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Justin Starling came into Daytona looking to get back into the top 15 after finishing the first round at atlanta in 16th. He began the day with an average qualifying effort in 22nd but new the track would change drastically from practice to the night show
so he knew that would level the playing field come race time.
The way the start was laid out in Daytona made gate pick extra crucial because the inside gates were clearly quicker and led to a smoother transition into the second turn. And with the 22nd fastest time in practice, that meant Starling would not have the best gate pick and it would show in the heat race. He got off to a bad start and would not recover. He started 13th and would finish 13th. The track was tight and made passing difficult and Starling would learn that the hard way. The LCQ went slightly better as he would get out to an 8th place start. He immediately starts clawing his way up, riding aggressively and worked into 6th place on the final lap. Then he would get a little help from lady luck as Josh Bartosh would stall his bike while in 4th letting Starling slide into 5th. Once into 5th, Starling would charge and make his way by Daniel Herrlein with half a lap to go and grab that final transfer and a ticket to the main.
Making the main had to feel extra special for the Florida native Starling because he would be racing in front of his friends and family. But he knows he shouldn’t be that close to missing the main and he looked to salvage his night come race time. But un- fortunately Starling would suffer from another bad start and early problems would end his night prematurely. He officially finished 21st, a very disappointing night but he will be looking to bounce back quickly next weekend in Toronto.
words/SETHHARNISHFEGER
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