Heartache on Valentine’s Day for Weber in ARCA Racing Opener at Daytona - Speedway Digest

The green flag waved Feb. 14 for the first ARCA Racing Series Presented By Menards race of the 2015 season, and for Karl Weber, it was a Valentine’s Day ending in heartache at Daytona International Speedway.

Weber, 18, also known as the “Flying Farmer,” finished 25th after starting 32nd in the Lucas Oil 200 Presented by AutoZone on the famous 2.5-mile, high-banked oval at Daytona. He finished all 80 laps in his Daytona debut.

But Weber and the Hixson Motorsports team were unable to find the combination to keep the No. 3 Silveus Financial Chevrolet drafting with the lead pack in the classic slipstreaming duels.

“We needed to stay with the guys up front so that you can draft,” Weber said. “We got tied up in traffic and got behind slower cars. The new Ilmor engine seems to be quite fast out there. I was hoping for a top-15 finish. But we did finish the race, and I’m thankful the team gave me such a durable car.”

The new group-qualifying format was debuted at Daytona and while it received mixed reviews Weber saw the positive impact it can have for smaller teams.

“Saturday was an interesting experience,” Weber said. “Getting used to the group qualifying was a challenge. But I can see how it helps the smaller teams by giving them a chance to be up front. Being able to draft in qualifying could help your starting position a lot. I think at this point I still prefer the old style because this can come with some unnecessary risk if you don’t have a backup car.”

Despite the tough finish, Weber enjoyed the opportunity to race on a superspeedway at world-famous Daytona.

“During driver introductions when I was walking across the stage, it all became a little more real,” Weber said. “I had a moment where it was like, ‘I’m starting to live the dream.’ This is what I want, and I enjoy being in this great series. I hadn’t been to Daytona since I raced go-karts there about 5 years ago. To come back and race on the oval was fantastic.”

“Regardless of the outcome, it was a great learning experience. Next time I think we’ll be able to take what we learned here and become more competitive. I’m just thankful for the support from Silveus Financial for supporting the car and having a team enabling me to finish the race.”

Racing at 185 mph before crowds of thousands of fans is a far cry from Weber’s daily life. If he isn’t in a race car, he’s in his John Deere 9430 tractor working on his 12,000-acre family farm in Ambia, Indiana. Balancing track time with time in the fields is part of his daily life. His dream job includes successfully taking over the family farm, which supplies Frito-Lay with a significant amount of grain, and racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

For future news and updates about the “Flying Farmer,” visit KarlWeberRacing.com and follow @KarlWeber50 on Twitter.

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Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.