25/04/2020
Dennis Lane interview from 2019
- Nickname - Superman
- D.O.B. - May 21st 1993
- Birthplace - Jasper Alabama
- Family -
“Racecar Drivers are lucky enough to have Two families. The family that they’re born into and the family they gain at the racetrack.”
Mom - Penny Lane
Dad - Dennis Lane Sr.
Sister - Penelope Hartley
Brother - Shane Jones
Niece and Nephews - Zoey, Lane, and Jackson Hartley
Michael, Karen, Shane, Steve, Bryce, Kirsty, and Colin - Neely Motorsports
Chris, Melody, and Hunter - Hello Hunter Motorsports
Jackie, Brent, Skylar, Jacob, and Ryan - OutKast Racing
- Home track - Huntsville Speedway
- Race team - Neely Motorsports
- Division - Buzz Division
- Website - I have a fan page on Facebook. It's Dennis Lane Jr. The team also has a page, Neely Motorsports
In 2019 Dennis Lane will be racing for a new team and will be racing for a championship for the first time since 2016. If he can win the championship at Huntsville Speedway, Dennis would have Championships at both Sayre Speedway and Huntsville Speedway. His best friend Shane, also drives for the team in the Super Stock division. He's really looking forward to having Shane there to help him out and sorta be a mentor to him as he transition into a full time Huntsville driver. They have 3 drivers racing for Neely Motorsports, which will field 3 different divisions of cars out of the same shop . Michael Neely #92 SuperTruck, Shane Jones #192 SuperStock, and Dennis Lane #92 Buzz. It’s not really like a normal race team, it’s more less like a big family. We asked Dennis a few questions this off season and here is what he had to say.
- How did you get started?
I was born on a Friday night, and the next Friday we were at the racetrack. I guess you could say I was born into it. At the end of the 2013 season Chris Frost and Hunter Gurley asked me to drive one of their road warrior cars at the Thunderdome. I got two 5th place finishes in the two races I drove for him. In 2015 I was blessed enough to be asked to drive for Chris and Hunter at Hello Hunter Motorsports in the buzz division at Sayre Speedway. We finished 3rd in Points and won rookie of the year. I owe a lot to Chris and Hunter because without them believing in me and allowing me to prove myself in their car, none of the opportunities I’ve been given since would even be possible.
- What was the first race you ever went to that you remember?
The first race I can really remember was back in 02 or 03 I believe. Going to the track with my dad, Uncle Daniel, and cousins Danny and Josh to crew for Uncle D and Danny in the Pure Street division. It was my only time to get to BIR (Birmingham International Raceway) before it was torn down.
- Most enjoyable thing about racing?
Honestly for me the most enjoyable thing is getting to go to the racetrack with your friends and family and just have a good time. Of course we all wanna win and that’s the goal. But trophies eventually collect dust and wins will be forgotten. The memories you make with your friends and family will last a life time.
- What kind of success have you been having at each track since you started racing?
I race in 4 cylinder front wheel drive Class known as Buzz. I raced at Sayre Speedway in 2015 and 2016 driving for Chris Frost and Hunter Gurley at Hello Hunter Motorsports in the #64 Honda. We tallied 19 Wins throughout both seasons. Picked up Rookie of the Year in 2015 and the Buzz Track Championship in 2016. In 2017 I ran a handful of races at Sayre for the then newly formed OutKast Racing team. We then ventured out to Huntsville Speedway late in the 2017 season, and I absolutely fell in love with the place. Great track, great staff, just a great place to race at in general. Got my one and only win at Huntsville so far in the last race of the 2017 season. That is the stand alone win for OutKast Racing. In 2018 we didn’t race but a handful of times. We made the trip to Sayre once with the OutKast Racing #14 car. Started 4th and Finished 2nd. We took the hour and a half trip to Huntsville three times with the #14 car. Ended up fighting mechanical issues all three times. Falling out of two of the three races and placing 3rd in the other. In the midst of all the issues with the #14 I managed to catch the eye of Neely Motorsports owners Michael and Karen Neely. They offered for me to drive their #92 Bama Parts, Steam Master Carpet Cleaning Saturn in the buzz division. My best friend, Shane, is a driver for Neely Motorsports as well in the Super Stock division. So I knew it would be an easy transition with him being there for me to talk to and get advice from. I accepted and we ran 3 races together this past season. Finishing 3rd out of 11 the first start. 2nd in the second race. Most recently we ran the Fall Brawl race on November 17th and finished 2nd out of 10 cars. In all 3 of those races the crew deserved a win, but the driver made a few mistakes and let the team down.
- What are your plans for 2019?
