7/5/2013
Deer Creek Speedway
The Track World of Outlaws Late Model Series Drivers Love To Visit - Deer Creek Speedway
SPRING VALLEY, MN – July 3, 2013 – By Kevin Kovac, WoO LMS P.R. Director - Ask the 2013 World of Outlaws Late Model Series regulars about Deer Creek Speedway and you quickly see a pattern develop.
From the series veterans who have been making annual visits to the Minnesota track for nearly a decade to the circuit newcomers, there comes unabashed praise for the three-eighths-mile oval. Few speedways, in fact, are as universally well-liked by the World of Outlaws travelers as Deer Creek.
With the WoO LMS ready to invade Deer Creek this Saturday night (July 6) for the 34th annual running of the NAPA Auto Parts Gopher 50 Charity Late Model Race – a tradition-packed event co-promoted by the Blooming Prairie (Minn.) Lions Club and Deer Creek's Queensland family to benefit the club's activities – the tour's 11 fulltime followers offered comments about the track that make it clear why the show is a red-circle date on the series schedule.
Consider each World of Outlaws regular's thoughts on Deer Creek Speedway, where a top prize of $11,000 – including a $1,000 bonus from NAPA – will on the line:
- Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky. (the defending series champion has four wins, three runner-up and two third-place finishes in 10 career WoO LMS starts at Deer Creek): "They prep the track really well – as well as any track in the country. They've got a lot of equipment where they can go out there before the feature, work the track in about 10 minutes and make it racy so you can get up on the wheel and race all over it. I always like going there."
- Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va. (the current tour points leader won the NAPA Gopher 50 in 2011): "I love Deer Creek. We finally got a win the last time we were there a couple years ago (he missed the '12 event while racing on the NASCAR Nationwide Series), but I've always enjoyed racing there. It's a fast little joint early, then once the track cleans off it can get to be somewhat of a technical track. You gotta slow down some to get in on the bottom and yet you have to carry just enough speed to be fast.
"It's probably my favorite track on the western swing – and it's in my top 10 overall (favorites) too. Those guys (the Queensland family) do a great job. They put a lot of pride into their track and it shows."
- Rick Eckert of York, Pa. (the 2006 Gopher 50 victor has a modest three top-five finishes in 10 career WoO LMS starts at Deer Creek): "It's a really racy racetrack – and on top of that the facility is nice and the people are nice. The (racing) lane changes the whole night; even if a guy leads every lap, by the time the race is over he's gonna run every lane on the racetrack to keep the lead. The lane moves so much on the racetrack, which makes it really fun for a driver.
"And if it gets to where it looks like it's not gonna be racy, they just go out there and work and make it racy. They can rework that whole track in 15 minutes. They have plenty of equipment to do that, but most that have that much equipment don't get it done in that quick a time."
- Shane Clanton of Zebulon, Ga. (the defending NAPA Gopher 50 champ owns five top-five finishes in nine career WoO LMS starts at Deer Creek): "The shape of the place promotes racing. It's got progressive banking and it's wide enough that you can run all the way on the bottom or all the way on the outside wall. The surface is good – it's an all-around good racetrack.
"Really, the whole atmosphere is great – it's like they want us to be there, and when places want us to be there and accommodate us, it makes it that much more fun to go there."
- Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y. (the 2010 NAPA Gopher 50 winner also finished third in '11 and second last year): "They just seem to do a good job with track prep there, always working to make sure you'll have two lanes. That's all anybody can ask for. The night we won you could race all over it. It makes it hard to decide what to do because the lane seems to change a lot so you gotta really be maneuverable. It's a place that keeps you on the edge of the seat all night as a driver because as the groove moves around some people find it faster than others, and that makes for really good racing."
- Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa. (the 2007 NAPA Gopher 50 victor has only finished outside the top 10 once in 10 career WoO LMS starts at Deer Creek): "It's probably one of the best prepared racetracks there is. They take pride in working on their racetrack, and the equipment they have is just awesome. They can redo their track in 15-20 minutes, and it's race ready – and then you race everywhere on it. You can race on the infield tires or you race on top of the wall if you want to – trust me, I've tried.
"And they're really good about how they treat everyone. They always feed us (a pre-race pork-chop luncheon) and all that stuff, so it's just an awesome experience to go there. It's too bad we only get to go there but once a year. I wish it was closer to home for everyone."
- Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga. (the winner of the Heartland Nationals finale in 2006 has four podium finishes in 10 career WoO LMS starts at Deer Creek): "It's A-class. They give you a good surface all the time. You can always race on it. It's never been one-lane since we've been going there that I know of. It's always smooth, never rough. I think it's equal to Lernerville (Speedway in Sarver, Pa.) as one of the best prepared racetracks in the country.
"Beyond the track itself, they always treat us well. They let us in early – they trust we're gonna come out and get armbands (at the pit shack) and don't herd us out. They just do everything good. I can't think of anything I'd change about the whole program there."
- Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y. (six career WoO LMS starts at Deer Creek with a top NAPA Gopher 50 finish of fourth in 2008): "It's a beautiful place – one of the nicest places we go to all year. You gotta love the really nice (luncheon) spread