Chip Ganassi Racing honoring XFINITY Series hauler driver at Daytona

The Fourth of July means a lot to Dan Collins, the No. 42 XFINITY Series hauler driver for Chip Ganassi Racing. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Collins was an aircraft mechanic crew chief from 1990-1996 in the 121st Air Refueling Wing. Patriotism in the Collins family runs deep, and service was a way of giving back to a country that provided them with opportunity. At Daytona International Speedway this weekend, NASCAR will recognize the United States Armed Forces during the XFINITY Series race with its NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola campaign. The No. 42 team of Tyler Reddick has chosen to put Collins' name on the windshield for the Coca-Cola Firecracker 250 (Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). It is a gesture that brings Collins plenty of pride. “I’d been around that my whole life growing up and once I graduated high school, (I went) into the same unit as my dad and worked with him for about three years before he passed away,” Collins said. “Pride because it had been my life up until I got out in 1996 and got into racing.” [caption id="attachment_15538" align="alignleft" width="300"] Dan Collins (lower left) with his unit (photo courtesy of Chip Ganassi Racing)[/caption] The youngest of five, Collins going into the Air Force wasn’t surprising. Both of his older brothers served, one also in the Air Force and one as an officer in the Navy. His father, Master Sgt. John Collins, put in more than 40 years. Collins’ role was very much like his current one for Ganassi, with responsibility for the organization and presentation of his vehicle. Instead of a hauler, though, it was an airplane. Maintaining the aircraft, prepping it for flight, keeping it fueled in addition to any inspections and other maintenance. “After I got back from basic training I got to my unit and the first plane I signed off on, that I did the whole pre-flight inspection, saying this plane is 100 percent ready to fly, my dad was flying,” Collins recalled. “I see him getting out of the crew van to come into the plane and I’m like, ‘Oh great, crew’s here and my dad’s flying on it.’ “At 19 years old, I had a big wakeup call that everything I do regarding this plane has lives on the line. After that you take a little bit more time and attention to detail because if something goes wrong with that plane, I’m responsible for it.” Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, Collins was as familiar with race cars as he was the Armed Forces. Around the house it was common for him and one of his brothers to race to the television, because whoever got the remote picked what they watched. Collins always turned to motorsports. But content to follow his father’s footsteps, racing only came to the forefront of his life when hearing in one of his college classes that an open wheel team was expanding. Hired to help out, Collins then spent six years in the series before making a change in 2002. “NASCAR looked a lot stronger at the time than IndyCar did,” Collins said. “I didn’t have anything to lose and I remember one thing my dad always said was, ‘Live your life to the fullest and have no regrets.’ “I had the opportunity to go to North Carolina and ended up getting hired by Petty Enterprises.” When Harry Scott and Chip Ganassi joined forces in the XFINITY Series in 2014, Collins blended into the Ganassi group. Previously he worked with some other high-profile teams, such as JR Motorsports, Roush Fenway Racing and Team Penske. [caption id="attachment_15540" align="alignright" width="200"] Dan Collins (photo courtesy of Chip Ganassi Racing)[/caption] Collins has both an XFINITY Series and Monster Energy Series championship on his resume. Both came while working with Brad Keselowski at Penske. “That was an awesome feeling to be able to accomplish both of those,” Collins said. “Here at Ganassi, we’re trying to get an owner’s championship (in XFINITY) and, hopefully, Kyle (Larson) can do the Cup deal and we get them both. It would be a big feat. “Roger Penske’s first stock car championship, I was there for that and now I’m here at Ganassi and could be in the same position.” A win at Daytona would help both efforts. And since there can only be one winner, expect Collins to root for the car with a windshield he can call his own. “I think they do a great job at it,” Collins said of NASCAR Salutes. “It’s a small section of what NASCAR is doing with ‘Salute the Troops’, but it’s really salute the troops all year long from Daytona to Homestead. “They do a good job of recognizing (military members) in and out of uniform. Prior service. And those who have sacrificed.” [gallery_content baseUrl="https://www.nascar.com" galleryID="1145"]