Well after the Fall Brawl race me and Michael talked and have discussed a lot of things. We’ve decided to team up for 2019 and go after the Huntsville Speedway Buzz Track Championship with the #92 Bama Parts Saturn. I’m very grateful for the opportunity that he and Karen are giving me. With us teaming up and of course Shane being there to help me learn and give me advice and be there for me to lean on for anything I need I know we’ll have a great season. Shane, Michael, and Steve are all great mentors and I know they’ll help me to become a better driver. Since I started to drive the #92, we’ve all became more of a big family than just a race team. Too me that matters a lot. Things are always better when you’re able to cut up and have a good time with your family at the track. I’m very thankful that they all believe in me and are willing to take a chance on me. I know that with the crew we have, the way they support me and stand behind me no matter what, that being Shane, Michael, Steve, Karen, Kirsty, Bryce, The Campbell’s, I know that if the driver just does his job and gets up on the wheel then we’ll be in good shape. We’ll have a Championship Caliber crew and car, driver just has to get back to Championship Caliber.
- When you unload your car whats the first thing you check before you hit the track? What type of adjustments do you do on race night to your car?
First thing you always need to check is your lug nuts and make sure they’re tight. Don’t need to tear up a racecar because of a simple mistake. As far as adjustments, I’m lucky enough to have a great crew with Shane, Steve, and Michael. After practice we’ll discuss what the cars doing and they’ll make adjustments accordingly.
- What type of things can you do to your car to make it quicker each week?
I’m not gonna lie to you guys, I’m not that keen when it comes to the mechanical side of things. I’ve been called the modern day Cole Trickle because I lack mechanical knowledge but have the ability to run up front. I’ve gotten better over the last few years learning a little bit from Chris when I was driving for him. And now I’m learning from Michael and Steve. Shane has been great also, he’s been really good at explaining things to me In a way that I can understand easier. I’ve learned a good bit from him. But, in my opinion the best way I can make the car quicker is to give my crew good feed back as to what the car is doing during practice and such so that adjustments can be made so we hit the set up as close to perfect as possible.
- Who are some your favorite drivers to race against?
Well, this past season I got to race against Chris a couple times. Which was really a neat deal for me. Him giving me my start and us being successful together made it really cool to finally get to compete against him. Unfortunately for me though he got the best of me both times.
Also, racing against Shane and Michael was really cool. Chris was in that race too. That’s only happened once. We all finished top 5. Chris took the W, with Shane 2nd, I was 4th, and Michael was 5th.
But racing against my buddy Wesley Schuffert was always fun. We always raced each other really hard. But really clean for the most part. Same with Kassey Rogers. We always had a blast racing against each other.
- What type of driver do you think you take after?
Oh boy, that’s tough. Really hard to say. Although a lot of people don’t like him, I’m just gonna say Joey Logano. I wouldn’t just flat out wreck someone to win, but I would move someone to win. After watching him and Truex at Martinsville that’s where my mind goes when I read this question.
“I’m a hard racer. I don’t think that’s a secret to anyone. I wasn’t gonna wreck him to win, I just was gonna get him up the track so I could get a run. I owe it to my crew and sponsors to give it everything I got and do everything I can to try to win.” - Joey Logano
That Joey Logano interview pretty much sums up how I feel about every race I enter.
- If theres something you would change about racing what would it be?
Umm, that's a tough one. One thing I would change about Sayre Speedway is them not allowing you to use radios. You’re only allowed to have a spotter if you race Late Models or Open Wheel Modifieds. I believe if you wanna have a spotter you should be allowed to no matter what division you’re in. Huntsville Speedway already has that rule in place, they allow you to use radios in every division.
- If you had the chance to drive in a different division at your local short track which one would it be and why?
Without a doubt it would be the STAR Super Truck division. I’ve always wanted to race a truck. They’re just really neat to me. The competition level of the Super Truck division is awesome as well. There’s quite a few trucks that can win on any given night. Plus, I’d get to race against my car owner, Michael, who was the 2016 STAR Super Truck Champion which would be a cool deal for me.
- Favorite thing to do when not racing?
I like playing Xbox. NASCAR Heat 3. NBA 2K. I also like watching football and just relaxing and texting my friends usually playing iMessage games.
- Tell us something about you that would surprise your fans.
Umm, probably the fact that I’m absolutely terrified of spiders and snakes. If there’s a spider or snake any where near me I’ll freak out. I get picked on a lot by Michael, Shane, and Karen about it but it is what it is. They find it really amusing , I just can’t deal with either one of them.
