Duggan’s race winning No, 25 Mini-stock
For a good many years the race fans of east Tennessee have watched Derek Duggan demonstrate his skills on clay surfaces all across the region in virtually every type of car. This past weekend at Smoky Mountain Speedway the Lenoir City, Tenn. native scored a win and a runner-up finish with the Kajun Mini Stock Association as that series sanctioned a two-night affair that included the World of Outlaws Late Model Series on the historic Maryville, Tenn. track.
Friday’s victory paid the veteran racer and his team $1,000 while the Saturday night race, in which he finished second, doled out $1,500 to the winner.
“We had a great night,” Duggan proclaimed of his Friday night effort in an interview with InsideDirtRacing.com. “Everything went good from the get-go right out of the box. From hot lapping, to qualifying, to the heat race, to the feature it was an awesome night. I couldn’t ask for any better.”
And two nice payouts for a Mini-stock team such as those received this weekend can make a big difference going forward.
“That sure helps with things like new tires and all the stuff you spend money for once you get to the track,” Duggan explained.
Duggan says the Mini-stock class, whether following a touring series such as the KMSA or simply racing close to home, makes sense for the racer on a budget who just wants to enjoy the sport and the competition.
“It’s a very fun and affordable class,” the 45-year-old driver declared. “I ran Late Models for a long time but the cost has got so far out of hand that it’s just ridiculous. You’ve got to have an engineer, even in the Sportsman class now, to do your shocks and your springs. That takes all the skill of racing out of it. This is still old school racing. There’s some technology there, but not a whole lot. This class puts a lot more back in the driver’s hands.”
Duggan in victory lane at Smoky Mountain
And not only does the Mini-stock class call upon the driver’s skill on the track but it also requires hard work and know-how in the garage as well.
“It’s an awful lot of work,” Duggan pointed out. “It’s every night at the race shop and you’ve got to stay on top of it. Right now, we’ve got about seven cars we try to keep up from the Stock class to about four of these, so yeah, it’s tough.”
Duggan and his crew split their time between running with the Kajun Mini Stock Association and running in weekly shows around the east Tennessee area. Typically he tries to stay within a two hour radius of his Lenoir City home which allows him to race with the series about ten times per year. Although he has been highly competitive in KMSA competition, having been fast qualifier and finished second on multiple occasions, Friday’s win was his first with the tour.
“If it pays enough to make it worth the trip, we go there,” Duggan said. “Last year they had two nights at Jackson and Columbus(Mississippi) that paid $1,500 each night. If we can go two nights and we’re not having to spend two nights in a motel for one $1,000 race then we can do something like that.”
On the local scene, Duggan explained that the Mini-stock class is not necessarily running low on numbers or tracks that contest the class. Instead, breaking the cars into more than one division is making it appear that way.
“Some of these area tracks run the Mod Minis and Mini Stocks so on any given night you’re taking a class of twelve cars and splitting them up,” the racer stated. “It would be nice if the tracks would get together and run certain classes every other week with twelve cars or so. We could make a little series among the tracks. That would be the best thing to do. It ain’t that they’re dying away, it’s just that there’s several tracks running each class.”
Derik Duggan in a Late Model at Atomic Speedway
Duggan hasn’t always been a Mini-stocker. He and his family have a long history of racing in the area. His involvement in the sport has included virtually every class and track around east Tennessee.
“I started when I was seventeen. It took me four years to get my first win. Back then, my dad raced, and I followed in his footsteps. Last night’s win made 185 wins for my career. That was pretty special. Fifteen more will be 200 and I might retire for good. I’ve come a long way. I’ve run about every class out here from Late Model to Open Wheel to Street Stock to the Bombers. I’ve had fun in every class out here but this is probably the most fun class out here for me.”
