Mike Duncan Brings Pole Domination and Most Lead Laps to Historic Midwest Weekend

Bakersfield, CA - When Mike Duncan, two-time NASCAR West champion and iconic California driver arrives in Minnesota Thursday afternoon, he’ll have one thought on his mind: Get to the track immediately!  Never having seen Elko Speedway, Duncan says there will be no pit stop at the hotel.  “As soon as I get out of the plane, we’re heading straight to the track”, Duncan says as he contemplates the big weekend in the mid-west.

The much anticipated, “East-West” races between NASCAR’s Grand National Divisions will be stacked with big names (Harvick/Childress) and high emotions.   The Minnesota 150 will be held Friday evening, and the Featherlite 200 will be held on Sunday afternoon at the new Iowa Speedway.  Both races will feature the top teams from around the nation, and Duncan explains the intricacies involved in the planning for such an historic weekend:  “It’s going to be as if there’s two races within each race – teams are going hard to win the trophy at each track, but they’re also cognizant of the point battles in their respective series…it’ll be very intense.”

As for the West series this season, Duncan has captured every pole position and shared a bit of insight on the success the #9 Lucas Oil/Greenfrogroastingco.com Chevrolet has enjoyed by saying, ”You need to have a high level of comfort, confidence and communication to grab three, straight poles.”  When asked about his most recent outing at Altamont Speedway, in Northern California, Duncan was upbeat, and added, “ Mentally, it’s good to know that the car had what it takes to win…a little bit of bad luck kept us from grabbing the checkered flag, but it was encouraging.”

The upcoming, two-state weekend with the GND East drivers has Duncan thinking more about equipment than strategy.  He explains, “The West drivers have raced with a lot of the east guys at the Toyota Showdown, so we know who they are.  Honestly, I’m more concerned with the scenario of them having superior equipment than anything else…Our team will always strive to race clean and aggressive, be smart and not cause any problems.”  Duncan, the GND West lap-leader for 2007 lives content in his philosophy, and legendary Crew Chief and former West champ, Bill Sedgwick has the MB Duncan Motor Sports team feeling confident and prepared.

As Duncan was heading to the airport, he offered his thoughts and praise to fellow West series competitor, Tim Woods III, the talented driver from Southern California: “Tim is really headed in a good direction.  This is the ‘TW’ that I know, and he looks solid right now…he’ll be somebody to look for this weekend.”  As for himself, Duncan gave himself an average grade of “C” when asked about the 2007 season so far, and added, “We still have a lot to learn.”

Mike Duncan was the NASCAR Grand National Division Rookie-of-the-Year in 2000.  Behind the leadership of two-time Grand National Champ, Bill Sedgwick, Duncan and team won the 2004 – 2005 championships.  Together, they compete full time on the Grand National West series.  To learn more about Mike and follow his season, please visit www.mbduncanmotorsports.com.

Source: Vance Palm
        MB Duncan Motor Sports