PETERSEN MEDIA- The 2019 season opening event will be long remembered by Daryn Pittman and the Roth Motorsports team. Kicking their tenure off together during the DIRTCar Nationals, Pittman would pick up two World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series wins, a second place finish, and a third place finish during four nights of action en route to claiming his third career DIRTCar Nationals triumph and first ever for Roth Motorsports.
“It was an ‘okay’ week,” Daryn Pittman joked. “In all seriousness, it went way better than we could have dreamed or scripted, and I am hopeful that we can keep it going moving forward.”
The first two nights of the 48th Annual DirtCar Nationals would be ran under Ollies Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions sanction, and Pittman would flex his muscle during both nights of action. Qualifying fourth in his group on Wednesday night, the Owasso, OK driver would win his heat race and make his way into the Dash where he would also pick up the win.
Jumping into the early lead, Pittman would look to make his first night in the Roth Enterprises/Jason, Tara, & Cole Roth Cattle Co./HR Livestock backed No. 83 a memorable one as he flirted with the feature event win, but a late race move by Shane Stewart would put him second at the line.
Timing in fastest overall in time trials on Thursday night, the Roth Motorsports team would continue to garner attention as Pittman would charge from his fourth starting position to finish second in his heat. Moving into the Dash, Pittman would again grab the win and find himself on the front row of the feature event.
Battling with the likes of Brad Sweet and Logan Schuchart, Pittman lead laps again on this night, but Brad Sweet would get past him to take over the top spot. Battling with Schuchart in the waning laps, Pittman would land on his second consecutive podium by way of a third place finish.
Friday night brought on World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series action, in a sense the 2019 season would officially get started on this night with the team committed to the series for the season ahead.
Just as he had done in the two previous nights of action, Pittman laid down a great lap in qualifying time trials as he timed in second fastest in qualifications, and qualified for the Dirt Vision Fast Pass Dash by way of a second place finish in his heat race.
Finishing third in the Dash, Pittman would put the Roth Motorsports entry in the second row for the 30-lap feature event. On an immaculately prepared racing surface, Pittman would find himself in a torrid battle for second with fellow Okie, Christopher Bell, as the duo chased after leader, Shane Stewart.
Amidst a non-stop feature event, DP would clear bell for second on the 15th lap as he stayed committed to the bottom grove, the same groove Brad Sweet used to get by him just one night before.
With Stewart staying committed to the top, Pittman would make the bottom work as he closed in on the leader lap after lap. With just five laps to go, Pittman would pounce in traffic as he slipped underneath Stewart to grab the lead on lap 25 and never look back as he went on to grab the season opening feature event win with ‘The Greatest Show on Dirt’, his 82nd career score with the series.
Pittman and company checked into Saturday night’s event as marked men after a red-hot start to the week. Continuing to use his Speedway Engines power, the former series champion would again time in well as he ended up second fastest on the speed chart.
Powering to a heat race win, another third place run in the Dirt Vision Fast Pass Dash would again line Pittman up in the second row for the 30-lap feature event.
When the race came to life, Pittman would actually slip back to fourth as he searched around the Volusia Speedway Park racing surface. Racing with a ton of confidence, Pittman would make a couple of nice moves as he worked his way into second and began chasing after Christopher Bell.
Stalking Bell, Pittman would make a nice move out of turn for to take the lead on the 19th lap, only to see Bell answer and actually pull away and gap Pittman. Moving to the high side of the speedway, Pittman would again close in on Bell in the race’s waning laps and would bring the crowd to their feet when he got to Bell on the 25th lap.
Exchanging moves with Bell for a trio of laps, Pittman would grab the lead for good on the 28th marker and race his way to his second win of the week, and his 83rd career win overall with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.
Sitting out front in the weeklong Gator Championship point standings, Pittman would be crowned the DIRTCar Nationals Champion once Sunday night’s program was cancelled due to rain capping a memorable week of racing.
“After the first two nights, I knew we had a fast car and that is a testament to Brent, Cori, and Fud,” Pittman added. “It was a great start to our World of Outlaws season, and I have to thank Dennis and Teresa Roth for giving me a shot, and all of the people who back this team.”
The Roth Motorsports team would like to thank Roth Enterprises, Jason, Tara, Cole Roth Cattle Co., HR Livestock Transportation, Roth Investments, FK Rod Ends, Weld Wheels, Brown and Miller Racing Solutions, Kent Performance, Kaeding Performance, Smith Titanium, Wicked Cushion, and Team Simpson for their support in 2019.
BY THE NUMBERS: Starts: 4, Wins: 2, Top 5’s: 4, Top 10’s: 4
ON TAP: Daryn Pittman and Roth Motorsports return to action on February 22nd at Cotton Bowl Speedway, and February 23rd at LoneStar Speedway.
STAY CONNECTED: Stay connected with Roth Motorsports by checking out their website, www.rothmotorsports83.com, following along on Twitter and Instagram @RothMotorsports or by liking https://www.facebook.com/Roth-Motorsports-461528867251285/?ref=br_rs.
Keep up with Daryn Pittman by following him on Twitter @DarynPittman or by visiting his website, www.darynpittman.com.
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