Each issue we've been approaching pro riders of every aspect in ATV racing to find out just a little more about them. We want to know more than just the basics, so we've bombarded them with questions they might hear every day and thrown in a few that made them think outside of the box. This time we caught up with one of the most recognized faces in mud racing, Dewayne Crowder of Team Gorilla Axle/Can-Am. Here is your chance to find out more about the man than maybe you ever wanted to know.
1 What did you want to be when you were growing up?
I always wanted to be a pro football player.
2 What kind of car/truck do you drive?
I have a Ford F-250 Super Crew. It's got a 6-foot lift with 20-inch wheels and a few more aftermarket goodies thrown in. It's lots of fun, but man, it's high-maintenance.
3 What is your favorite track to ride at?
Mud Creek in Jacksonville, Texas. That place has got some of the best pit racing in the country.
4 Do you have any nicknames? Mr. President was one of the funnier ones. It kinda stemmed from how outgoing I was and how much I love talking to other racers and fans. It's just part of how much I love the sport and loved to share it with others. Mr. CDO is another because everyone thinks I have OCD but, with me, the letters would have to be in alphabetical order.
5 If we turned on your iPod right now, what song/group would we most likely hear?
You'd find everything on there! Everything from Black Label Society to Robert Earl Keen to Birdman.
6 Who is your biggest rival?
Everyone I race!! After the races are over, we go back to being friends.
7 What intrigues you about this sport?
To be able to share the passion I have for ATVs with folks who love it as much as I do.
8 Did you ever have a favorite superhero?
Wolverine from the X-Men. That dude was ruthless!
9 What's the most memorable moment of your ATV racing career?
It would have to be the race weekend of the Can-Am Nationals when our 18-wheeler burned to the ground and we lost all of our race bikes. I had some friends who let me race a Can-Am 650 Outlander, and I raced it in a class full of 800 Can-Ams and Arctic Cat 1000s. I was able to get a podium out of it and went on to win another event that same weekend on a borrowed Can-Am Renegade.
10 Which do you prefer, dogs or cats?
Dogs by a mile.
11 Who is the most influential person presently in the sport?
I don't think it's so much one person than it is the mud racing community. We have a lot of great guys who can do amazing things on a quad, but to me it's pretty much how we represent ourselves as a whole that matters the most.
12 Do you have a MySpace, Facebook or Twitter account?
I have a MySpace account. I keep up with it pretty regularly but don't have the time to manage another one. I get to keep up with a lot of friends that I only see once or twice a year with it.
13 Would you rather hang out with someone named Steve or Dave?
Steve???
14 Who was your biggest inspiration/hero growing up?
My mom. She sacrificed a lot for my brother and I to have what little we had. There's no one even close after that.
15 What are your favorite parts of a track?
It's definitely the deeper technical sections of the pit. That's where horsepower takes a back seat to rider skill.
16 Who is in your regular crew?
Mostly the guys I race with and the crew from Gorilla Axle. I think I'd drive everyone else crazy talking about four-wheelers all the time.
17 What is your favorite restaurant/food to eat?
It's hard to turn down a big ol' steak, but I could eat Mexican food every day of the week.
18 Who is your favorite actor/actress?
Denzel Washington. That guy is hands down the best actor on the planet.
19 What is your favorite hangout?
My garage. I can tune everything out when I'm there. Whether I'm working on a bike or whatever. That's my place of refuge.
20 Who are your biggest trackside supporters?
My 7-year-old daughter Grace. That kid loves it almost as much as I do. She even changed her softball jersey number from 8 to 46 because she wanted to be like her daddy.