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From Daytona Beach to Hendrick Motorsports, the NASCAR dream continues

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At first my 12 year old daughter was against it.

But it was because of her that I knew we had to go.

Difficult, huh? That we have to practice what we preach?

And in this house I try to teach our little one just two simple values:

  1. You can be anything in this world as long as you’re not a bad driver.
  2. Never stop challenging yourself. Never stop trying new things. Never stop exploring new possibilities. Never stop missing an opportunity because of the fear of change. Never stop dreaming.

Never stop.

And so, even though the good Lord has blessed me with more than I could ever deserve, and even though this position I have been privileged to hold for almost two years is already a dream come true, I move on.

Effective Saturday, I will officially be stepping down as sports editor here at the Daytona Beach News-Journal as my family and I prepare for our second big move. We’re headed to Concord, North Carolina, where I’ll be joining the Hendrick Motorsports team.

NASCAR, newspapers and Daytona Beach are all in my blood. They brought me here, where the promise of covering the biggest, coolest race and racetrack was far too much to pass up. And as a bonus, the biggest, coolest rock festival of them all!

The opportunity to join the biggest, toughest NASCAR organization in the world, an organization that is looking to win its 15th Cup Series championship in the last 30 years, is calling my name. This passion of mine began when I was 9 years old, watching Jeff Gordon hold off the field in the first Brickyard 400.

Now we will be working for the same company.

It’s surreal.

But the change also marks the end of a 16-year full-time newspaper career that began in 2008 when I answered the phones and tallied the scores on the front desk of what was then the Charleston Gazette in West Virginia.

I have so much respect for the men and women who keep this industry going. It’s almost certain that if you know someone who works for a newspaper, they are passionate about their career. There’s just not much reason to do it any other way. Find me another job with that success rate.

And for 16 years I have loved my job. It is what I dreamed of doing long before that.

Buried somewhere in my mom and dad’s storage building in WV is a “career day” worksheet I filled out in 7th grade where I listed my career goal as being a sportswriter in Daytona Beach. We vacationed there every summer, I loved it then and I love it now.

If I had worked here for the rest of my days until I retired, it would have been more than I could ever have imagined.

But that brings me back to that little girl, who is becoming a little lady far too fast, I dare say. I hope she will always keep dreaming.

The good news? You’re in good hands.

Chris Boyle is about to ramp up his coverage of UCF, a program and team that I believe will be a national powerhouse over the next five years. With Oklahoma and Texas gone, with the recruiting hotbed the Knights have in their backyard, and with the program’s history of exceeding expectations well ahead of schedule, it’s a perfect storm. Chris brings that journey straight to your screens and homes.

Chris Vinel continues to be one of the most promising young journalists I have ever known and he is destined for great things as long as he chooses to stay in this industry. Over the past two years, and especially lately, he has uncovered some remarkable stories on the high school front in the region and he will only continue to grow and get better. I can’t wait to see what this career holds for him.

Oh, and don’t tell him I told you this, but you’ve been lucky enough to have Ken Willis in your life for the last forty years. I’ve learned as much from him in the last two years as I’ve learned from anyone in my career. He’s my favorite columnist. He’s the GOAT.

As is common in newspapers since the COVID-19 pandemic, we often work remotely from home. I didn’t get to know many people here, but these three guys were my colleagues, my golfing partners, and who I called when I just needed a beer and a chat.

They are my friends. I will miss them.

But as for me, well, it looks like this path is taking another sharp turn. From Country Roads to Tobacco Road via A1A, I’ll keep watching what lies ahead and one day it will be a great journey to reflect on.

I just want to thank you for reading, following and supporting the hard work of this staff, this newspaper and the entire USA Today Florida Network. There are some great people here and great work being done, please continue to support local journalism. It is vital.

Oh, and I’ll be back. I’ve never been able to stay away from here for long.

Daytona Beach, you are a dream come true.

I hope you never stop dreaming.