|
|
|
|
|
Topic: My Buddy Drano.....
|
Email this topic to a friend |
Subscribe to this Topic
| Report this Topic to Moderator
|
|
Page 1 of 2 of 22 replies
|
|
|
|
|
May 03, 2009 at
11:01:25 AM
|
|
|
Joined:
|
11/23/2004
|
|
Posts:
|
3943
|
|
|
|
It's Friday night, I'm on my way to the front door, the delivery man has knocked bringing dinner from my favorite restaurant and I answer the phone 6 feet away from the front door, mistake. Mike Sweeton tells me you're gone, I tell Mike Sweeton he's wrong, there's a joke in here somewhere, right?
It's been a very long winter and the topic most discussed by Duane and I has been our own mortality and how relevant the subject has been with developing health issues concerning the both of us. We talked almost weekly and have for many years now. Politics, people, racing and his beloved Hoseheads carried the conversation up until the last few months, then it centered on life and what does the future hold, for all of us. It was like we were growing up, but we didn't want to, trust me.
Independence meant so much to Duane, doing what he wanted and when was finally on his plate, he wasn't going to be tied down on weekends, he was gonna see the country again. He wanted to meet some Hosers, he wanted especially to meet the ones who's feathers he had ruffled, he wanted you to see just how harmless he really was, he was a big teddy bear with an even bigger heart and most folks would have figured that out rather quickly.
Duane was a soft touch, man is that an understatement. Of the dozen or so times I got to Marshalltown over the years about half the time he was working on some sort of freebie or cause or charity or event or all of the above. I had the opportunity to do a few small things for Duane with my photo business over the years and he always paid me back ten fold on the verge of overkill in the form of a plaque or something silly I could display in my booth. This is what he lived for, this is what he did and this is what he loved, it amazed me.
You should have seen his computer set-up, one mouse, three very large inter changeable screens and one of them on Hoseheads, 24-7 for the last decade and then some, true story. He was what the definition of multi task is all about, hell I don't know when he slept, he was too busy. He used to have many different handles on Hoseheads, two of them named after his cats which I can't remember and 'nodust' was one of the more recent ones, a shot at the Outlaws, something he loved to do. Heck, he used to argue with himself on there just to stir it up some, Lord we laughed back then.
He single handily set up those early Hosehead get togethers at the Nationals and always wished more regulars would have come, they were truly the highlight of the year for him. Allan Holland who invented this place and Jeff Rorberg who moderates it were two of his biggest heroes and he was thrilled to call them his friends. He often talked about how he wished he could go down the highway like I did and meet so many Hosers, it was his dream.
Meeting Shawn McDonald (former Hoser of the Year) has been quite a few people's greatest discovery in this forum and Duane was no exception. He like me and so many others got such a lift from ol' Shawny boy that words can't really describe. How ironic was it last Friday that when the phone rang merely minutes after Sweeton called that it was Shawn (Nellie) calling to tell me he was getting married, I almost didn't tell him the news. Talk about having a lump in your throat, I could have never done it in person, toughest thing I've done for some time, true story!
I won't be at the Funeral on Monday but I do plan on celebrating his life with some refreshments and stories so don't be surprised if your phone rings and some crazy guy at the other end wants your favorite Double D story, it's the least I can do for one of the great ones. I love you Drano, Take It Easy....
PS By the way Big Fella, you owe me a dinner from last Friday....
|
|
|
|
May 03, 2009 at
11:19:41 AM
|
|
|
Joined:
|
02/06/2009
|
|
Posts:
|
388
|
|
|
Reply to:
Posted By: MSPN on May 03 2009 at 11:01:25 AM
It's Friday night, I'm on my way to the front door, the delivery man has knocked bringing dinner from my favorite restaurant and I answer the phone 6 feet away from the front door, mistake. Mike Sweeton tells me you're gone, I tell Mike Sweeton he's wrong, there's a joke in here somewhere, right?
It's been a very long winter and the topic most discussed by Duane and I has been our own mortality and how relevant the subject has been with developing health issues concerning the both of us. We talked almost weekly and have for many years now. Politics, people, racing and his beloved Hoseheads carried the conversation up until the last few months, then it centered on life and what does the future hold, for all of us. It was like we were growing up, but we didn't want to, trust me.
