BAKERSFIELD, California -- As the full moon rose over Bear Mountain early Sunday morning, anyone still basking in the last moments of Mesa Marin’s finale could witness a small group of people lingering around the garage area behind the track. Friends, family, and crew members of Mike Duncan just weren’t ready to leave, and that gave this writer a chance to hear Mike reflect on many things.
“This is what it’s all about”, exclaims Mike, “… having the people that mean the most to you enjoying this time together.” When he was asked about his legacy at Mesa Marin, Duncan seemed almost removed from the moment when he replied, “Well, a lot of great teams have raced here over the years, and I just hope that we’ll be remembered in the same way as they are.” He continues, “I’ve always said that we come to every race with the intention of winning it, and that philosophy was born out of our success here, at Mesa Marin.”
Amongst the group of MB Duncan Motor Sports employees celebrating the season, the quiet and reserved Crew Chief, Bill Sedgwick continued to work, securing the #9 Lucas Oil/Ron’s Rear Ends/Green Frog Market Chevrolet in the garage. Sedgwick, the only other back-to-back Grand National Division West Series champion joked about the obvious comparisons that he and his driver will now share. “I still have a few records out there, and I guess I’ll have to quit before I let Mike break them”, cracked Bill. At that moment, Duncan broke in with an impromptu speech, recognizing the “awesome” job that Bill has done since being with Mike. Duncan toasted Sedgwick by saying, “I think we all know that without Bill, none of us would be here celebrating right now.”
Intertwined with the celebrating, Mike wanted to make sure the following entities were recognized for their significant contributions to the success of MB Duncan Motor Sports:
Lucas Oil, Quick Signs, Ron’s Rear Ends, Maropolus Racing Engines and Green Frog Market. Duncan also wanted to thank all of his family members and close friends who have helped in building his success at Mesa Marin through the years. “I’m not done racing, by any means,” Duncan states, “But with Mesa closing and the season ending at the same time, I sure wanted to let everyone know how much I appreciate their long-time support and friendships here at the track.”
The Toyota All-Star Showdown is next up for MB Duncan Motor Sports, and then it’s time to begin the planning for the 2006 season. Sure, there will be the awards banquets in New York and Las Vegas, but Duncan and Sedgwick will already be thinking of how they can notch a “threepeat” on their racing belts. We can hardly wait.
