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Junior Niedecken Experiencing Revival with Renewed Focus on Allen Turner PLM Series

By Chuck Corder

Listen closely, gearheads. Junior Niedecken is preachin’.

Dewey Wayne Niedecken Jr. — the 57-year-old Milton driver of the No. 99 Pro Late Model and offspring of the first Snowball Derby winner — proselytizes on a myriad of racing subjects.

From NASCAR’s impact on the Snowball Derby to the youth movement at Five Flags Speedway or, simply, to his own areas of improvement, Niedecken’s speedway sermons would cause even non-believers to rejoice with a “Boogity! Boogity! Boogity!�

Even if you don’t necessarily agree with Niedecken, there’s no denying his lectures are provocative and, most importantly, always informative.

Take, for instance, his breakdown of how 14-year-old Garrett Jones nudged him at the line the last time the Allen Turner Pro Late Models ran at the famed half-mile asphalt oval.

“If you can’t roll the middle, it’s gonna show,� Niedecken said, explaining further, “we were tight in the middle (of Turn 4), and it cost us in the end. (Jones’) car was better than mine.

“Races are won in the middle of turns. When you’re tight, you have to put so much ‘wheel’ in it to catch up on exit. And when you’re loose, that’s when you see cars drift up in the corner.�

Niedecken hopes to not be fighting either when he battles defending series champion Jones, current points leader Johanna Long and the rest of the Allen Turner PLMs on Friday for another double feature (20- and 30-lap races) night after a two-month absence.

The Pro Trucks, Beef “O� Brady’s Sportsmen and Butler U-Pull-It Bombers round out the Fridays’ festivities, which begin when the gates open at 4 p.m.

Admission is as follows: $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, students and military; $5 for children ages 6 to 11; free for kids 5 and under.

After shelving his Super Late Model program this season — “Down on horsepower,� Niedecken matter-of-factly enlightens — Niedecken has experienced a revival in a point of his career when he’s “old enough to know better.�

He currently sits second in the standings, trailing Long by 18 points. Niedecken finished seventh in the 100-lap season opener with a field that included such heavy hitters as Bubba Pollard and Mike Garvey.

Teenagers, some too young for a driver’s license, were a part of that same field. Niedecken bested a handful of them, including finishing nine spots ahead of Jones and one place in front of Harrison Burton, the son of NASCAR star Jeff.

“The Pro car is really shining this year,� he said. “It seems to be more consistent and that’s because we’re paying attention to everything. It makes a difference when you dot your “I’s� and cross your “T’s.�

Niedecken thought all the fruits of his team’s labor had reached its climax during the 30 lapper on May 9.

Niedecken started seventh after finishing a respectable seventh in the 20 lapper. He raced to clean air and appeared poised to end a long winless drought at Five Flags before that whole struggle to “roll the middle� ultimately undid him.

“The three restarts, consecutively, did not help either,� Niedecken said of a series of late cautions that derailed his hopes. “But, truthfully, we were fighting ‘tight’ all night and it caught up with us. That’s history, though. Hopefully, we’ll have it dialed in better this week.�

As always, Niedecken throws beaucoup bouquets at his closely-knit team — made up of 20-year veterans Robert Barnes and Jeff Balk along with newcomers Miles Pierce and Richard Garrett — but he’s also quick to credit a former NASCAR crew chief with his resurgence.

Gene Roberts is an engineer who stood atop the box for Bill Elliott in the late 1990s and helped develop many of the current Sprint Cup drivers.

Roberts advised Niedecken on ways he could improve his PLM setup and, thus, results.

“He was very knowledgeable, very savvy and very affordable,� Niedecken said, adding a wry smile to that last, vital trait. “He just doesn’t send you on a goose chase. He explains why this works the way it works, and why we’re doing this.

“It helped take the guesswork out of it, which was big. I was really in a tailspin with the new setups, packages.�

Born again, Niedecken seems to have something left in the tank for his congregation.

Whether they’re his happy and loyal followers or his rivals on the track, Niedecken is ready to testify.

“This double-feature format makes for great shows for the fans,� he said. “You don’t have fans in the stands, there’s no need to be racing.�

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