COMMENTARY-Droud's 2006 Knoxville Run

In the latest copy of Sprint Car and Midget Magazine (which I'm currently thumbing through) there's a column by Bruce Ellis titled "Picking the Field". He discusses the upcoming Knoxville Nationals, and talks about how difficult it is to pick the starting field for the championship race.

He specifically mentions Don Droud Jr.'s accomplishments in 2006.

"Two years ago, Don Droud (Jr.) had hardly raced 410s all year, but showed up at Knoxville and put Daryl Saucier's Pace Construction USAC car solidly into the field. Who would've believed it?"

It's probably a safe bet Ellis has seen a few races over the years, and watched more than a couple big time drivers compete. For him to remember Jr.'s accomplishment is a nice compliment.

In 2006, Droud hooked up with Saucier to run the non-wing show on Tuesday night at Oskaloosa. They ran well, and I believe had a top 5 finish. In a last minute deal, they decided to buy a wing and run the Nationals.

Droud and the Pace Brothers team set quick time on their Thursday qualifying night, finished sixth in the heat, won the B main, and finished 15th in the feature.

Friday night, Droud took full advantage of the A Feature scramble by beating Donny Schatz for the win. With that, he was solidly in the starting line up for Saturday's championship A feature.

Droud eventually finished ninth on Saturday. The run was amazing because it was the first time the Pace Brothers sprinter had ever been raced with a wing. Sure, Droud was no stranger to the Nationals, but to qualify for the toughest race of the year, in a new car, with a new team that wasn't used to running wings...It's something that should be praised years later. The blue 44 car and its driver were the talk of the Nationals that year, and a feel good story for 2006.

It should be noted that in 2006, Droud qualified for the A Features at the Chili Bowl, the Belleville Nationals and Knoxville Nationals.

This year, Droud will pilot the Sonner 47 car at Osky for the Front Row Challenge, and for the Nationals.

I suppose the best compliment I could give to any racer is this; if I were a car owner, would I put him in my car? With Droud, there's no doubt about it.