Independence meant so much to Duane, doing what he wanted and when was finally on his plate, he wasn't going to be tied down on weekends, he was gonna see the country again. He wanted to meet some Hosers, he wanted especially to meet the ones who's feathers he had ruffled, he wanted you to see just how harmless he really was, he was a big teddy bear with an even bigger heart and most folks would have figured that out rather quickly.
Duane was a soft touch, man is that an understatement. Of the dozen or so times I got to Marshalltown over the years about half the time he was working on some sort of freebie or cause or charity or event or all of the above. I had the opportunity to do a few small things for Duane with my photo business over the years and he always paid me back ten fold on the verge of overkill in the form of a plaque or something silly I could display in my booth. This is what he lived for, this is what he did and this is what he loved, it amazed me.
You should have seen his computer set-up, one mouse, three very large inter changeable screens and one of them on Hoseheads, 24-7 for the last decade and then some, true story. He was what the definition of multi task is all about, hell I don't know when he slept, he was too busy. He used to have many different handles on Hoseheads, two of them named after his cats which I can't remember and 'nodust' was one of the more recent ones, a shot at the Outlaws, something he loved to do. Heck, he used to argue with himself on there just to stir it up some, Lord we laughed back then.
He single handily set up those early Hosehead get togethers at the Nationals and always wished more regulars would have come, they were truly the highlight of the year for him. Allan Holland who invented this place and Jeff Rorberg who moderates it were two of his biggest heroes and he was thrilled to call them his friends. He often talked about how he wished he could go down the highway like I did and meet so many Hosers, it was his dream.
Meeting Shawn McDonald (former Hoser of the Year) has been quite a few people's greatest discovery in this forum and Duane was no exception. He like me and so many others got such a lift from ol' Shawny boy that words can't really describe. How ironic was it last Friday that when the phone rang merely minutes after Sweeton called that it was Shawn (Nellie) calling to tell me he was getting married, I almost didn't tell him the news. Talk about having a lump in your throat, I could have never done it in person, toughest thing I've done for some time, true story!
I won't be at the Funeral on Monday but I do plan on celebrating his life with some refreshments and stories so don't be surprised if your phone rings and some crazy guy at the other end wants your favorite Double D story, it's the least I can do for one of the great ones. I love you Drano, Take It Easy....
PS By the way Big Fella, you owe me a dinner from last Friday....
|
Great post MSPN.
I hope someone comes up with a way for all of us Hosers, lurkers and posters to put together some money to make a memorial to a cause Duane would have been proud of.
More weight, more regulation, more similarity in the
cars.... that will ensure plenty of thrills for years
to come. Only the most average talent behind the
wheel will be needed with such awesome equipment on
the track!
minthess 8.28.14
|
|
|
|
|
May 03, 2009 at
01:41:12 PM
|
|
|
Joined:
|
11/30/2004
|
|
Posts:
|
354
|
|
|
|
Well said Mikey I feel the same way, he done so much for me and the sport it is unbelievable RIP Duane
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
May 03, 2009 at
03:27:22 PM
|
|
|
Joined:
|
06/09/2005
|
|
Posts:
|
22
|
|
|
|
Duane, thanks for all the things you did for Mike and I. I have our wedding gift (a beautiful wooden box with a picture of Mike and I, and our wedding date imprinted on the top) in the bedroom and look at it often and think of you. You were a selfless man, who loved to help others and if nothing else... helped us learn to laugh at ourselves.
I still don't know what exactly took you from us, but knowing how much you were struggling when I talked to you last weekend, perhaps God decided to give you some much needed peace and rest.
Please know that there are many people who appreciate what you did... for Hoseheads, the sport of racing, charities and friends and most importantly, for strangers in need. You ARE missed!
Godspeed!
