Daytona day 3: Race 2, fight to the end.

I apologize for the late entry, but last week and weekend was quite busy during breakdown. I also needed to adjust travel plans due to the ice storm. The week for Saito Motorsports and Marcello ended with highs and lows, but with momentum moving towards St. Pete's at the end of February. Friday morning was sunny and with his fastest time and another team receiving a penalty, he was starting front row.

Looking at the starting grid and the fact that it is Daytona International Speedway, the preferred spot was actually third. It was not beneficial to be up front, and being in the second spot on the outside was not really a benefit. At green flag, moving down behind the leader was crucial. He was successful making the move to the lower line. Through the race he ran with the lead pack and even with a lack of power, his braking and battling in traffic kept him fast. On the banking he had some struggles but made up for it in the infield section.

Through the race he had help from other drivers to keep him up with the leaders, and cautions kept everyone bunched up. Marcello continued to put up fast times and put himself in a great position in the late laps. As the final minutes were counting down, there was a spin and possible caution coming. Marcello made the move to take the lead, thinking caution was coming. However, it never came out and as they moved through the infield he was in the middle line of the track. The train of cars behind him made a move to the inside as they approached the entry to the banking. Marcello's move to get back into the inside line was late and he made impact with the lead car sending him into the tires. He kept it moving but fell into the mid-twenties for the finish.

Looking at the week and the frantic pace of issues and learning the track, there were a lot of positives that developed. Marcello's quick ability to learn the track and adapt to situations showed itself in many ways. Fans are paying attention to him, and drivers and teams are seeing how much potential he has. I overheard a few drivers talk about how fast he is and the potential he has moving forward.

The teams crew also performed in an incredible way. Changing out the oil filter housing, making sure the engine was still good, changing out the differential and the pump for it, all in two days and fighting for the lead in race two. That's impressive to me and I'm proud of the guys for what they did. St. Petersburgh is next at the end of February, and Saito Motorsports, Marcello Paniccia and AMPD Novels will be ready. If you want to be a sponsor with Saito, contact me directly. Never give up and keep on fighting forward.