FT. LAUDERDALE, FL :: Dalton Sargeant hopes his experience throughout the season will allow him to excel in Sunday’s Snowball Derby.
Sargeant, 16, will be racing for Richie Wauters, the same team he competed in the Winchester 400 with where he had a top-five performance going for much of the day before a late race incident relegated him to a 16th place finish. The performance at Winchester gives Sargeant reason to believe he can go to Five Flags Speedway and contend for the victory.
“We did a really good job at Winchester running with the best guys,” Sargeant said. “The only guy missing was Chase Elliott. We showed some speed there and competed with them. We’re looking to do the same if not improve. As a driver, I think I’ve improved from the Winchester 400 and coming to the Derby with a positive outlook on things and I’m excited about the weekend.”
Sargeant expects to be competitive every single time he races. This weekend’s race is no different.
“Looking at just the testing, the test went really well. We’re super-fast overall. Going in to the Snowball Derby, I think we’re looking to compete in the front with the top guys and I think we’ll show good pace and contend for the win again like we did at Winchester.”
Sargeant knows the history and the prestige that comes with being a winner in the Snowball Derby. If he were to win the race, it would undoubtedly be the biggest win of his career to-date.
“It would be the biggest win of my life. Just going out there and beating guys like Erik Jpnes and Chase Elliott would be truly exceptional. There’s also Augie Grill, Bubba Pollard and all the other guys that will be running it.”
Sargeant has been running in both Late Model Stock Cars and Super Late Models throughout the season. He scored his first career Late Model Stock Car victory at Orange County Speedway back in October. He says that running both cars and having to travel and adapt to different cars and different tracks allows him to progress as a driver.
“I think traveling to different tracks helps me and gaining experience and adapting to track conditions but you look at the guys who will be in front and they travel. The best drivers race at several different tracks. It’s going to be a tough race but we’re going to compete with them as well.”
With Super Late Model racing’s right around the corner, it’s time for Sargeant to put his plan in to motion if he’s going to be the one hoisting the Tom Dawson trophy at the end of Sunday’s 300-lap event.
“All year, we’ve shown we can run up front and contend and my name always pops up in the discussion. Hopefully we don’t have too many difficulties over the weekend and I’m looking forward to everything and hopefully we’ll be standing in victory lane at the end of the day.”
