Stafford in 2009. In 2017 Danielczuk reconnected with the Rent-A-Racecar team to run five events. He’s run full-time for the team since the 2018 season.
A late caution set up a green-white-checkered for the feature with the division’s two top drivers up front with Travis Hydar leading and Waterman in second. Bert Ouellette was third and Danielczuk fourth.
Waterman edged ahead of Hydar initially on the restart, but Hydar fought back on the backstretch and the pair came to the white flag side-by-side with Hydar holding a slight lead.
Going into turn three Ouellette got under Waterman and onto Hydar’s bumper. Hydar got up the track in turn two with Ouellette sliding into the lane under him coming onto the backstretch. Off the corner Ouellette made contact with the left rear of Hydar, sending him spinning out of the lead. Danielczuk, in the low lane off the corner, avoiding the spinning car of Hydar and went to the front.
“I never would have expected it,” Danielczuk said. “That was such a crazy finish. I was like ‘Ok, we’re in fourth and I’m going to start on the outside lane. … My car was pretty good. … I got low and they swept up. I was able to miss [Hydar] spinning.”
Ouellette was third at the checkered flag but was penalized for the incident, moving Minkler to third.
Congratulations on an epic win!
There was nothing fair about that ending. Ouellette causes the mess and ends up not much worse of then Hydar who deserved to be contending for the win. Danielczuk isn’t remotely in the same class as the leaders and his appearance in the top 5 only the second time in over 80 starts and reason alone to celebrate.
But racing isn’t fair. This part of the reason we love the sport where the inconceivable is possible. And his joy in victory lane as epic as as the win.
Becoming a big Waterman fan. He’s the master of under statement with ice water in his veins. Had every reason to lay into Ouellette but simply says he must have really wanted the win or something to that effect.
Doug take a look at the video on the Stafford Facebook page, looks to me like Waterman got into the Berts right rear, causing the 84 to take out Hydar
Yup I’d seen it and can see why you would come to that conclusion. I went over it a number of times. Take a look at it again. Danielczuk on Ouellette’s left rear so if there’s contact you’re going to see the 84 back end moving which does not appear to be the case. The 94 looks solid staying low. Ouellette looks pretty square as well as he drifts into Hydar’s rear. Then there is Waterman’s comments in victory lane suggesting Bert was the aggressor and he had a front row seat…so to speak.
That said it’s in the eye’s of the beholder……close racing.