Derrike answered your questions in 1998. You can
also read Derrike's answers to your 1997, 1999,
2000, 2001, and 2003-2004 questions.
- Q: I know that you have heard
the owners of the Spanaway Speedway are selling the speedway to developers. I just heard
the other day that you were interested in buying Spanaway. Any truth to it?
- A: "I heard about the Spanaway situation. No,
at this time I don't have any plans in buying it or even a share. It's a great facility
and I just hope it continues to shine in the future."
-
- Q: I see a lot of drivers have
their website address on the back of their uniform. Can we expect to see yours on the back
of your uniform next year?
- A: "As of right now we're not planning on
having my web address on my uniform. You've got to take care of sponsors first. With so
many changes at Bahari' Racing, we're just trying to make sure we have everything ready by
the time Daytona rolls around."
-
- Q: I met you in 1990 and your
attitude was a lot different for driving NASCAR than it is now. Did winning the Daytona
500 then boost your confidence up or was it just something you knew you could do?
- A: "I always thought given the right
equipment I could compete with the best in NASCAR. Winning the Daytona 500 was something I
always dreamed of, and that day, I had a good enough car to stay up front and take
advantage of someone's misfortune. It was a tremendous confidence-builder."
-
- Q: What are your plans in the
off-season?
- A: "I'm working hard on getting in shape this
offseason. My wife Renee and I have been excercising every night we can at the workout
room in the Bahari' shop. I want to get up to one hour on the treadmill before the Daytona
500. I've managed to lose a little weight."
-
- Q: If you have to go to a
backup car and in second round qualifying, something happens to it, can you go back to the
original car and try to fix it to use in the race?
- A: "Yes, you can. In fact, that happened to
Jerry Nadeau earlier this year at New Hampshire. That's got to be a rough feeling for a
driver to lose two cars in one weekend. "
- Q: Do you still keep in
contact with Leon and Patti Fox from your Busch team in 1996?
- A: "Yes, I see Leon and Patti every week.
We're trying to work on doing some racing things in the future. Maybe we'll have some news
to share with the website one day soon."
- Q: I see you went to Whitman
College. Did you belong to a fraternity at Whitman? Do you keep in touch with Max Seachris
(Whitman's baseball coach then and, until this year, now)?
- A: "I did not belong to a fraternity at
Whitman. I was too busy with sports and academics. I don't keep in touch with Max, but I
think about my playing days there a lot and look back at them fondly."
- Q: I go to Yakima Speedway
every weekend and they are always talking about you and the Jefferson family. I was
wondering if you keep in touch with them anymore and if you had a chance to come back and
race at Yakima would you do it?
- A: "I still speak with the Jefferson family
about twice a month by phone. I just don't have an opportunity to get back to the West
Coast very often with the hectic racing schedule. If the right opportunity arose, yeah,
I'd race again at Yakima."
- Q: Do you have to purchase
your own motorcoach for use at the track? Or do sponsors provide the coaches?
- A: "Yes, I purchased my motorcoach. A few
sponsors have provided drivers with coaches, but not very many."
- Q: Last year a big story was
about weighing drivers and then adding weight to the car depending on the weight of the
driver. Is that still happening and if so, how much weight is being added to the Gumout
Pontiac?
- A: "We're not having to add any weight to the
Gumout Pontiac. I like that rule. It evens up the intangibles for everyone. NASCAR did a
good job in consulting with some drivers, particularly Michael Waltrip, in coming up with
that rule."
- Q: Do you have to pay for the
gas and tires or are they furnished?
- A: "Unocal supplies the gasoline for all the
teams free of charge. They are just a fantastic sponsor for this sport and have been for
many, many years. We have to pay for our Goodyear tires, and they're certainly the best in
the world."
- Q: Does NASCAR provide medical
insurance for the drivers or do you have to find your own provider?
- A: "Insurance, as you can imagine, is very
expensive and the drivers must purchase it themselves. It would just be too costly for
NASCAR to take on that kind of expense."
- Q: At each race track do you
have any input on shock combinations and what springs to put in the car?