XOXO
KCKIM
|
|
|
|
May 03, 2009 at
06:19:14 PM
|
|
|
Joined:
|
07/30/2005
|
|
Posts:
|
670
|
|
|
|
Last night sitting in McCarl's suite like I always do, I looked over at the trophy that almost hits the ceiling. It was the Hoser of the Year trophy Lazer Engrave made the second year that Terry was voted for. Duane was always a big fan and friend of our group as I saw him every Sat. night. If I sat here and posted all the good things I can say about Duane, I'll wear my keyboard out! He will be missed, but never forgotten!
Savage
|
|
|
|
|
May 03, 2009 at
09:17:14 PM
|
|
|
Joined:
|
09/29/2005
|
|
Posts:
|
626
|
|
|
|
You know they unveiled the second floor of the Hall of Fame, could something be done to name it in the honor of Duane?
|
|
|
|
|
|
May 03, 2009 at
09:25:36 PM
|
|
|
Joined:
|
12/29/2005
|
|
Posts:
|
96
|
|
|
|
MSPN, as sad as I felt when my favorite team choked out of the playoffs, it didn't compare to how I felt upon reading of Duane's passing.
Great post
Later, JERSEY
230+ tracks visited
2010-30,(2011)16,(2012)17,
(2013)21races-W.Gr(x2),Bridgeport(x2)/N Egypt(x2),Port
Royal,Susky,Plymouth,Winchester,
Kokomo,Wall,GraysHar(x2)Gr.View
SouthSound,Wash.,Willamette,Cot.Grove,
Southside,Langley VA,Orange Co.NY
|
|
|
|
|
May 04, 2009 at
03:33:37 AM
|
|
|
Joined:
|
12/01/2004
|
|
Posts:
|
633
|
|
|
|
Mike - what a heartfelt and moving epistle about Duane. I hope that someone reads it at Duane's services. I think it is that moving. Thanks for sharing with those of us who never had the privilege of meeting Duane.
Mike Sweeton is a very nice and caring person. If he calls me I tense up as he called to let me know about John Bankston's demise. He didn't want me to read about it on Hoseheads. Fortunately, he has called for fun things, too.
As for a charity in memory of Duane - from what I understand he would be thrilled with a donation to the Sprint Car Hall of Fame. Since I didn't know Duane personally, I could be wrong - but we all know how much ... no wait - I don't think any of us will ever really know how much he has done for the Sprint Car Hall of Fame.
Thanks again MSPN.
|
|
|
|
May 04, 2009 at
05:26:32 AM
|
|
|
Joined:
|
02/27/2005
|
|
Posts:
|
4443
|
|
|
|
amen
They don't even know how to spell sprint car
much less chromoly...http://www.ycmco.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
May 04, 2009 at
12:44:04 PM
|
|
|
Joined:
|
11/27/2004
|
|
Posts:
|
155
|
|
|
|
Still wishing that I never would have had to make that call. Very nice, Nelligan. Very nice.
Sweeton
|
|
|
|
|
May 06, 2009 at
11:07:18 AM
|
|
|
Joined:
|
05/06/2009
|
|
Posts:
|
1
|
|
|
Reply to:
Posted By: MSPN on May 03 2009 at 11:01:25 AM
It's Friday night, I'm on my way to the front door, the delivery man has knocked bringing dinner from my favorite restaurant and I answer the phone 6 feet away from the front door, mistake. Mike Sweeton tells me you're gone, I tell Mike Sweeton he's wrong, there's a joke in here somewhere, right?
It's been a very long winter and the topic most discussed by Duane and I has been our own mortality and how relevant the subject has been with developing health issues concerning the both of us. We talked almost weekly and have for many years now. Politics, people, racing and his beloved Hoseheads carried the conversation up until the last few months, then it centered on life and what does the future hold, for all of us. It was like we were growing up, but we didn't want to, trust me.
Independence meant so much to Duane, doing what he wanted and when was finally on his plate, he wasn't going to be tied down on weekends, he was gonna see the country again. He wanted to meet some Hosers, he wanted especially to meet the ones who's feathers he had ruffled, he wanted you to see just how harmless he really was, he was a big teddy bear with an even bigger heart and most folks would have figured that out rather quickly.
