By ohnson 
Garrett Stewart from Leesburg, Florida, achieved a fifth-place finish in the 20-lap main event at Volusia Speedway Park on Wednesday night. This was the second show of the week for the UMP Modifieds. After his remarkable accomplishment, he leaped out of his car and joyfully embraced his father for an extended minute. It truly was a moment of great significance. Stewart remarked, “This is just like a win for us. We race locally, and it’s like our own Super Bowl.”
The night prior, his expectations were dashed as he found himself significantly down in the point standings following the first feature. He said, “We qualified eighth out of nine, and we tried various things.” However, that very night, he won his heat race and also finished a strong fifth in a field filled with talented drivers. As he drew for one of the top six starting positions, the announcer announced that it was his first heat race win at the Nationals in seven years. Stewart explained that he had high hopes for the event and noted, “This is my home track, and to put a local car in the top five against this esteemed field is truly exciting. We are a family team, and this finish holds special meaning. Standing ahead of him at the finish line were Nick Hoffman, David Stremme, Brian Ruhlman, and Kenny Wallace. Stewart said, “Hoffman, Stremme, and Ruhlman build chassis’ as their livelihood, and Kenny likely had a great deal of assistance. They are essentially factory teams, while we are just a local team made up of me, my dad, my girlfriend, and a few others.”
Stewart is one of the top regular drivers at the weekly shows at Volusia. On this particular night, he celebrated alongside the stars of his class. This place holds a special place in Garrett Stewart’s heart, and he remarked, “I prefer to pit in the infield rather than out back near the gator pond. This is where I race, and it feels amazing tonight.”