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Allen Turner Hyundai PLM Preview: Niedecken’s Honest Approach Has Him Back among Pro Late Model’s Elite

By Chuck Corder

For all his 59 years, one of Wayne Niedecken Jr.’s most enduring qualities has been his honesty.

The longtime veteran of Five Flags Speedway is never one to bite his tongue or play asphalt politics.

So it came as no surprise to hear Niedecken talk candidly about the resurgence his career experienced in 2015, a season that saw him win close to a dozen times between Pensacola and Mobile International Speedway en route to the Gulf Coast Pro Late Model championship.

“(Before last year) I was struggling to keep up with technology and the results got away from me a little bit,� said Junior Niedecken, the son of Wayne Niedecken Sr., the inaugural winner of the Snowball Derby and a two-time champion of short-track racing’s pinnacle race.

“The problem was the technology was changing weekly, not just monthly. It was hard to stay abreast of the latest things. But I had confidence in my abilities all along.�

Thanks to some welcomed direction from Gene Roberts, the former Bill Elliott crew chief during “Million Dollar� Bill’s Junior Johnson days, Junior Niedecken rediscovered the path back to Victory Lane.

“He was very knowledgeable, very savvy and very affordable,� Niedecken said of Roberts, putting a light-hearted emphasis on that latter 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.

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

Niedecken hopes the winning ways continue this Friday when the Allen Turner Hyundai Pro Late Models make their season debut with twin 50-lap features at Five Flags Speedway.

The Faith Chapel Super Stocks also open their season at the famed half-mile asphalt oval Friday while The Dock at Pensacola Beach Sportsmen and the Butler U-Pull-It Bombers continue their young seasons.

Gates open at 4 p.m. with races slated for approximately 8 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults; $12 for seniors, military and students; $5 for children ages 6 to 11; free for kids 5 and under.

Niedecken first spoke with Roberts, an engineer by trade who today owns and operates Arob Performance Parts and Fuels, several years ago.

The two would cover every nook and cranny on the car, but the main focus was setup.

“Having (Roberts’ knowledge) was a major asset,� Niedecken said, “but it took a year or two to get your arms around it to get to where I needed to be.

“We’re a shoestring operation, and we run on the dollar. The bigger teams might practice on a new set of tires, qualify on another new set and then race on a third set. Money's not an object with them. Then, you have me on the other side, and I’m practicing on left-side tires that I’ve raced on. And, then, maybe I get a new, cold turkey set to qualify and race on. There’s a big difference.�

In the lean years, many which passed by without the Milton driver hoisting a single checkered flag, Five Flags fans still adored their favorite son because he remained true to his grassroots.

Now that fortune is once again shining on Niedecken, his loyal legions are being rewarded with some of the best racing of his storied career.

"Looking back on last year's success, it's so humbling to be able to go and, let alone, win one feature, but to win that many, I’d never fathom we could still have that much success,� Niedecken said. “If it wasn't for the fans, we wouldn't have a racetrack to participate at. We’re just the clowns and they pay for us to play.�

Wife Debbie Niedecken, who helps keep Junior current with a social media presence on Facebook, is the driving force to land stickers onto the famed No. 99. And there are plenty that want to come aboard the Niedecken success story.

Lou Sobh’s Chevrolet in Milton along with D&D Cycles, Family-Funeral Cremation, Fresh Coat Painters, Kool Karts and Intimidator Charters are just a handful of vital sponsors.

Also this year, Niedecken has struck up a cross-marketing initiative with the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, the Double-A minor league baseball affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. The campaign helps to further attendance for both Blue Wahoos Stadium and Five Flags.

“I'm a blessed man to do what I love, stay competitive and be in the health I am at 59 years old,� Junior Niedecken said. “I’ve got a wife that supports me 100 percent, and I try to surround myself with good quality people.

“We just try to run as hard as we can and hope we can show the young boys how to get around out there.�

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