Longmont motorsports team speeds to championship race
Sep. 24—Despite regularly racing a truck around a track at over 100 miles per hour, Adam Deines finds himself most anxious about disappointing his fans.
"I think that's the hardest part," Deines said. "Staying consistent. Living up to our reputation."
Deines is the driver for Deines Motorsports, a Longmont-based racing team competing in the Matco Tools Championship Saturday night at the Colorado National Speedway in Dacono. The speedway is the only NASCAR-sanctioned track in Colorado.
"People come from all over," Deines said, referencing fans who have traveled to the speedway from as close as Denver to as far as Kansas. "It's widespread."
Established in 2005, Deines Motorsports has accrued several wins and accolades from a long career of Pro Truck and Super Late Model racing. The Matco Tools Championship is the culminating race of their 2022 season, which began this spring.
Deines and his crew are leading by four points going into Saturday's race.
"This is a huge deal," Deines said. "We've made it to this level about five or six times, but the competition is very tough."
Since 2006, Deines has competed in Pro Truck races with the team's signature bright yellow Dodge Pro Truck No. 7. The team chose the color so audience members could spot it more easily.
"One announcer said it's the only truck you can see from outer space," Deines said.
Deines and his crew built the truck themselves and devote 15 to 20 hours per week to maintenance. It sports several sponsorships from Longmont businesses, such as Zach's Transmission and Roof Check Inc.
The team's similarly bright-yellow Super Late Model car won't be making an appearance at the race Saturday, Deines said. He hopes to bring it back out to the track next year once all the necessary tuneups are completed.
Buck Deines, Adam Deines' father, is the team's owner and crew chief. He remembers racing at competitions in Nebraska when he was a teenager in the 1960s.
"I've taught them how to weld and repair," Buck Deines said of the crew. "They can do pretty much anything I used to."
Both the Pro Truck and Super Late Model are stored in the garage of Buck Deines' Longmont home. It only takes about 10 minutes to drive to the speedway, which makes for a convenient commute to races and practices.
Josh Gardiner and Phil Keppel, two of the crew members, have known Adam Deines since they were kids.
"There's a lot of family camaraderie," Gardiner said. "These guys are like brothers to me."
Keppel, the team spotter, remembers when Deines Motorsports barely had five fans. Now, he said, audience members practically swarm the crew after every race.
"It's cool to see that you have an effect on people," he said. "You don't even know who they are, but they know who you are."
Keppel said his 17-year involvement with Deines Motorsports has been "one hell of a ride."
"I'm excited to run the final race and see where we end up, regardless of if we get first or second," he said. "I'm doing it with my brothers, and that's all I need."
