From Daytona to Oxford: Derek Kneeland Prepares for Busy Weekend

Derek Kneeland will once again embark on a whirlwind adventure this weekend, spotting for Kyle Busch at Daytona International Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero Sugar 400 before heading to Oxford Plains Speedway to compete in the Oxford 250.

For the Maine native, the Oxford 250 is a special occasion each year, and he’ll do whatever it takes to be a part of it.

“It’s a crown jewel,” Kneeland told Racing America. “Everybody talks about Snowball Derby and Oxford 250. For any of us that are from the Northeast, this is our Daytona 500.

“As a little kid, we’d go there every year to watch that race. Making my first Oxford 250 was huge. Being able to line up next to all these guys that are legends of the sport. Some of them have obviously now retired, which is starting to show my age.”

Before he takes part in Sunday’s race, however, he’ll head to the World Center of Racing. Kneeland is the spotter for the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet driven by Kyle Busch, who hopes to race his way into the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs this weekend at Daytona.

Once the checkered flag waves on Saturday, Kneeland’s journey begins – a trip that will take him from Daytona Beach, Florida to Oxford, Maine through the overnight and early morning hours on Sunday.

“Saturday is the biggest question mark,” said Kneeland. “I need to get through Daytona. I’ve got four different things lined up that have to go right to make sure I’m there. As long as everything goes right, I’ll be there about 10:00, 10:15, about 15 minutes before second practice on Sunday.

“Saturday night, I’ll get on a team place as soon as Daytona’s over. I’ll go from Daytona to Statesville, North Carolina. Anyone who knows about that Daytona race, it’s at 7:30, 8:00 at night. By the time we get done and we have to tech and stuff like that, we won’t get home until 2 or 3 in the morning at Statesville.

“My flight is at 6 a.m. out of Charlotte. I go from Charlotte to Boston. I’ll take a 30-minute Uber from Boston to Beverly, and then thankfully, I have a sponsor that stepped up and got me a helicopter ride that will take me from Beverly directly to the track. Like I said, hopefully will touch down right at 10 a.m. No sleep, of course, but I can sleep after the race.”

Once he’s in Oxford, he hopes to continue building on the momentum he has established this year in his limited efforts behind the wheel. While the results haven’t reflected the gains made this year, he has seen plenty of speed to give him confidence entering Sunday.

“Right now, we’re on the right path,” said Kneeland. “This car I’m running right now with car owner Mike Bryant and SOS Towing and Recovery, it’s a totally different, new car to me. It’s a similar car to what I own. People say it’s just dumb steel, but there’s still little certain tweaks and stuff like that you have to figure out on the cars.”

However, he knows he’ll be going against some of the best competition in Sunday’s Oxford 250.

“These guys are legit. You’ve got Austin Teras, Joey Doiron, Travor Sanborn, Ben Rowe, all these guys that have gone out there and won all these races. Austin Teras and Joey Doiron, they were just at Berlin last week, competing against some of the country’s best, and they had a third and a ninth. These guys are really, really good in the Northeast. If you can’t be there, definitely tune in to Racing America. It’s going to be a heck of a show.”

Fans can watch the Oxford 250 festivities all weekend long on RacingAmerica.TV.

-Photo credit: Will Bellamy, Racing America