Windham racer Kneeland revs up NASCAR career

Windham auto racer Derek Kneeland owns his own Super
Late Model car and has been competing in racing since he 
first climbed into a go-kart at age 8. He now works for 
NASCAR racing teams as a spotter for drivers such as
Tyler Reddick, Austin Hill, Corey Heim, Daniel Dye,
and Kyle Busch. COURTESY PHOTO

By Ed Pierce

Derek Kneeland’s passion for auto racing runs deep and it not only has become his career; it’s led him to places he’s never been before and experiences he wouldn’t have had otherwise like the Daytona 500.

Kneeland, 36, grew up in Windham in a racing family and the need to compete on the racetrack is in his blood.

“My dad Jeff raced back in the 1970s and my grandfather used to be the general manager of Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough back when it was clay,” Kneeland said. “My family worked the ticket booths and concessions, so I was pretty destined to get involved somehow and we started racing go-karts when I was 8 years old.”

He currently owns his own Super Late Model racecar and tries to race as much as he can when he has free time from his work with teams in NASCAR races. That career began as a spotter during a race in Pennsylvania 14 years ago and has evolved to jobs in the NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series.

“Each year is a little different on how much I can race due to my NASCAR schedule and obligations,” Kneeland said. “This year I will race three or four times. I travel around to race kind of wherever I can when I’m able. I race with Pro All-Stars series and the Oxford, Granite State Pro Stock Series. I’ve won a few heat races but my best finish in a feature/main event is fifth last year at Oxford.” 

 

He currently works for Richard Childress Racing spotting for the #8 car of Tyler Reddick. Kneeland also spots for RCR's Xfinity team with Austin Hill in the #21 car, and in the truck series he spots for Kyle Busch’s Motorsports #51 truck shared by Busch, Corey Heim, and Buddy Kofoid. In the Arca series, he spots for the #43 car of Daniel Dye. 

As a NASCAR spotter, Kneeland relays information to the driver of the team he works for, keeping them alert of what is occurring on the track. To get a complete look at the racetrack, he is usually positioned on top of one of the grandstands or support buildings.

“For me I think the hardest part is I don’t get to race weekly like most do because of traveling around the country working my NASCAR duties, so there are a few things I need to clean up to figure out such as how to go faster and be better as a driver as a whole. And money obviously, it takes a lot of money to race these cars and be competitive.”

According to Kneeland, the toughest track he’s raced on was a track he competed at during the “Money in the Bank” event at the Berlin Raceway in Michigan on June 8.

“Both ends were different,” he said. “One end was long and sweeping and one was tighter, and I had to slow down more. It was challenging to find the balance needed to be fast.”

His biggest fans are his family, including his wife, Carley, two stepsons Kolby and Logan, his parents Jeff and Kelly Kneeland, and his sister, Tasha.

“Everyone is super supportive. My dad and my cousin Rusty Poland and my good buddy, Nick Brown, all work together on my car and Rusty’s,” Kneeland said. “It’s definitely a family sport. My parents and my wife every weekend tune into the NASCAR app to listen to me spot for my drivers as well. They love it all whether it’s getting to watch me behind the wheel or listen to me do my job on a weekly basis.” 

He says that sponsors are tough to come for his own racecar, but each year it seems like he’s been lucky enough to have a few that stick by him for the select races he competes in. His sponsors include Sumerian Irrigation, Bonang Concrete, SOS towing, One Stop Earthworks, Logan Oil, Drew Excavation, and Pierson Heating and Cooling, along with some family and friends that step up throughout the year. 

So far Kneeland has raced his own car at tracks in Maine, New Hampshire, Michigan and North Carolina, and he plans to race in Florida at the end of this year. He says the biggest race he’s been in behind the wheel himself is the Oxford 250, where he raced against NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski.

“My next race is Friday July 15 at Lee Speedway in Lee, New Hampshire,” Kneeland said. “It’s also the same weekend that NACSAR is racing at Loudon, New Hampshire, so I’ll be coming over to Lee after we have practice at Loudon that afternoon.”

As far as the future goes, Kneeland said he’d really like to get a Feature win on the racetrack before he’s done whether it’s a weekly race or a touring race.

“I don’t really have a timeline on when I’m going to get done,” Kneeland said. I’m just enjoying it for now and I try to help my cousin Rusty Poland as much as possible, so I think when I’m done racing myself, I’ll probably have Rusty race for me some.” <

‘Need for Speed’ powers Windham racer to track success

Windham Auto Racer Rusty Poland competes at Oxford Plains
Speedway and Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in a super late model
Chevy with a distance racing chassis built by Jeff Taylor.
Poland owns the racecar with his father, Wayne Poland.
SUBMITTED PHOTO

By Ed Pierce

The thrill of competition and taking the checkered flag are what continue to motivate Windham auto racer Rusty Poland.

