Marty Gordon
NRVsports@mainstreetnewspapers.com
Two major crashes on separate speedways in the past six years have not kept Christiansburg’s Derrick Lancaster from having a need for speed.
Last month, the 53-year-old was back on the track at Pulaski County Motorsports Park in the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) series event. He started 17th out of 42 cars and moved up to fifth, where he finished in the race.
“I have the bug in my veins and still want to race,” he said last week.
Lancaster felt he had a top three car in the race, but just like other drivers, he had to learn how to handle the new tires, one of the new changes associated with the IHRA events.
From 2008 to 2020, Lancaster competed in several late model races, including the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series, the CARS Super Late Model Tour, the Dirty Dozen, and the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown Series. He mostly drove in the Weekly Series, getting 28 top-fives, 78 top-10s, and one win in a stake of 128 starts in 11 years.
Lancaster made his ARCA Racing Series (now ARCA Menards Series) start in 2014, driving the No. 56 Dodge Charger for Danny Glad Racing. He drove for them at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, finishing thirteenth and sixth respectively.
Then things turned a little tricky for Lancaster. In August 2020, he suffered a series crash at Kingsport Speedway when his car was clipped by another car. The incident sent him head-on into the Turn 4 wall. The car burst into flames as it slid down the racetrack, with safety and rescue crews arriving on the scene.
The safety and rescue crews extracted Lancaster from the car, and he was taken to the Houston Valley Medical Center for an MRI scan, and for further evaluations.
The MRI scan results confirmed that Lancaster suffered a hairline fracture, also sometimes called a hangman’s fracture, a specific type of cervical spine injury. It typically involves a fracture of the second cervical vertebra (C2). This injury is often associated with traumatic events, such as hanging or severe whiplash.
Symptoms may include neck pain, neurological deficits, or paralysis. Diagnosis is usually confirmed through imaging studies like X-rays or MRI. Treatment can range from immobilization to surgical intervention, depending on severity.
Lancaster was in a cervical collar for three months and was told by doctors, he should not race again. But just like he said last week, the “need for speed” was still in his blood. It was less six months when Lancaster told the world he was going to race again.
Upon his return in 2021, he would suffer another major accident. This time at the Talladega Superspeedway. He was running fifth in the ARCA race even when he made contact with another driver on the backstretch, causing his car to hit the outside retaining wall. The car burst into flames, and Lancaster’s car spun into the infield grass.
He was taken to the University of Alabama Birmingham Burn Center for further evaluations, where he would be put on a ventilator for 48 to 72 hours while doctors tried to assess the lung damage. Lancaster suffered first, second, and third-degree burns on his arms, neck, and face, and would later suffer pneumonia.
Today, he does not show or even feel the results from the two incidents. For months after the second one, where he suffered burns, his right hand and arm had its share of dead skin. He now has full use of the hand and has little or no swelling. He also has full motion of his neck.
“[My neck] was stiff at first, but I have it pretty much back as normal,” Lancaster said.
The new IHRA stock series is built to restore the true essence of grassroots stock car racing. The series emphasizes driver talent, balanced competition and cost-controlled rules while delivering a national platform for local racers.
Lancaster said he had mixed emotions at first but feels comfortable as he knows several of the current race officials who have a lot of experience in the sport.
In comparison, the longtime driver said NASCAR had pushed many of the “hometown drivers” out of the sports.
“They (NASCAR) had got too technical. You almost had to have an engineer with you to run with them. The IHRA is bringing back true local Saturday night racing. It is not as expensive to run in this series compared to others in the past,” he said.
The numbers speak for themselves. From 1988-1990, Late Model drivers could build a car for $25,000. The amount rose to $50,000 in 2005, $75,000 in 2010-2020 to $125,000 now.
“With the IHRA, you can take an older car and update it for half of that. In addition, with the IHRA payout, you have some return on money,” he said.
Overall, the series will offer a simplified rules package, affordable participation and transparent competition standards that put the focus back where it belongs: skill, determination and the spirit of American short-track racing.
“We are bringing stock car racing back to its roots,” said Darryl Cuttell, owner of IHRA.
“This is racing that rewards driver skill, smart setups, and teamwork—not massive
budgets. It’s exactly the kind of competition fans love, and competitors deserve.”
The series will run at IHRA partner facilities from the Southeast to the Midwest. Racers will compete for their portion of the $2 million purse, along with series-specific awards and expanded championship opportunities as the program grows.
Lancaster has two cars to run the IHRA series, three for Late Model events, and two cars for Limited Sportsman. He, along with Jason and Matt Lawrence, will drive the different cars on different nights.
In addition to these events, Lancaster is considering another run at Kingsport Speedway, his first since the 2020 fiery crash. He also plans to run several Late Model events at Pulaski County Motorsports Park. The first weekly series race will be April 25.
Lancaster’s next race will be a part of the continued IHRA stock car series, Saturday, April 18 at Cordele Motor Speedway in Cordele, Georgia. The series will return to Pulaski on July 25.
