On most days, Troy Dew works in the insurance business in Meridian. But this weekend, he’ll have his mind on his favorite sport, auto racing.

Dew, a native of Clarke County and a resident of Meridian, will be working at the Talladega Super Speedway as a spotter.

“I will be a safety spotter in turn three for Daytona Speedway Corp. (which operates the Talladega track); not for a driver but for the race officials,” Dew said.

Dew has two duties. First, it is his job to look for debris in the turn and on the backside stretch, Remember how they will they stop a race from time-to-time because of debris on the track? Dew could be making that call this weekend.

He’s also there for the drivers. I didn’t realize this, but when there is an wreck and cars come to a stop, the drivers take down the nets by their windows to let race officials know that they are OK. If they don’t, it means that emergency crews are needed, STAT. If there is a wreck, and at Talladega, there always seems to be one, Dew is to watch for cars that the nets don’t come down on. He lets race officials know where to send the emergency workers first.

Dew’s father, Ray Dew, went to the first NASCAR race at Talladega when the track first opened in 1969. Ray Dew was one of the legendary drivers at the Whynot Speedway for years and his son became a race fan as he grew up. Troy joined Ray on trips to the races at Talladega from then on.

“We never missed,” said Troy, who lost his dad in 2004. “We would go over in a camper on Friday.

“He was on dialysis and we still went. He had his dialysis there and we went to the race.”

Troy Dew was tabbed for his spotters job at the track and became part of the show. It gives him a chance to meet NASCAR’s greatest as the spotters attend the drivers meetings.

Dew was a big fan of the late Davey Allison, but also pulled for the late Dale Earnhardt and now his son, Dale Jr.

“I really haven’t had a favorite since Davey Allison died in the helicopter crash at Talladega,” Dew said. “I liked Red Farmer, too.

“My dad pulled for Earnhardt all the way, but I really haven’t had a favorite driver. There are a lot of drivers I like.”

Dew said he is excited to hear that the Whynot Speedway will be reopening May 6 and plans to make some of the races.



Catching up



- Considering that it was just a practice session, it was quite a moment this past Saturday when the race cars returned to the Whynot Speedway for the first time in several years. There were 35 cars representing all divisions throughout the evening.

Track owner Rodney Wing has been working night and day to get the old track ready for racing, And his labors will be rewarded when it opens with a full slate of races on May 6. There will be another practice session this Saturday starting around 6 p.m. as the drivers gear up for the big night.



- Chris McElhenney, the popular dirt track driver from Decatur, is still making laps but not as many as he has in the past.

His father and pit crew chief Murray McElhenney, said that business was up for their company, M.D. Metals, and they have had to focus on that instead of race car driving.

McElhenney has been racing Late Models in D‚Lo and Jackson at the Swinging River Bridge and once at the Pike County track. He‚ been in the top five for most races. In his last race in Jackson, he lost his front bumper in a wreck but still came back to finish fourth.

“He looked like he was driving one of those old sprint cars,” Murray said. “Sometimes, his front wheels weren’t even touching the ground.”



- Mike Boland on Cuba, Ala., was the winner of the Late Model Race at the Magnolia Speedway in Columbus on April 14.

This race featured a host of local and area drivers. Jimbo McDuffie of the Clarkdale area battled Boland for the lead through out the race and finished fifth. Chad Thrash of Meridian came in 10th with Scott Dedwylder of Vossburg right behind him in 11th place. Roger Shirley was 14th and Wiley Williams came in 15th. Randy Boyd Thompson placed second in the Late Model Stock race. The next race at the Magnolia Speedway will be the third annual Southern Showdown on May 13.



-The Mississippi State Championship Challenge Series had a big weekend at the Central Mississippi Speedway in Winona this past weekend. Jay Blair of Louisiana won the Saturday race and leads the standings with 604 points. Chris Wall is in second with 603 points, followed by David Breazeale, Scott Slay and Dennis Duncan. Blair, by the way, is a two-time SUPR champion.

Steve Swogetinsky writes a racing column for The Meridian Star. Contact him at swog@hotmail.com.