Duane was a soft touch, man is that an understatement. Of the dozen or so times I got to Marshalltown over the years about half the time he was working on some sort of freebie or cause or charity or event or all of the above. I had the opportunity to do a few small things for Duane with my photo business over the years and he always paid me back ten fold on the verge of overkill in the form of a plaque or something silly I could display in my booth. This is what he lived for, this is what he did and this is what he loved, it amazed me.
You should have seen his computer set-up, one mouse, three very large inter changeable screens and one of them on Hoseheads, 24-7 for the last decade and then some, true story. He was what the definition of multi task is all about, hell I don't know when he slept, he was too busy. He used to have many different handles on Hoseheads, two of them named after his cats which I can't remember and 'nodust' was one of the more recent ones, a shot at the Outlaws, something he loved to do. Heck, he used to argue with himself on there just to stir it up some, Lord we laughed back then.
He single handily set up those early Hosehead get togethers at the Nationals and always wished more regulars would have come, they were truly the highlight of the year for him. Allan Holland who invented this place and Jeff Rorberg who moderates it were two of his biggest heroes and he was thrilled to call them his friends. He often talked about how he wished he could go down the highway like I did and meet so many Hosers, it was his dream.
Meeting Shawn McDonald (former Hoser of the Year) has been quite a few people's greatest discovery in this forum and Duane was no exception. He like me and so many others got such a lift from ol' Shawny boy that words can't really describe. How ironic was it last Friday that when the phone rang merely minutes after Sweeton called that it was Shawn (Nellie) calling to tell me he was getting married, I almost didn't tell him the news. Talk about having a lump in your throat, I could have never done it in person, toughest thing I've done for some time, true story!
I won't be at the Funeral on Monday but I do plan on celebrating his life with some refreshments and stories so don't be surprised if your phone rings and some crazy guy at the other end wants your favorite Double D story, it's the least I can do for one of the great ones. I love you Drano, Take It Easy....
PS By the way Big Fella, you owe me a dinner from last Friday....
|
Hi MSPN
Its Alicen, I am sooo sorry to hear about Duane. I only meet him a couple of times he was such a nice... I'm sorry for the lost....
ps. I'm trying to get ahld of Shawn..help me please
|
|
|
|
|
May 08, 2009 at
01:08:36 PM
|
|
|
Joined:
|
08/11/2005
|
|
Posts:
|
86
|
|
|
|
hello mike, very nice words about our friend duane,can`t really add to it, i think we all feel the same way,i did have the pleasure in meeting duane when we went back to knoxville,and then having him here in chico for gold cup a few years back, he was a good man, and will be missed!,please keep in touch, and let me know if your going to do some kind of memorial for duane, i would love to help!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
May 11, 2009 at
09:32:33 AM
|
|
|
Joined:
|
12/17/2004
|
|
Posts:
|
260
|
|
|
|
The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame is doing a memorial to Duane with several bricks on the newly remodeled second floor. Contact Bob or Lori at the Sprint Car Hall of Fame at 1-800-874-4488 for more information.
|
|
|
|
|
May 12, 2009 at
10:44:44 PM
|
|
|
Joined:
|
11/23/2004
|
|
Posts:
|
116
|
|
|
|
I haven't posted here in a few years, well, since I started working for the All Stars. But having heard of Duane's passing and seeing Mike's words pretty much forced my hand. A sad thing indeed. Makes me more than a little teary eyed for sure.
At one time I was very active on here, maybe too much so. I would pick at folks (posse mainly) sometimes just to get a response and to keep a thread brewing. In fact that is how I met Duane. Way back when they initiated the 1200 pound Nationals at Knoxville and Don Droud, duct tape and all was handed a win by hook or by crook. Still depends on who you ask. Anyhow, during the battle on that thread, Duane in defense of his beloved Knoxville and me supporting my All Star friends waged quite a battle. Not always friendly. So as you can imagine I was a little surprised when after seeing on a post that I was coming to Knoxville that Duane of all folks invited me to come meet him. I was more than surprised to learn what a gentle, caring and generous man he really was. He gave me a grand tour of the HOF facility and even got me a night in a suite for the 360 TofC. I will always be thankful for that opportunity as well as the chance to meet a genuinely nice guy.
