Howard has accumulated 278 total wins at 14 different tracks. Included in those wins are 96 at Grandview, 93 at Big Diamond, and 50 at Bridgeport. His resume also boasts seven Big Diamond Coalcracker victories, five Grandview Freedom 76 wins, and a Short Track Super Nationals title.
In addition to his feature wins, Howard has collected numerous championships: nine at Big Diamond, six at Grandview, four at Bridgeport, and one at the now-defunct Penn National Speedway. He’s also claimed four PA Tri-Track Championships and two American Racer Cup titles. Not bad for a driver who has held a full-time job throughout his racing career.
Now 62 years old, Howard’s decades of success will be officially recognized on July 24, when he’s inducted into the DIRT Motorsports Hall of Fame—a well-deserved honor. I had the opportunity to sit down with the newly elected Hall of Famer at Port Royal back in March after the announcement was made.
Dirt Track Digest: It is a big honor to be elected to the DIRT Motorsports Hall of Fame. What are your thoughts on receiving such an achievement?
Duane Howard: “It’s a great deal. It came as a surprise, and I guess it means I have been around a long time, but it also means I have had a lot of success. It goes to having a lot of great car owners over the years and having great crews. Not sure how I feel about it right now but as the years go by, it will be very special to look back on it and remember the success and longevity of my racing career.”
DTD: Looking back at your years in racing, driving race cars was never what you did for a living. You have always worked a full-time job and drove race cars as a hobby. Does that make it even more special?
DH: “It does for being what I call being a non-professional driver over the years. Driving these cars has always been a side gig for me and I have been so fortunate to drive for the people I did over the years and stand beside me and give me the tools I needed to be successful and today I still enjoy what I do and it’s nice to be looked at for what I did and it is special.”
DTD: You’ve had the opportunity to drive for some of the best car owners in dirt modified racing: Chad Sinon, Norm Hansell, Glenn Hyneman, the Petruskas, and now with Butch Getz. Your talent obviously attracted these owners. What can you say about the people who supported you?
DH: “Every car owner I ever drove for had their uniqueness. Everyone you had to treat a little differently. I am going to use Norm (Hansell) as an example, you knew Norm had that dry humor and he has always treated me very well. Some of my best years were with Norm and then I had Jared Petruska and his father that came out of the blue, for me anyways and we were very successful together. Back in the day with the Chad Sinon car, that was more of a production line operation. We were a well-organized team, we were housed right here in Oley, Pa out of my location and we all had a common goal of being successful. Going back to Craig Hirthler, he gave me the shirt off his back just to have a racecar for me to drive 2-3 nights a week. All the way up to today with Butch (Getz). Butch owns the cars but we are also very good friends. Like I said they were all unique in a way. Glenn Hyneman was very professional in the way he ran his race team and racing for Glenn was the only time I had to sign a contract. There were a lot of special memories with each and every owner and I can proudly say that I could walk up to each and every one of them and say hi with no ill feelings. Never had harsh words with any owner, don’t get me wrong, there were times we argued over certain things but that’s the way it is when you want to be successful. I am very grateful to every one of them for letting me race at such a high level and I respect all of them for giving me an opportunity to be successful and win as much as we did.”
DTD: Family is such a big part of racing. Your late dad, your brothers, and others have been part of this journey since the beginning. That must mean the world to you.
DH: “My first car we ran out of our pocket through the family farm and they are still with me today. Some of my crew is still with me since day one. What my dad and grandparents did for me since day one and some when I look back, I am going to say wow, there are so many people who have helped me, and I am so grateful.”
DTD: Between you and your brothers, how did it end up that you became the driver and they were the mechanics?
DH: “I think it started when we had a neighbor at the same time that we were getting into it, you know the Von Dohrens were there and Craig (Von Dohren) was getting into a racecar. My dad and grandfather were going to races and I was working on the farm and just decided to get my own car. I had saved some money to buy a car, and I was the driver, and they were helping me work on it. I gave it a try, and the rest is history.”
DTD: You’ve had many big wins in your long career. Is there one that stands out to you?
DH: “The one that stands out to me the most is the Lebanon Valley 100, I don’t know what year I won it but it wasn’t expected and came out of the blue. Some of the special ones were beating (Billy) Pauch in the 76er, the battle royale I had with Craig (Von Dohren) at the Coalcracker which came down to some contact and one limping across the line which was me with a broken car. Those are the ones that stick out but everyone like you said is special.”
DTD: Is there one race you never won that you really wanted?
DH: “Any race at the Syracuse Mile. I loved that place, I loved that event. We came so close with Petruska’s one year. We gave them everything we had, qualified in the top six but just had nothing go our way on race day. Pitting didn’t go quite the way we wanted it, another time with Chad Sinon, we had to save fuel and that hurt our chances of winning. That is the race I so wanted to win, not being able to is definitely a dagger.”
DTD: It’s ironic that two farm boys from Oley, PA—yourself and Craig Von Dohren—have now both been elected to the DIRT Motorsports Hall of Fame.
DH: “It is quite a coincidence if you think about it. For a little town of Oley, with a population of less than 3,000 people, that is pretty ironic. I think it comes back to our roots, Craig being a farmer, me being a farmer. We both worked hard and stayed within what we knew and what we did best. We stayed in Oley and farmed, we stayed on the same street and farmed, we stayed in this type of racing and really focused on being the best we could because we knew we weren’t going to venture out and do something else. Basically because of our family workload, we knew what we could or couldn’t do. Neither one of us could do a traveling series due to what we had to do at home and on the farms and I think that goes into why we were both so successful.”
DTD: You’ve long been considered part of the “Pennsylvania Big Three” alongside Craig and Jeff Strunk. With your induction, two of the three are now Hall of Famers. Do you see Jeff joining you soon?
DH: “I am sure Jeff will make it and soon, he definitely deserves to be there. Jeff is very competitive today still just like Craig and I am. For all of us to come up with that ladder as we did is pretty cool. Craig seems to be one step ahead of me and I seem to be one step ahead of Jeff, but it would be a crime if Jeff is not in there as well. It is pretty amazing that we have three local drivers that have done what we did. Back in the day we were hardnosed competitors and had our moments but now I think we all respect one another and have figured out that we don’t have to beat on each other all the time. I think the respect level we receive on the track from each other and even the other drivers is there, even the younger drivers coming up get it. Jeff, Craig and I respect each other and what we have all accomplished over the years. That being said, we are still going to battle tooth and nail between us, and we might not agree with each other from time to time but we try to do it with respect. Even after all these years, I still want to win and am going to battle them or anyone else as hard as I can to get to victory lane. I owe that to myself, Butch and the crew.”
DTD: Obviously, at 62 years old, your racing career is nearing its end. How many more years does Duane Howard have left?
DH: “Not sure when I will stop, but it is coming. I am still very competitive and am still enjoying it. I don’t want to be that old guy that is just hanging around racing and just going around racetracks. I want to be that driver that can still go out, produce and win. Our goal this year is to win features and win some big ones, to me there is no doubt we can get that done.”
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