Dennis' Favorites
- Movie - Days of Thunder
- TV Show - Street Outlaws & Riverdale
- Food - Cheese Fries
- Singer - Ryan Upchurch, Brantley Gilbert, and Thomas Rhett
- NASCAR Driver -
- Cup - #22 Joey Logano & #18 Kyle Busch
- Xfinity - #19 Brandon Jones
- Truck - #4 Todd Gilliland & #18 Harrison Burton
- ARCA - #15 Chandler Smith
- K&N - #19 Hailee Deegan & #16 Derek Kraus
- Track - Bristol, there's just something about short track racing under the lights! I also love Martinsville. Short track races are awesome.
- Sports Team - Tennessee Volunteers
- Tell us a story about one of your best racing weekends?
Well, its known to most people close to me and Sayre Speedway fans that I lost my mother to cancer on May 23rd, 2015. Before she passed away she had made me promise that no matter when the good lord decided to take her that id still be In the racecar doing what I loved. She passed away at 5 o'clock on Saturday morning. As she wished I went and raced that night. Qualified 2nd, with the pole winner rolling the dice it moved me to a 5th place start. Went on to finish a hard fought 3rd. Earning my first top 3 at Sayre. Chris had done a demo that same night and was supposed to drive the car the next day at the Thuderdome. He was a little stoved up and sore so I got called upon to drive. I drew the pole and led flag to flag. Picked up my first feature win that day. Also won the following Saturday night at Sayre Speedway to pick up my 1st Sayre win, just a week after the passing of my mom.
- Is there any wins that stick out? Tell us about them.
Well, of course the back to back King of Dixie wins come to mind. But one of my favorite wins came on September 30th, 2017 at Huntsville Speedway. It’s one of my favorites for a couple of reasons. First off, it was my first and only win at Huntsville Speedway. Also, it was the first win for OutKast Racing. Second, during the 2017 season there was two different buzz classes. Amateur Buzz and Pro Buzz. Well on this night there was only a few Pro Buzz cars showed up, so they combined the classes and made Amateur Buzz, which is the class I was in, and Pro Buzz, which is the class my buddy Shane was racing in at the time, race together. So all the cars were on the track at once, but it was two separate races. But it was a really cool night because Shane won Pro Buzz and I won Amateur Buzz. So getting to share Victory Lane with my best friend and getting to enjoy that moment was really neat and just cool to experience.
- Who were some of your hero’s at the track when you were growing up?
I took a break from going to the racetrack for awhile, and I started going back in 2009/2010. When i started going back there was this #88 Mini Stock car that everyone loved to boo and hate on. Found out quick why. He was fast and he was good. His name is Nick Martin. I decided then I wanted to be like Nick. So I guess you’d say he was my hero. Saw a quote by Brad Keselowski once “The most rewarding thing that can happen to a racecar driver is to be boo’d. Because you know you’re beating their driver every week.”
So that became what I wanted.
Answered by Neely Motorsports owners Michael and Karen Neely
- With it being your first year working together, what are the expectations and goals for the 2019 season?
Michael - “Wins and contend for a championship.”
Karen - “A few wins would be nice. And have fun. Gotta have fun when we’re at the track. If everything falls into place, a championship would be a bonus.”
- What made Dennis stand out to you and your team? What made you select him as the driver of your car?
Michael - “He’s not afraid to drive it off in there. He’s a great guy and good to get along with.”
Karen - “I was impressed by Dennis’ driving abilities as well as his hard work and determination both on and off the track. He’s an incredible young man that we are proud to have on our team and to call a part of our racing family. He already has a great winning record and we hope to help him add to that record.”
- Here are some fun questions
- If there was one nascar driver you could race one on one who would it be and why. and one driver you would not want to race?
Would wanna race - Joey Logano. I’d pick him because to be the best you gotta beat the best. He’s very talented and with him being the 2018 Champion he’s the best right now.
Wouldn’t wanna race - If I had to pick it would probably be Ryan Newman. All the drivers say he races like a moron. So we would probably end up with two torn up racecars.
- Who’s your favorite driver/drivers from your local track? Not affiliated with your team.
I pull for my buddy Justin Bonnett. He’s started running Modified at Huntsville Speedway and it’s getting a handle on things. I pull for Andrew Whitaker a lot too in the Truck division.So I guess they’d be my favorites of those not on our team.
- If you could get any one sponsor, what would it be?
Locally - Busters Pawn, Busters Bait and Tackle. They’re great people and I’d really like the opportunity to represent their business and put them in Victory Lane.
NASCAR Sponsor Wise - Pepsi. I love drinking Pepsi and I always like the Pepsi schemes Jeff Gordon had. Think we could have a cool paint scheme with Pepsi as a sponsor.
- Christmas few days away. What gift do you want for your race car this year?
Uhh, I’m not sure about a gift for the racecar. But the driver needs a new helmet. So maybe Santa could bring me a new helmet for Christmas lol
- Tell us a holiday memory from the past. doesnt have to be about racing.
