Like most youngsters, Danny O’Quinn Jr. was automatically attracted to his daddy’s toys when he was a little boy.

After spending a lot of time pretending to drive his father’s old go-kart, his family finally decided it was time for him to have a go-kart of his own.

From the ages of seven to 13, he raced his go-kart and racked up over 100 victories and multiple championships before advancing to Late Models. In only his second year in full-size cars, O’Quinn was named Rookie of the Year and the Lonesome Pine Track Champion.

Then he moved up to the UARA touring series and won three races in only his first year, running a limited schedule. The following year he ran the full season and earned the series championship.

From there it was on to Hooters Pro Cup. He was the youngest driver in the series to win a race at the age of 19.

In 2004 O’Quinn was invited to participate in Roush Racing’s Race for the Ride competition in which he made it to the finals and earned support from Roush in Hooters Pro Cup and the ARCA Racing Series. Shortly thereafter he was invited to Roush’s Driver X competition which he won and was given a full-time ride in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

In his first year competing in NASCAR, he earned one top-5 finish, five top-10’s and was named Rookie of the Year. Over the next few years O’Quinn ran part-time in NASCAR’s number two series and also made two starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series earning one top-10 finish.

2009 saw him back in the Nationwide Series full-time. He ran the No. 01 for JD Motorsports until he left the team in August. By year’s end O’Quinn was sitting 19th in the overall point standings.

No matter where he ends up in 2010, O’Quinn can be assured by his past performances that he is a successful driver and that he deserves a ride in NASCAR.

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