Photo by Joe Orth
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Welcome to rodneydroud.com, a web site dedicated to the racing career of Lincoln, Nebraska's Rodney Droud!
"I've wanted to do something like this for quite a while and am really excited that it has finally become a reality. Because of the vision and creativity of Nate Harris (my computer guru), I'm proud to present what I believe to be a comprehensive collection of past, present and future events of what I have done as a Sprint Car driver, plus give me the opportunity to share a few things about my Christian faith. The purpose of this site is very simple:
to keep you informed of what is going on with Rodney Droud and the Dare 2 Team.
to promote the fantastic sponsors that are supporting the team in 2007.
to share, from the Holy Bible, the love, grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I hope that you enjoy what you're about to look through. Take care and God Bless and… we'll see you at the races!"
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Mike Boston
(05/07) (I read Doug Wolfgang's book, "Lone Wolf," and it gave me an idea: why not write about the locals that I ran with? I know, I may say some things that might rub people the wrong way, but bear with me...)
When the NSCA split from Eagle Raceway in 2000, there were several locals that decided to stay at the track, rather than support the association. I'm not sure how many people realize how heated it got among the drivers and it was something that seemed to take a long time to get resolved. That year, Mike Boston won the first of his many Eagle Raceway championships, making him the man we NSCA'ers HAD to beat when we returned in 2001. I guess more than anyone, I took it personally because of my allegiance with the group, making Mike Boston enemy #1.
There was something about the guy that riled people up. Oh, he had a HUGE following (and still does) but after winning his first title, he seemed to always be the man to beat- because he seemed to always win. I would watch in amazement at the way he could put his car in places that he never should have and still race away unscathed. Many times, he'd start last in a heat race and within a lap be in first place, walking the dog. He'd also get a little physical along the way (the exact opposite of my style) causing the fans to have that love-hate relationship, which just continued the feeling of animosity. You could even tell that our respective teams didn't want to have anything to do with one another. It got pretty bad, but finally came to a head in 2004.
This was the year that I finally got around to knowing the guy. I don't remember if I made the first move or if he did, but I just remember talking to him one night before the feature. I walked away from that conversation thinking, "Hey, he's not so bad after all." I even told Scott Deines about our talk and was flabbergasted at the whole deal. From then on, I had an entirely different perspective on Mike. That was also the year that I won my first title; at the banquet, Mike was extremely gracious and complimentary about our team and what we accomplished.
Oh, he continued to be the aggressor but in all those races, he and I got together only a couple times (remember my drive in the Bogue 57 in '06 when I got upside-down at the start of the "B" and I ran right over to his car to "visit"?). We raced each other cleanly and whenever I was able to make a pass of the guy, I really felt like I had accomplished something. That kind of respect still stands today. He has done some phenomenal things over the years and therefore deserves that respect.
I guess the one thing I regret is the fact that it took me so doggone long to talk to him; to get to know him. I know, I know, we're out there to compete and win, not have tea and cookies. But I think I would've gained a friend a lot sooner if I would have done so. He truly is an incredible talent and it was an honor to have raced with him.
Geez, if you want to know the truth, I'm actually cheering for him now!
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Photo of the Month
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