DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 15, 2014) - Danny Eslick's return to the AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike class couldn't have been more spectacular. The native of Broken Arrow, OK, and a two-time series champ won pole and then outlasted the competition to take the 73rd Daytona 200. Eslick, aboard a Riders Discount Racing Triumph, won Triumph's first Daytona 200 since 1967 by 10.975 seconds.
"That was a lot of fun. That first stint was pretty incredible. We were knockdown, drag-out like it was a sprint race. Even after the pit stop, me and Dane (Westby) and (Jason) DiSalvo hooked up and that was a lot of fun. The last stint seemed like forever, but that was literally like the shortest 200 miles of my life."
Eslick's ride survived a serious challenge along the way, but "Slick" had cleared away by the end. One of the most spectacular riders in the field avoided the pitfalls of 200 miles at Daytona International Speedway. The last few laps were classic Danny histrionics like waving to the crowd, spurring his bike like a horse, and riding wheelies, even while he expanded his lead. Then Eslick topped it off with the longest victory lap ever, one that saw him stop to celebrate with fans in the infield.
"Hats off to the crew. (Crew chief) Richard Stanboli is the guy I worked with like ten years ago in my first year in the AMA. So in a big, roundabout way, this is payback for that first year," said Eslick. "It's awesome. I've gotten the pole before and, my very first 200, I got fourth. So there's been a lot of hard work and a lot of years passed by to get this victory. It really means a lot. There's been a lot going on at home, losing people close to me. This one is forTommy Aquino and some good friends from home. So it means a lot.
For Triumph, the British brand capitalized on their last chance to win Daytona for the immediate future with the Daytona 675. Next year, the class returns to the parlance of the SuperBike class. "It's been what? Since 1971 since they were on pole and (Gary) Nixon was the last one to win it," said Eslick. "That's pretty cool right there."
