Pizza fuels the crate late model operation of racer Deke Waters. He makes a living managing the three Little Caesars franchises owned by his father, Rick Waters. His “day job,” though, sometimes interferes with his weekend fun.
“We haven’t raced much this year, because we can’t hire anybody,” said Waters, of Cookeville, Tennessee. “Friday and Saturday nights are our busiest nights. Otherwise, we’d be racing every week, two times a week probably. But, [Little Caesars] funds the racing. You got to do what pays the bills.”
If Little Caesars taught Waters anything, it’s how to do things fast. Customers don’t want to wait long for their pizzas. Luckily, he knows how to deliver, especially on the track. He won the track championship at Crossville Speedway in Tennessee last year. However, Waters takes great pride in his qualifying performance last year in an American All-Stars event at Smoky Mountain Speedway in Maryville, Tennessee.
“I qualified in the top five, and that’s saying a lot with the amount of competition there,” Waters said. “You got to be really on your game. If you look at qualifying [times], we’re separated by hundredths [of a second].”
Deke Waters was looking forward to the American All-Star Series visiting his home track, Crossville Speedway, on Friday, July 10, but the track canceled the event due to the forecast. This will only give the local favorite more time to prepare his new chassis from CVR Race Cars for when the tour returns in August.
In the meantime, the American All-Star Series Presented by PPM Racing Products continues its 2022 schedule on Saturday, July 18, at Lake Cumberland Speedway in Burnside, Kentucky. Who knows? If Waters can get out of making dough by making dough at Little Caesars, you might see him there, too.
Outside Groove Note of Transparency: Outside Groove is a sponsor of the American All-Star Series. The American All-Star Series paid for the production of this article. The content is not subject to the approval of the American All-Star Series.
The Outside Groove Executive Editor has covered motorsports since 2000. His many awards include the 2019 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Jim Hunter Writer of the Year and the 2013 Russ Catlin Award for Excellence in Motorsports Journalism.
