COPPER HILL, VA :: Matt Bowling is hoping to capitalize on his breakout 2012 season when he heads south to Daytona. After winning the track championship at South Boston Speedway and the biggest race of the season at Langley Speedway, Bowling is preparing to run the UNOH Battle at the Beach at the Daytona International Speedway.
“I think everything’s heading in the right direction and we’ll be good,” Bowling said. “I’m confident going there. Nobody knows how that deals going to pan out, we’ve got to hope we’re close there. I think the straight-rails have an advantage in a sense but I think NASCAR will do what they have to do to make them equal.
Bowling will be running his Late Model Stock Car, and he may have one of the best in the country helping his team. Lee Pulliam told RACE22.com that, if his ride is not ready in time for the UNOH Battle at the Beach, he will work with Bowling at Daytona. Bowling is coming off the heels of a breakout season where he scored his first career Late Model Stock Car victory and won in Langley Speedway’s biggest race, the Hampton Heat 200.
“I think Langley experience will help since the Daytona track is flat like Langley,” Bowling explained. “The guys that run down there will get a hold of it pretty quick but it’s also a braking deal like Martinsville too so it’ll be a lot about how good your brakes are.
“Nobody knows what to expect running with those guys (at Daytona) but I’m expecting to win. We want to win every time we race and I think we have a shot at it.”
The course at Daytona will consist of a temporary 4/10 mile course along the Daytona Superstretch.
Bowling’s 2013 plans will consist of running the full season at Motor Mile Speedway and, possibly, South Boston Speedway while also running several races at Southern National Motorsports Park. Bowling enters the 2013 season with momentum after his breakthrough 2012 season.
RACE22.com will continue to provide coverage leading up to the UNOH Battle at the Beach at Daytona, which will be run on February 18th, with driver interviews and preview stories. So, stick with RACE22.com, the Short Track Authority, as we continue to countdown to Daytona.
