Danny Sams III never crossed the checkers in Saturday’s rain-shortened Kubota High Limit Racing victory at Bridgeport Motorsports Park, but that wasn’t about to nullify his shining moment.

Though the 23-year-old didn’t capture his first national touring feature victory the way he envisioned — being the leader on Lap 10 of 30 when officials deemed the race official because of rain showers — the North Point, Fla., rookie gave himself permission to fully celebrate the special achievement.

“The Florida Man did it! We did it as a team, as a family … we just went out and beat everyone on the national stage. I don’t care if it’s rain-shortened. Someone had to be in the lead, right?” an Sams told High Limit pit reporter Tony LaPorta. “This is like, I can’t believe it. Thank the good Lord above, he’s the only reason why we’re ever even here. We’ve had so much hardship this year, just to do it, for (team owner) Rocky (Anderson) to be so committed … I can’t even comprehend it.”

It isn't the first time a nationally touring winner was declared before the halfway mark. In 2022, the World of Outlaws made Lance Dewease's Williams Grove National Open prelim victory official on Lap 10 of 25 because of weather.

Sams III’s upset victory isn’t quite on the Cinderella-like level of Travis Arenz when he stunned the High Limit regulars in June at 141 Speedway — Arenz entered his first national series event when he won that night; Sams has been a High Limit rookie all season. But Sams III’s victory had been totally unexpected, even from himself.

“I’m going to start crying because I never even pictured winning a race this year. And we pulled a two for the dash, and I’m like, a three would be a podium,” Sams III said. “The best I ever finished is seventh” on May 10 at Tri-City Speedway.

Sams did just finish 12th and eighth in last weekend’s 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway for his best all-around High Limit weekend to date, so clicking off more top-10 runs wasn’t out of the question. Then Sams, who started on the front row outside of pole-sitter Giovanni Scelzi, found himself racing for the lead from the outset of Saturday’s originally scheduled 30-lap feature.

“I blacked out on Lap 5 when I got to Gio,” Sams said, implying the magnitude of running down Scelzi, who led the opening seven laps, put him in a rather surreal position.

Sams actually “didn’t even know it was raining” shortly after making his eventual race-winning move around Scelzi in traffic — a bold, slingshot-esque maneuver around the top side while lapped cars pinned Scelzi to the bottom.

“I was lost. I was passing lapped cars and I was rippin’; caution comes out with only 10 laps in,” Sams said explaining his thought process when High Limit officials drew the caution flag for rainfall. “They’re like, take them off the backstretch, and I’m like, ‘What?’ Wipe my tear-off, and well, it was raining. Thats how much fun I was having out there. I could put my car anywhere. Dad had this thing on rocket ships.”

Sams III and his Randerson No. 24 team have put forth an inspirational effort this season as Sams’s crew literally consists of mother Tina and father Danny Jr. on the race-day crew and nobody else.

They’ve toughed it out on the road despite discouraging results — 23 of 44 events on the High Limit tour he’s finished worse than 20th or failed to qualify altogether — and always held onto that little bit of hope that a reward awaited them. Saturday was that.

“Doubt’s never crept into mind. Where we were sitting as a team financially, everything, we have great partners and stuff. But we’re a small team. And there was times where if we crashed, that was it,” Sams III said. “We wore some stuff out this year, and it was on nobody’s bingo card for us to get a win. But it was never a doubt in my mom’s mind or my dad’s mind or, Rocky’s or Dave’s. We knew we could do it. We’ve been here. We’ve shown speed. We just couldn’t put a night together, and we finally did it.

“Thank you for never giving up on me,” Sams said as a message to his parents. “They’ve done this since I was 5 years old. It’s coming up  of 18 years of straight racing. They’ve given me every option they possibly could. They’re getting older. Dad’s got a massage gun at night, putting Icy Hot on his heels. Mom’s taken a bunch of Tylenol, doing whatever it takes to make it happen. They’ve never gave up. To have some reward out of it is amazing.”

Sams III’s potential has never been in question. He was one of Sprint Car racing’s breakout drivers last year, reeling off three Ohio Speedweek victories in a five-day span as part of a seven-victory season in his first full-fledged 410 campaign. He's already dreaming of his next victory.

“The next time I win, I’m climbing the frontstretch,” Sams said, “because it won’t be rain-shortened.”