- A: "Doug and I converse frequently about the
spring and shock combinations that go on the car. We both make suggestons and usually work
things out to my comfort level."
- Q: Do you use a heat transfer
paint and does it help keep the car cooler?
- A: "We aren't using any heat transfer paints.
We do use a special heat board between the floorboard and driver's seat to help keep me
from getting too hot."
- Q: During practice times when
you go into the pit road to check the tires and to the garage, do you have to stay under
the speed limit?
- A: "NASCAR officials are always monitoring
the garage area. If you exceed what they feel is a safe speed, you can be fined. That's a
good idea because there are so many fans in the garage area and we don't want anyone hurt.
Earlier this year a driver was fined at Martinsville for what officials determined was
travelling too fast."
- Q: Other teams needing a boost
in their performance have made a crew chief change. Do you think this may work for
Bahari'?
- A: "Doug Hewitt is an established crew chief
and we would hurt without his experience. Our personalities mesh well, and I feel, given
time, we can perform at Bahari' Racing the way we're both used to."
- Q: Have you really had a
chance to utilize the input from engineer Steve Leavitt? As the year goes on will that be
more evident in your performance?
- A: "We started running Steve's cars about a
third of the way into the season. It's going to take time to figure out the proper setups
on his cars with the new rules NASCAR instituted at the beginning of the season. All I
know is that Jeremy Mayfield is running his cars right now, and he is having his best
season ever."
- Q: When you may miss a race
because of injury or not qualifying, do you watch the race at home on TV, stay at the race
to watch it, or avoid the race completely?
- A: "When I missed the race at Martinsville, I
watched it on television. It was very difficult seeing someone else in the car, but I was
pulling for Jeff Green and the Gumout Pontiac. I found myself cheering for the caution
flag to come out at the right time and things like that."
- Q: Does Bahari' Racing plan on
having a two car team next year and if so, who would you like as a teammate?
- A: "That's Chuck Rider's call. It's always a
possibility, but we're really concentrating on getting this one team up to speed so we can
be productive. Maybe then a second team would mean more. As for a teammate, I really feel
there are a lot of qualified drivers out there. It's important that we would see
eye-to-eye about certain things."
- Q: If you could drive a Ford,
Chevy, or a Pontiac in NASCAR which would you select, and what kind of car do you have at
home to drive around?
- A: "All the brands have their strongpoints in
NASCAR. The Pontiac Grand Prix suits my needs just fine. Pontiac has done a good job in
finetuning the car since the new model came out two years ago. I still think the Pontiac
is at a bit of a disadvantage with NASCAR's new 'five and five' rules, but it's capable of
winning any time out."
- Q: You have mentioned that you
like driving the superspeedways. Thus, what is your opinion of restrictor plates?
- A: "I enjoy the tight racing and trying to
outthink the other guy. When you have a good car you can position yourself where people
can use you. It's exciting racing and I've fared pretty well at it. I guess that's why I
enjoy it. Even though my finishes aren't indicative of how good I've been a lot of times,
I've typically been able to get to the front or close to the front before somebody causes
some grief. We've been caught in some of those. I think the restrictor plate tracks are
where we have a good opportunity for finishing up front."
- Q: Have you ever gone to a
driving school for road racing, like some other drivers in Winston Cup?
- A: "I did a long time ago but I haven't
lately. That would probably be a good idea. But with me being hurt this season and the
schedule we've had it hasn't been something I thought I could do and do effectively and
benefit from right now. It's something I would have liked to have done. I get around Sears
Point fairly well. I feel like the new configuration will be interesting. It's kind of
like the old Winston West days to a degree where you run straight up the drag strip and
then come down the back section. Now that they've taken out the carousel and that area
there, I think it will be more of a high-speed type road course. I'm looking forward to
it. I don't feel like it's going to be a major problem for us. I welcome the changes
they've made. I may change my mind when I get there, but at this point I don't foresee it
being a problem. I think I'll be able to get accustomed to it."
