short track
STARS
Photo: Brad Plant
Ewing, Illinois
DANIEL ROBINSON · MORE THAN A MOMENT By Bill Blumer Jr.
IT TOOK A DECADE and a half before Daniel Robinson became a household name in midget racing circles. His method for gaining that status, “The Bird Heard Around the World,” as it’s come to be known, probably wasn’t what he had in mind. When he passed Sammy Swindell during a 2021 Chili Bowl Preliminary Night race, Robinson put his arm out the driver’s right side and showed his elder who was number one. Thousands of people, most watching on TV from their living rooms due to the pandemic, witnessed it live. The moment was big enough to dominate racing conversations for a spell and produce a commemorative T-shirt. However, just using this instance to define Robinson would be selling him short. He’s worked hard to become a respected midget pilot and was busy doing positive things for other racers, prior to his few minutes of fame. He is one of those active racers from a fading era who doesn’t have to buy rides or worry about his image like the kids of today do. For this he is grateful and it’s why he gives back to the sport he loves. Robinson hails from Ewing, Illinois and figures he’s been racing for 30 of his 36 years on earth, including his karting
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and micro days. It’s been his dream to work his way up the ranks of open wheel racing. In the micro years, his class often raced in support of the midgets. He admired the skill of drivers like Mike Hess, Steve Knepper and the Camfields, while running MARA and POWRi events in the Midwest. He got his break in 2007 after a championship micro year, when Stephanie and Jerry Meents rewarded him with a couple of nights in their midget late in the season. On his first night, with 50 midgets checked in at Belle-Claire Speedway in Belleville, Illinois, Robinson won the B-Main and worked his way up to eighth in the feature before flipping. He followed that “Little Belleville” run with a twelfth-place finish at Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, Illinois. He’s been a hired driver ever since. He’s best known for piloting the black #37s of AJ Felker and the #57 cars of Bill Ecker, who he has with since 2011. “We met at a POWRi race at Jacksonville Speedway in Illinois,” Ecker recalled, “I watched him racing someone else’s car and could tell he’d be good. He was a little out of control, but fast, and I was alright with that.”
DIRT EMPIRE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 04 - 2021
It wasn’t until the next season that Ecker asked Robinson to be his full-time driver. The two campaigned primarily with the Badger Midget Auto Racing Association, winning at Ecker’s hometown track of Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, and nearby Beaver Dam Raceway. It was Ecker’s car that Robinson drove at this year’s Chili Bowl. Due to restrictions and the virus, Ecker didn’t even make the haul to Tulsa - he just told Robinson to come get the car. Ecker lists Robinson as one of his favorite drivers, out of the 20 or more that have piloted his cars over the last 30-plus years. “He doesn’t tear up a lot
