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Daniel was a sweet and compassionate man. He was known for working on trucks, for his natural talent and his skills that grew larger than he could imagine. He was the kind of person that finished whatever he started and felt proud afterward. Daniel always had a desire to be helpful and share his knowledge.<\/p>\n
It all started when Daniel was a young boy. He tinkered with bicycles and anything he could take apart and put back together.\u00a0He loved doing that kind of stuff. As he grew older, he\u00a0became interested in motorcycles and cars, so he tinkered\u00a0with those as well.<\/p>\n
One day, as a young adult, he went to a truck pull and loved it. After that, he just had to have a truck of his own. He started going to truck pulls regularly and worked on his truck\u00a0and friends’ trucks.\u00a0 One thing led to another, and eventually he was mostly working on other people\u2019s trucks. He had a gift for it.<\/p>\n
Daniel was a self-taught mechanic. And he was amazing.\u00a0Then one day he decided\u00a0to start his own business: Toops Performance<\/em>. His family was so proud of him.\u00a0 Daniel\u2019s business grew at a rate he never imagined.\u00a0 He bought a house with 5 acres and a barn, but quickly found out it wasn\u2019t going to be big enough for his business.<\/p>\n Daniel contacted an Amish builder to create a new building for him. The owner of the company knew about Daniel and, with a deal built on a handshake, told Daniel he would construct him a building.\u00a0Nothing was put in writing. The builder simply said, \u201cWe will get together soon about the money part.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOne day when I was mowing his yard for him,\u201d Daniel\u2019s mother, Alison,\u00a0remembers, \u201che said to me \u2018Mom can you believe I have my own business and I’m doing so well?\u2019 He said, \u2018I can\u2019t keep up!\u2019\u00a0He was smiling from ear to ear! I told him yes, I can believe it, that\u2019s what happens when you don\u2019t give up on your dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n The year before his crash, Daniel was interviewed by Diesel World<\/em> magazine.\u00a0The article was about Daniel being a self-taught mechanic and how he built a truck from the frame up, to become one of the best pulling trucks in the circuit.<\/p>\n A well-known company in Indianapolis, Fleece Performance, <\/em>asked Daniel to come and work for them. They knew how special Daniel was and how much he knew about the performance aspect of\u00a0 diesel trucks.\u00a0But Daniel chose to stay in London, Ohio, and continue to build his business\u00a0near his\u00a0family.<\/p>\n Daniel\u00a0was living his dream building motors, working on vehicles and participating in truck pulls and dirt drags.\u00a0He loved everything about it and was so proud of what he\u2019d accomplished.<\/p>\n The day before Thanksgiving 2013, Daniel had been working all day and decided to meet some friends at a local bar and grill between 11 p.m. and midnight.\u00a0There was a band playing and it was a busy night — Thanksgiving Eve.<\/p>\n Daniel and a group of friends decided to leave the restaurant and drive to another venue in\u00a0Columbus.\u00a0The driver of the pickup was supposed to be the designated driver for the night.\u00a0He was driving, but he was not sober. In fact, his blood alcohol concentration was way over the limit.<\/p>\n Usually Daniel would drive his own vehicle because he was not a heavy drinker.\u00a0His family doesn\u2019t know why he didn\u2019t drive that night. They just wish he had.<\/p>\n“Daniel knew so much it was ridiculous!”<\/h4>\n
A Great Life Cut Short<\/h3>\n
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