Probably my favorite holiday memory is me and my cousins eating dinner and then taking off on four wheelers and just having fun. Just getting quality family and enjoying ourselves.
- Racing is one big happy family. Who are some of the great people you have met so far through your racing career? Tell us about them.
Oh boy, that’s tough, there’s a long list of people in my book. I’ll do my best to name them, but I know I’m gonna leave someone out.
Michael and Karen Neely. We instantly hit it off and now I’m driving for their team. From day one they’ve both looked out for me like I was part of their family.
Shane Jones. He taught me how to get around Huntsville Speedway. He’s given me tons of advice and taught me a lot both in racing and in life. He’s the type of person that would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. I’m proud to call him my best friend.
Bryce Carver - Ole Ned, he and I became really good friends when I started helping crew for NMS at the beginning of this past season. He’s a great young man that’s very talented. He’d help anyone that needed it. We joke around a lot and always have a fun keeping the tension light in the pit area
Steve Jones - Steve fits into the same category as Michael and Karen. He’s given me a ton of advice and would do anything possible to help. With me and Shane being best friends he’s always took me under his wing and looked out for me like I was his adopted son.
Michael, Karen, Steve, Shane, Bryce, and Myself(Neely Motorsports) are really just one big dysfunctional racing family.
Chris Frost, Hunter Gurley, Melody Humber - These folks gave me my opportunity. There’s nothing they wouldn’t do to help someone in need. They’ve had my back both in racing, and in my personal life when needed. I could never thank them enough.
Joe Davis - Joes a great guy. He helps out NMS a bit, but he helps so many different people at the track. He’d do whatever he could to help anyone. And I’m glad to call him a friend.
Mark Vess and Angela Self - Two great people. As small business owners, they do a lot for Huntsville Speedway. They’ve sponsored quite a few race cars and a good number of races as well. Buster’s Pawn does whatever it takes to try to help Huntsville Speedway succeed.
Robbie and Karen Edger - Two of the nicest people you could ever meet. They’ve dedicated themselves to the Huntsville Speedway so that we all have a wonderful facility to race at. The racetrack means so much to so many people. And we can’t thank them enough for everything they do to keep the racetrack up and running!
Austin Finley - Me and Austin became friends back in 2015 and have been really good friends since. We’re always on the phone bouncing idea off of each other. The racetrack will bring you friendships that last a lifetime, safe to say this is one of them.
I know I’m forgetting someone, and I apologize. Just so many great people you meet in racing there’s no possible way to name them all.
Who would you like to thank?
Yeah, I Gotta Thank...
First and foremost, gotta Thank God for blessing me with all the opportunities I’ve been given so far .
My Dad - for always believing in me and making me keep my head up even if I wanted to give up.
Michael and Karen Neely - for believing in me and letting me drive for their team.
Shane Jones - for believing in me and giving me advice and always having my back. And for always pushing me to be the best I can be.
Bryce Carver - For being my pit crew last season and helping me out any way ya could. Him, Shane, and myself are always there to help each other out and try to make each other better. Thanks Ned.
Steve Jones - for believing in me and always going over the car and just making sure everything’s good to go.
Chris Frost - for giving me my start and helping me prove myself. For having my back no matter the situation And for still believing in me now.
OutKast Racing - for allowing me to do what I feel like is best for me right now, which is driving for Neely Motorsports. I’ll be back in the #14 at some point soon!
My Sister, Penelope - for believing in me from the time I was little and was running around making racecar noises. Although you think it’s dumb that this is what I love to do, and it scares you, you still support me. So thank you and I love you.
Jacob Calloway, Ryan Laye, Austin Finley, Andrew Whitaker, Angela Self, Jimmy Meadows - you guys are some of the best friends anyone could ask for. Y’all all have been there for me and believed in me no matter what the circumstances or situation. Thank y’all.
Everyone be sure to check out Bama Parts in Hazel Green, AL for any parts you may need on your American made Vehicles!
- Finally tell us about winning the 2018 GFI nascar Fantasy Challenge?
Yeah absolutely, ya know I had gotten side tracked early in the season and forgot to pick for a few weeks which really put me in a hole. But still made the playoffs and was seeded really low. Got really lucky with my Talladega picks, Timothy Peters and Aric Almirola both winning. Somehow ended up getting lucky enough to win the whole deal. And to be the lowest seed(14th) to ever win it is really neat as well.
Thanks to Green Flag Interviews and the whole staff for everything yall do. You guys help evolve our sport and help young drivers get their name out there. So thanks to y'all for what you do!
If you’d like to contact Dennis...
Instagram - laned92
Thank you Dennis for this great interview! Good luck in 2019!
12-23-2018