No longer chasing the racing scene, I seldom even check back here anymore. I miss it and I miss meeting folks from here. Those were some of my fondest times and I have met some really wonderful people. Unfortunately one of them is gone now. A fond hello to those who I haven't seen or spoken to for awhile. I hate to think that more could go without me having a chance to spend anymore time with you all. I would have treasured more moments with Duane as I would the rest of you. Rest in peace Duane. I'll never forget ya! And may God bless the rest of you!
|
|
|
|
|
May 16, 2009 at
10:55:50 PM
|
|
|
Joined:
|
02/02/2007
|
|
Posts:
|
133
|
|
|
Heavy D I just finished a long post about you buddy and lost it when I was trying to posy it, but you read it and laughed as hard as did writing it! Thank you for EVERYTHING you made for me & made for me, it's people liike you that have kept me alive the last 10 years!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
May 19, 2009 at
09:07:40 AM
|
|
|
Joined:
|
11/23/2004
|
|
Posts:
|
3943
|
|
|
|
Shawny Boy, I bet he was the Best Man at your wedding, somewhere! It sucks that you lost your post and the hours that may have gone into it, grrrrr. If you have any photos of the big event please send them!
Man, I miss my weekly Knoxville reports and other sprint related stuff that Heavy D, Double D or Drano as I liked to call him would come up with, some of it was priceless. Even he would have been pleased to see the Posse lay a hurt on the Outlaws because his buddy TMC wasn't there, he just wouldn't have wanted BRR to know, lol. Take It Easy....
|
|
|
|
|
May 20, 2009 at
08:09:45 PM
|
|
|
Joined:
|
11/27/2004
|
|
Posts:
|
3751
|
|
|
|
respect where respect is due - no time for jabs in this thread.
Lincoln 1845 ft/.35 mile T1=118MPH
Eldora 2287 ft/.43mile T3=135MPH
Port 2716 ft/.51 mile T3=TBD
Grove 2792 ft/.53 mile T3=135MPH
Selinsgrove 2847 ft/.54 mile T1=136MPH
"I didn't move to PA from El Paso in search of better
weather." Van May
|
|
|
|
|
May 21, 2009 at
08:02:26 AM
|
|
|
Joined:
|
11/23/2004
|
|
Posts:
|
3943
|
|
|
|
Mark, he was SO anti-Outlaw (other than cheering for Terry) that nobody gave me a tougher time when the Posse beat them, nobody. My phone would ring, he would say he was you calling, things like that. We used to laugh a lot about that stuff because before all this crap started I was (still am) a big fan of the 'local' winner and he remembered back in the very early days when I was, heck even Hawker should remember those days. Take It Easy....
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
May 21, 2009 at
11:04:49 AM
|
|
|
Joined:
|
11/27/2004
|
|
Posts:
|
3751
|
|
|
|
trust me, i completely understand the entertainment value of the rhetoric that goes on here...and the mere fact that i have not been kicked off of this website shows that the moderators realize the interest (views) it generates.
i trust that the health of all of us will remain strong to enjoy racing for years to come as it trumps any back and forth on stats comparisons / turf / temporary bragging rights / etc.
out of repect to Duane - i will continue to deliver the irony of reality that you are due in other threads - i doubt he would expect any less.
Lincoln 1845 ft/.35 mile T1=118MPH
Eldora 2287 ft/.43mile T3=135MPH
Port 2716 ft/.51 mile T3=TBD
Grove 2792 ft/.53 mile T3=135MPH
Selinsgrove 2847 ft/.54 mile T1=136MPH
"I didn't move to PA from El Paso in search of better
weather." Van May
|
|
|
|
|
May 21, 2009 at
11:56:22 AM
|
|
|
Joined:
|
11/23/2004
|
|
Posts:
|
3943
|
|
|
|
You and him were likely the two strongest Republicans in this forum and we talked Politics as much as racing. He loved your views and often tempered them with a 'damn shame he's Posse' and a chuckle, you got a friend waiting for you upstairs Mark, Take It Easy...
|
|
|
|
