Duane Prather

I knew of Derrike because of the NASCAR NW tour and Winston West races. I've seen him race at Yakima and Evergreen Speedways here in the NW. It was always a thrill to see one of the local guys move on to the Winston Cup circut.

I remember watching the Daytona 500 and yelling at the TV when he raced past Earnhardt; what a thrill watching a hometown guy win. I don't live very far from his hometown of Spanaway (about 10 miles away) and many of the local businesses had signs up congratulating DC on his win. ( His father's engine shop is on the main drag through Spanaway.)

My son and I had a chance to meet DC at South Sound Speedway several years back. We were able to get his autograph before the race. After the race my son really wanted to go to the pits and see if he could get his picture taken with Derrike. Sure enough we found him and my son, then about age 5, asked him if he could have a picture taken, and DC picked him up on his knee. He was very kind and took time to talk to my son even with many other people wanting autographs and such. My son has taken that picture with him to show and tell at school and was even in a local publication here called Inside Track.

He went to school this year in the 4th grade, found a four leaf clover and recently sent it to DC for good luck. We hope it works! Now my daughter and wife are fans too.