Danny Lehmkuhl takes the checkered flag

CEDAR RAPIDS — Call it luck. Call it fate.

Call it an unforgettable day at the track for Danny Lehmkuhl.

Lehmkuhl, a driver in the Legend and Late Model classes at Hawkeye Downs Speedway, took the checkered flag in his Legend car during NASCAR’s Opening Day of the Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series last Sunday.

Not only was it Lehmkuhl’s first Opening Day victory at HD — it was the first win with a new member of his fan club in attendance.

“It’s always fun to win; that’s why we do it,” Lehmkuhl said. “It was especially good this time.”

Lehmkuhl’s daughter, who was due May 1, was born three weeks early.

Not even a month old, Mason Lehmkuhl joined mother Jaime and brother Brooks to celebrate with dad in Victory Lane.

“To have my daughter there and healthy, my wife there and healthy, with my 2-year-old boy standing at the fence cheering up and down … it was just really cool,” Lehmkuhl said. “My wife is an absolute trooper. Without her support through the tough times, it (the win) wouldn’t have happened.”

Lehmkuhl’s win also may not have happened without the sportsmanship of a close friend.

“I got fairly lucky,” Lehmkuhl said. “We were racing for the lead on a restart and Jeremiah (Davis) spun me out. He took the blame, did the ‘gentlemen’s rule’ and tapped the roof of his car, which basically handed me the lead.

“I can’t stress enough — that’s a gentleman’s rule.”

After the race, Davis drove to Victory Lane to congratulate Lehmkuhl.

“There are a few of us sponsored by Legends Direct, so we usually try to go down and support each other when one of us wins,” Lehmkuhl said. “He’s one of my best friends.”

In winning the feature, Lehmkuhl defeated a driver he’s admired for many years. His No. 20 car came in first in a nine-car field, just ahead of second-place finisher and HD Wall of Famer Kevin Korsmo.

“I remember watching him race when I was a kid, and I’m 36,” Lehmkuhl said. “I have a huge amount of respect for Kevin. Just being on the track with a guy like him, who’s already been inducted into the Wall of Fame and won more track championships than I have fingers … it means a lot.”

Lehmkuhl’s time at the track began in 2004. He served on Landon Cassill’s pit crew and later was Griffin McGrath’s spotter for “about 10 years.”

“Those two guys were some of my best friends,” Lehmkuhl said. “Eventually, as time went on and I could afford it, I bought a car. So I've been involved my whole life — just not always as a driver.”

Late in the 2019 racing season, Lehmkuhl purchased a Legends car and began racing. He’s been a full-time driver at HD since 2020.

Lehmkuhl didn’t have long to savor his Legends win before hopping into the Cassill Motors No. 17 car, owned by HD Race Director Brian Gibson, for the Late Model feature.

“I'm lucky to have the support of the Cassill family,” Lehmkuhl said. “They sponsor both cars and really help make this happen.”

Lehmkuhl finished fifth. Among his season goals is getting No. 17 into Victory Lane.

“I think that winning in a green No. 17 in the track’s 100th year, with all the effort Brian has put into the speedway and the car, that’d be extremely special,” Lehmkuhl said. “Late Models is the top division and when you’re winning a Late Model race, you’re beating the best of the best.”

Another goal for the 2025 season is a track championship. Though, with the newest addition to his fan club, he’ll do what’s realistic.

“That would be a pretty cool box to check,” Lehmkuhl said. “But I also have a family, a job and a life, and I'm not going to put that on hold to race on a Friday night. Still, most years I make it every week.”

Races were canceled last Friday due to weather concerns. Weekly racing resumes this Friday.