- Q: Derrike, I had the pleasure
of watching you win the Apple Cup at the Yakima Motor Speedway years ago. Needless to say,
your Daytona victory in 1990 sent the Yakima Valley into a frenzy!! What was it like going
from a small town track like that to victory lane at Daytona in just a couple short years?
- A: "It was really unbelievable. I had dreamed
of winning the Daytona 500 for years, and to have it come to fruition after so much hard
work is something I'll never forget. I can still feel the sunshine on my face in victory
lane. It's such a historic race, and I feel like I'm a real part of NASCAR history because
I've won a Daytona 500."
- Q: When you won the Daytona
500 back in 1990, you drove for Purolator Filters and had the #10 for your car. How are
the numbers for cars giving out and do you have any sentimental feelings for the #10?
- A: "NASCAR assigns teams the numbers. Teams
can request the number they want, but NASCAR has the final say so. And of course, deals
can be worked out between various teams if they want to trade numbers. I remember Steve
Park's team buying the No. 1 from Richard Jackson before this season started. I don't
really have any sentimental feelings toward any numbers, although I will always remember I
won Daytona in the #10."
- Q: I wanted to know if you
ever get back to Spanaway and do you cruise around the local tracks when you do?
- A: "I didn't run Spanaway very much.
Primarily, I was in eastern Washington where we ran Yakima, Portland and Tri-Cities, which
is in extreme eastern Washington. Those are the primary race tracks I went to. If I had
the opportunity I would like to see those old race tracks and some races, but obviously,
it's a time frame that doesn't suit very well for what we have back here (on the Eastern
Coast). I don't get the opportunity to go there much."
- Q: How do you get into a
racing career?
- A: "First of all, you need an education. A
high school diploma is a must, and if you don't go to a four-year college, a community
college has several courses that can benefit you, like automobile mechanics. You've got to
make contacts in the industry, and a good place to start is North Carolina, where most of
the teams are situated, particularly in the Charlotte and Mooresville areas."
- Q: Are you a better street
driver in the family car because of your NASCAR experiences?
- A: "I think so. I have probably keener
reaction time, which can definitely save your life on the road. I'm also a cautious driver
because I know the trouble you can get in in an automobile. It's important for all of us
to allow reaction time by not tailgating."
- Q: Do you stay in a motorcoach
or hotel room on the road?
- A: "I usually stay in my motorcoach. Of
course, when we got way out to the West coast, that isn't an efficient means of lodging
because of all the miles involved, so I usually stay in a hotel in places such as San
Francisco. The motorcoach is extemely efficient in that I don't have to fight traffic to
the hotel or worry about making restaurant reservations and such. It also allows time to
spend with your fellow competitors."
- Q: Which works better for you,
the Pontiac or Chevrolet?
- A: "Both the Pontiac Grand Prix and the
Chevrolet Monte Carlo suit my needs on the track. Both have different characteristics, but
both are productive race cars, equally capable of getting the job done. The Pontiac suits
my needs in Winston Cup, and the Chevy does the same in the Busch Series."
- Q: I know you used to duck
hunt with your dad. Do you get to do that in N.C.?
- A: "No, I can't duck hunt. There's simply no
time. We're on the road about every weekend, and I've got appearances to do for all my
sponsors through the week. It doesn't give you much time to do anthing else, and I feel
like I owe all my remaining time to my wife, Renee. She sacrifices a lot to let me do what
I enjoy doing."
- Q: Have you ever had any other
major injuries in auto racing besides your two broken ribs this year?
- A: "No, I've been fortunate through the
years. Missing a race was one of the toughest moments I've had in racing. It's not easy to
watch someone else drive your race car. But I'm almost back to 100 percent now, and it was
the right thing to do."
- Q: Who are your favorite
driver friends?
- A: "It's important to maintain friendly
relations with all the drivers. You're counting on each other each and every time you go
out on the track. I respect all my fellow competitors. It's also tough to really form
tight friendships among drivers because all of us are so busy at the track."
- Q: Which car do you prefer --
Pontiac or Chevy?
- A: "Each car is fine for the circuit I'm
driving it on. Each has their particular characteristics, but it all boils down to the
fact when you get a car dialed in properly, it will run to the front. It doesn't matter
whether you're in a Pontiac or Chevy."
