COPPERAS COVE, Texas – The rigors of chasing the Big Daddy Race Cars Southern Region championship cost Damian Snyder some sleep during the IMCA point season.
The challenge of fatherhood has cost him some zzz’s since then.
Snyder, from Copperas Cove, Texas, was a model of consistency in capturing his career first Hobby Stock regional prize and Allstar Performance Texas State crown in 2017. He was a regular at both Heart O’ Texas Speedway and Abilene Speedway where he finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in the point standings.
“We had some success at the start of the year and made the decision to go ahead and chase regional and state points, racing Fridays at Heart O’ Texas and Saturday at Abilene,” he said. “We had a bunch of seconds and thirds before we finally got a win at Heart O’ Texas (on May 5). It’s hard to get wins when you’ve got so much going on in your life. You don’t have time to work on the car or get it just the way you want it.”
Snyder had been a regular in the grandstand before a single visit to the pit area convinced him that he needed to be racing. He bought a roller and built the motor that powered him to his first win in the class and the track championship at 281 Speedway in 2015.
He debuted a new Destroyer and ran part-time last year.
All those accomplishments took a back seat when Snyder and girlfriend Kellie Mozek became parents of their first child, son Landon, on Sept. 13.
“2017 was a fun, busy, definitely memorable year. Sometimes it was rough, sometimes it was hectic but everything came out pretty good,” he said. “Kellie has been my rock. I can’t begin to explain how important she’s been to me. She’s as big a part of this team as I am.”
Starts-31
Win-1
Additional Top Fives-12
HIS CREW: Girlfriend Kellie Mozek, Mike Igel and Andy Roller.
HIS SPONSORS: Heart O’ Texas Vapors of Copperas Cove; Catlett Tires of Temple; and Cedar Cove Speed of Belton.