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Duayne Hommel winning the race of life
By admin | December 28, 2009
By Richard Allen
*This is not so much a story about racing as it is the story of a family’s deep, undying love for one another. Just a few days ago I had an opportunity to enjoy lunch with Duayne Hommel and his parents.
It only took a short period of time for Duayne Hommel to place himself among the best dirt late model racers in the country. Unfortunately for him and a great many fans, a short time is all he had.
Just five years into his super late model driving career Hommel suffered a terrible highway accident that left him near death. It was in September of 2003 that Hommel lost control of his car while driving home from his shop. The accident resulted in severe head injuries that would ultimately cut short what could have been one of the great driving careers in recent dirt racing history.
More than just losing his racing career, Hommel lost a great deal more that day. He is now bound to a wheelchair and has difficulty speaking. But with all that, he remains positive, upbeat and full of life in a situation that would have caused many to become gloomy and bitter.
Even during the darkest hours after his accident Hommel’s parents, Guy and Gayla, never gave up on their son’s life. “It’s been hard,” Mrs. Hommel admits. “But I wouldn’t trade it if it meant not having Duayne. We have him and that’s the most important thing.”
“He’s never had a single bed sore,” Guy(better known as Junior) remarked in reference to his wife’s devotion to her son’s care. “She had to quit her job and take of him full time.”
While Duayne has difficulty speaking, it is obvious from the look in his eyes that he loves his parents, and most of all, he loves life. He has a tremendous sense of humor and got quite a kick out of demonstrating how track announcers used to introduce him. “Duayne ‘Hollywoooood’ Hommel!” he exclaimed to the delight of each of us seated at the table where we shared lunch.
As for Hommel’s racing career, it began at an early age. He was racing three wheelers at four years old. Then came go-karts and motorcycles among other motorized vehicles.
His early racing adventures almost landed him in trouble on one occasion. His grandfather entered him in spectator race at the Volunteer Speedway, a race his mother knew nothing about until after the fact. “Somebody called me and said Duayne had won a race at Bulls Gap,” Mrs. Hommel remembered of that night. “I was fit to be tied.”
By the age of 16 he was racing, and winning, in open-wheel modifieds.
At the end of his time at Cocke County High School, Duayne had a decision to make. Aside from his blooming racing career he was a fine basketball player as well. He had an opportunity to go on and continue his hoops career in college. Ultimately, his love for racing won out. Mrs. Hommel remembered a day when her son was struggling with the decision of what to do. “He just came in one day and said ‘Mom, can I just race?’ and that was it,” she recalled.
Just three years after he began driving modifieds, Hommel took the wheel of his first super late model. He soon adopted a motto which he repeated to me during our lunch. “Show up, set fast time and lead every lap,” he declared.
As time went on that became more than just a motto. He began winning at a regular rate. He reached a pinnacle in 2002 when he won the O’Reilly Southern All Stars season championship.
When asked if he considered the 2002 championship to be the highlight of his time as a racer, Hommel replied with a characteristically enthusiastic, “Oh, yeah!” He also offered another “Oh, yeah!” when his dad mentioned beating legendary racer Scott Bloomquist as a career highlight.
During his time racing the super late models he considered the Tennessee tracks of Tazewell and Cleveland to be his favorites as well as the track in Gaffney, South Carolina. As a matter of fact, he was part of one of the great finishes in recent dirt racing history in Gaffney as he, Chris Madden and Earl Pearson, Jr. were involved in a three wide run around the final turn in which all three ended up spinning.
Unfortunately, his accident sidelined him just as he was reaching the very height of his racing career. In September of 2003, life as Duayne Hommel knew it was changed forever. He was leading the OSAS standings again that year and had such a lead that even with missing the final races of the season he was barely overtaken by Clint Smith for what would have been a second consecutive title in that series.
In recent months, a petition drive has been started to get Duayne considered for the ballot of the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame. Granted, his late model career was a short one. However, in that short time he made quite a splash.
Arguments could be made in either direction as to Hommel’s worthiness for the Hall of Fame.
For those who would say Hommel’s career was too short, allow me to offer this comparison. Sandy Koufax, who pitched for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers, is in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame despite only winning 165 games and pitching for a relatively short period of time due to health problems. His win totals and years in the majors fall short of just about every other pitcher in the MLB Hall of Fame. However, in the short span of his career he demonstrated a command of his sport like few others.
I don’t know what the requirements for the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame are exactly. However, I do know that the world is a better place because Duayne Hommel is in it. I believe the Hall of Fame would also be a better place with him in it.
Richard Allen is a member of the National Motorsports Press Association. His weekly column appears in The Mountain Press every Wednesday.
Topics: ALL ARTICLES, EAST TENNESSEE DRIVERS, Hommel, Duayne | 4 Comments »
December 29th, 2009 at 11:37 am
Duayne taught me how to help letter a car at the track one day, I was determined not to get so dirty but needless to say that when he needed help putting the lettering on the car to race in just a few minutes I was on the ground helping. Yes, I got dirty but man did I love every minute of it helping him like there was no tomorrow. I truely miss Duayne so much both on and off the track. There will never be anyone like him in the history of racing with that sense of style, humor and rugged good looks…
December 30th, 2009 at 10:18 am
He was and still is a Champion, God Bless this Family
January 10th, 2010 at 10:17 am
I am very sorry for what happen to DUAYNE I loved to wLL atch him race he was just amazing behind the wheel, And If all the other driver’s would tell the truth he was alway’s one to beat when he pulled in at a track!!!!!!!!! AND YES HE SHOULD BE IN THE HALL OF FAME HE WAS ONE OF THE GREAT’S IN THE FEW YEAR’S THAT HE GOT TO LIVE HIS DREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!STAY STRONG DUAYNE YOU ARE STILL WINNING THE RACE OF LIFE!!! YOU WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN
May 17th, 2010 at 2:12 am
I worked for Duayne’s Grandparents, Guy Sr. and Magda Hommel; and his father, Guy Jr., for several years and know Duayne and the family personally. The day of the accident, Duayne came by the office to get his Grandfather’s backhoe. One of the guys that worked for Duayne and Jr. in the race shop had a horse to die and Duayne needed the backhoe to bury it for him. Duayne was always so sweet to me and my 8 yr. old daughter thought he was greatest thing since sunshine. He had been going through a rough patch in his personal life, but things were looking up and he was so happy. I was so proud of him. We talked for quite a while, he left with the backhoe, I went on home….then got the call late that night from his first cousin, Laura. From that moment, life as we all that were close to the Hommels, changed. I am so proud and blessed to know all of this family and count them as some of my dearest friends. Racing will never be the same without Duayne or the Hommels’ influence.