From as far back as he can remember, Poland, who turns 26 next week, has yearned to race and improve his skills on the track. Starting out in go-karts as a child and moving up to 250-lap stock car races, Poland has become a name well-known to racing fans in Maine through the years.   

“My grandfather Chummy Brown started racing at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough on Day 1 and never looked back from there,” Poland said. “He still works on my racecar to this day almost daily at the young age of 82.”

Poland’s fans have cheered as he’s won national and divisional championships from Maine to Florida in go-karts, then moved up to compete in full-body racecars and won races in the sport series division and pass races in the sportsman division at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway. His top mark to date in the super late model division has been a second-place finish in a race at Oxford Plains Speedway, but he’s also optimistic about his chances this year.

“I’m working really hard to earn it, but hopefully we can finally make it happen this season,” Poland said.

During his racing career, he’s captured the World Karting Association National Championship, four WKA divisional championships and was honored as the 2013 PASS Sportsman Rookie of the Year.

On June 28 Poland was 12^th overall out of 34 cars entered in a 150-lap pass tour race at Oxford and his goal remains to get better every time out on the track.

His #44 super late model Chevy is a distance racing chassis built by Jeff Taylor, who Poland describes as one of the best chassis builders in the northeastern United States. Additional parts for Poland’s racecar are maintained and installed by him and his crew and he co-owns the car along with his father, Wayne Poland.

“This season we will be traveling to a couple tracks in New Hampshire to race as well,” Poland said. “A normal race for us is 50 laps and then we run a couple of the bigger shows that are 150 laps and last year we competed in the famous Oxford 250 which was 250 laps.”

In Poland’s opinion, the best thing about racing is all of it.

“I love everything about it. It’s brought me close with so many friends,” he said. “I consider them family and how much of a family sport it is for myself. My grandfather, my mom, my dad, my aunts, my uncles, and my cousins all support me and come to almost every race and always try and help in any way possible. It’s extremely humbling to have the support group that I have and I’m extremely blessed.” 

According to Poland, a 2012 graduate of Windham High School, the most challenging aspect of racing is the constant fight to do better each time out on the racetrack.

Windham Auto Racer Rusty Poland, right, has been racing for
much of his life with the encouragement  of his father, Wayne
Poland, left. Poland's grandfather, Chummy Brown, 82, used to race
in Scarborough and still helps out by working on Poland's car to
this very day. SUBMITTED PHOTO 

“Setups on the cars are always changing and everyone’s finding new things to go faster and it’s just really hard to keep up with and hard to afford buying some of the things for being a small family team like us,” he said. “But at the same time, it’s also that aspect that gives you the thrill and excitement on the nights when you do well.”

He said that the worst part of racing to him is the money involved to stay competitive.

“Not so much the dollar bills themselves, but everything takes money,” Poland said. “Something breaks and it has to be replaced and fixed, you crash it’s going to cost you more money to buy new parts. A lot of teams put so much into it and to see stuff like that happen is a real reality check and bummer for anyone.” 

When he’s not racing, Poland works for Casella Waste Systems in the maintenance department as a diesel truck technician.

He’s also a Maine certified welder and has done a lot of welding and truck body rebuilds. In the little free time he does have, he enjoys snowmobiling, dirt biking and anything that has a motor involved with it.

Poland says he owes a great deal to his sponsors, who have allowed him to pursue his dreams.

“I have some awesome sponsors and I would never be close to where I am today without them,” he said. “I have Derek Kneeland Racing who is actually my cousin and a NASCAR spotter for Kyle Larson. We have Casella Waste Systems who has sponsored me since the very first season and also my mother father and myself are employees there.”

Other sponsors of Poland are Morrell’s Excavation and Septic, Bonang Concrete LLC, Timmons Machine and Ty-gar Machine in Windham, Kruzecks Garage, Maine-ly batteries and his friends and family also chip in and give him tire money and such when they are able to do so. 

As far as his future is concerned, Poland said that he’s realistic, realizing how difficult it is to compete in NASCAR races.

“But I would love to be able to get a ride driving someone else’s racecar and being able to do some pass tour races and things like that would be my top of the line deal that I’d love to see in the future,” he said.

His advice for those considering a racing career is to not ever give up on your dreams.

“If it’s worth everything you put into it, keep the drive and determination to get better, fight through the hard times and enjoy the good times,” Poland said. “Racing is a roller coaster of emotions, but with the right attitude you’ll get through it. And most importantly, surround yourself with good people and good things will happen. Never lose respect or thankfulness of the people that give up time to help you follow your dreams. It takes an army to run a race team.” <