Nascar Race Today

NASCAR driver Daniel Andrews stops for a photo inside the UPS Store along Grand Avenue on Thursday afternoon. Andrews is scheduled to race in this year's NASCAR Nationwide Series starting next month. JEREMY MARTIN/Boomerang photographer

It might be impossible to explain to the uninitiated what it's like to drive a race car."It's really hard to define the experience. The only way to really understand it is to experience it," said Daniel Andrews of Laramie. "You'll be right next to another car, by a margin of inches, going 200 mph. One false move and you'll end it all; you're right on the edge. And that's what makes or breaks drivers, whether they can handle it."Andrews recently qualified to be the NASCAR driver for the California-based Eclipse Racing team. He will drive in NASCAR's Nationwide Series, which kicks off next month and features races on tracks across the country. He said he'll be the first driver ever from Wyoming to compete in the series."To even think of getting onto the big tracks in the Nationwide Series seemed impossible," Andrews said, but he managed to earn enough qualifying points on smaller tracks, such as the Colorado National Speedway in Dacono, Colo.Andrews, 35, is the son of Connie and Larry Andrews, who own the UPS store in Laramie. Racing runs in the family; Daniel Andrews said he learned to drive at about age 7, and started racing at 12. He grew up in Casper and Cody, and has lived in Laramie for about five years. In addition to his love of driving, he also developed a passion for mechanics, and often helped work on race cars."On the NASCAR team, it's going to be strange for me having just the role of the driver. Other team members will take care of the mechanics," he said.Andrews served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1997-2002, and his duties included working as a mechanic on Harrier jets. He said military service, particularly while deployed overseas, gave him a sense of discipline and keen situational awareness that translates well into racing.He also enjoys the competition."It's sort of like playing 'king of the hill' when you're a kid," he said. "If you're in first place, you've got 30 other guys behind you who want to be in your place."The car he'll be driving is a Toyota. Though that's not a brand that might immediately spring to mind when thinking of an all-American racing sport, Andrews said Toyota is popular among NASCAR teams. Regardless of brand, all NASCAR racecars must be built to a strict set of specifications, to ensure fair competition.The cars typically have five-speed transmissions and eight-cylinder, 340-cubic-inch engines that put out about 750 horsepower on specialized racing fuel, Edwards said.NASCAR provides the fuel, but teams are responsible for all other expenses, including travel costs for the team members and equipment. The expenses can run from $300,000-$500,000 per race.Prize money for winning or placing high in a race makes up some of the difference, but racing teams rely heavily on sponsorships to cover their costs, Andrews said. He hopes some Wyoming companies might be willing to pitch in, to get behind a driver from the Cowboy State.NASCAR racing also includes the more prestigious Sprint Cup Series, which Andrews said has never seen a driver from Wyoming. He hopes to change that."My goal is to race in the Sprint Cup Series," he said. "It's sort of like the difference between minor league and major league baseball."While Nationwide Series drivers may not participate in Sprint Cup races, Sprint Cup drivers sometimes join Nationwide Series races. Some race fans criticize that as being unfair, Andrews said. He sees it as an opportunity."It's something more for me to drive for. It will give me a push to drive harder and faster," he said.

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