Q: Which do you prefer and where do your strengths lie -- short
tracks or superspeedways?- A: " I'd probably have to say superspeedways.
I like the fact you have more room to manipulate and drive the car. My two Winston Cup
victories have come on superspeedways. I like the grip you get on superspeedways."
Q: Who determines who gets the in-car camera, and will you have
one in your car again this season?- A: "Sponsors pay for the right to carry the
in-car cameras. It's a great marketing tool for sponsors in each race. Briggs &
Stratton has a camera in each race, and the network determines which car it goes in. We
certainly would love to carry an in-car camera again this season to benefit all our
sponsors."
Q: Do you run an inner window net?- A: "We didn't prior to my crash at Atlanta,
but we're running one now. The inner window net is a good idea because it's another way of
containing your movement inside the car and cuts down on the possibility of getting
something like a concussion or another head-related injury by restricting the head's
movements. We'll be runnng an inner window net from now on."
Q: How is your cousin Ernie doing?- A: "Ernie's doing great. He's now the crew
chief for Dave Rezendes in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He would still love to drive
a truck one day, but he's really doing well in his position as crew chief."
Q: What is the meaning of the word Bahari'?- A: "Originally, there were three owners of
Bahari'. They were Dick Bahre, Lowrance Harry, and Chuck Rider. Bahari' is derived from
the first two letters of each of the owners' last names. Chuck and Lowrance eventually
bought out Dick's stake in the team."
Q: Many times when I see you make public appearances, I see a
large ring on your right hand. Does the ring have special meaning? - A: "That's my 1990 Daytona 500 ring.
Obviously, it's one of my most treasured possessions. It's something few drivers have, and
I'm proud to be able to wear it."
Q: If you had children, would you encourage them to pursue a
career in racing? - A: "I'd encourage them to work hard and focus
on whatever they wanted to become in life. Racing has a lot of fine career opportunities,
and I'd definitely encourage them to pursue a racing career by starting to work hard in
school, and furthering their education in college. Courses in engineering and geometry are
so useful in racing."
Q: Are you interested in driving in the truck series?- A: "I'd love to drive a few truck races this
year. I'm currently working on a sponsorship deal that would enable me to run anywhere
from one to three truck races this season. I like the competition aspect of the truck
series, and NASCAR has done a good job in helping the growth of the truck series."
Q: Are you concerned the multi-car teams will stamp out the
lesser funded, single team operations?- A: "To a degree, yes. I think there will
always be some lesser funded, single-car operations, but it's going to be more and more
difficult for those cars to make the field. I don't anticipate the sport becoming entirely
composed of multi-car teams, but it's hard to argue with the concept considering all the
success they've had in the last few years with guys like Rick Hendrick, Jack Roush, and
Robert Yates. I just would hate to see NASCAR become completely ruled by the multi-car
teams."
Q: Does NASCAR monitor your carbon monoxide levels?- A: "NASCAR doesn't have any monitoring system
in place. The problem has been getting air through the filtration system. All of them seem
to leave the driver gasping for air and we can't have that. I have used a mask before, but
there just wasn't enough air getting through. Obviously, if anyone has a system they think
will work, then we will give it a try."
Q: Is the notoriety of being a driver sometimes a burden?- A: "It is part of the sport. We are fortunate
to have the notoriety. Sure there are times when it is an inconvenience, like when you are
interrupted while you are eating dinner. But, the notoriety opens a lot of doors and
affords us a great deal of opportunity. The positives definitely outweigh the
negatives."
Q: Compare the weather in North Carolina and the Northwest?- A: "The weather is a lot better in North
Carolina. But, they both have great things to offer. The Pacific Northwest has a lot of
great scenery with the mountains and volcanoes. They have short drives to the ski resorts
and beaches. In North Carolina, you have the same thing, but the bonus of the
weather."
Q: Have you ever received a speeding ticket?- A: "Sure, we have all had a speeding ticket.
I take pride in the fact that I am a safe driver, but I have had a speeding ticket."
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