Delucca Racing

The Pettys, Waltrips and Earnhardts may be stock car racing dynasties, but the DeLuccas — father Ted and sons Adam and Dave — are also a true racing family. Along with their friends Ron and Nancy Spencer, the DeLuccas make up the DelWal Racing Team, which is tuning up the #6 DelWal Buick for the 2005 season at White Mountain Motorsports Park.

Adam, who claimed "Rookie of the Year" honors in the Super Street Division last year, will drive the car built by Ted, the master mechanic, and tended by Dave, the crew chief while Spencer provides regular traffic reports as the team's spotter.

A notch above "strictly stock," cars competing in the super street division are allowed enhanced suspension, more powerful engines and bigger tires, Dave explained. Ted and Dave have souped up the stock General Motors engine to turn out 345 horsepower. Cars must weigh at least 3,000 pounds, including the driver, and carry no more than 54 percent of it on the left side.

As Ted and Dave riveted sheet metal panels to the frame in the basement garage of the family homestead on Parade Road, they teased Adam about the time spent banging out dents. "There are crashes," Ted said. "But, they're never Adam's fault," the family chanted in unison.

A 30 year-old plumber by trade, Adam caught the racing bug from his uncles, three of whom raced. "My uncle asked if we wanted to build a race car," Adam said, "so we did." He's been racing five years, but has no aspirations to drive on the NASCAR circuits. "Those guys start in their teens," he said. "I didn't start soon enough." However, in May he will make up for lost time. Perhaps hoping to reduce the collisions, his family treated him to place at Richard Petty's Driving School at the New Hampshire International Speedway.

The team will compete in some 20 races on Saturday nights between May and September, vying for points that determine the driver and team standings at the close of the season. "We race for points, that's the whole point" remarked Adam, "and to have a good time." At each program Adam will drive a qualifying heat of 12 laps and a 30-lap feature race around the quarter-mile banked asphalt oval at North Woodstock.

"He'll get around in 14.3, maybe 14.4 seconds," Dave said. "That's averaging about 65 miles an hour and maybe hitting 85 on the straight-aways. But, there not much straight-away on a quarter- mile track." Adam is in radio contact with Spencer in the pits. "He can't see anything until it's alongside him," Spencer explained. "I let him know if anyone's on the outside or the inside along with any cautions or incidents on the track. He's got mirrors, but you're not on I-93 out there," he continued. "He's always concentrating straight ahead."

"Unless Ron points out a good looking woman in turn four," said Nancy Spencer, who quickly added "be sure to mention Adam is single."

Ted said it cost $12,600 to prepare and race the car last season, including $2,200 in repairs from one crash. "It's about $200 a week, if nothing goes wrong," he said, shooting a glance at Adam. High octane fuel cost more than $4 a gallon last year and may approach $5 this year and tires run about $100 apiece, he said.

Some 20 sponsors — including Steadfast Construction, NAPA Auto Parts, DMC Surveyors, West Alton Marina, White Ribbon Water, Wilkinson-Beane Funeral Home, Murphy's Auto and N.W. Morrisette & Sons — provided $6,800 to the team. "$50 gets your name on the car and a T-shirt and a night of dining and dancing at the close of the season," said Nancy, who serves as the team's public relations department. "We're always looking for sponsors to join the family."