After winning the Northern Territory Street Stocks Title for the first time five years ago, Jason Duell made a return to the Northern Territory title victory lane recently at Katherine Speedway.
In what was only his second ever visit to the Katherine Speedway circuit, located 300km south of Darwin, the Mount Gambier-based racer put in a stellar drive throughout the Northern Territory title weekend and was rewarded with the best possible result.
“I always enjoy travelling up to the Northern Territory to race and being able to win the Northern Territory title for the second time made the trip even more memorable,” Duell said.
“The Street Stocks are one of the most competitive classes in Australian speedway and it’s one of the main reasons I have been involved in the class for over 20 years, so any time you pick up a major event win, you know you have well and truly earned it.”
To say that Duell earned his most recent Northern Territory title win ‘the easy way’ would be nothing further than the truth.
“The team and I did not have the best of lead ups to the weekend, as I was forced to miss practice due to an issue with our transportation and it saw me playing catch up from the outset,” the 39-year-old said.
“I fought hard in our heat races and managed to start from position six for the Northern Territory Title deciding feature race behind some tough competitors, but I still felt confident of being able to move forward and contend for a spot on the podium.”
For the main event, Duell – aboard the purple SA #18 Duells Furniture Removalists supported VY Holden Commodore – managed to quickly move through the front runners into podium contention.
As the 35-lap journey played out, Duell – who had worked his way inside the top-five runners after a dozen completed laps – was able to make the most of a winning opportunity and never looked back.
“When I had moved up to third, I knew that I had to be creative if I was going to have anything for the leaders, but it all played into my hands as I was able to move towards the top of the track and then sweep underneath my rivals in quick succession,” Duell said.
“The two drivers ahead of me were busy battling with one another and I was able to use that to my advantage, which set me up for my win.”
Once out in front, Duell was able to maintain a steady pace all the way through to the fall of the chequered flag for what was his second career NT title victory.
Now with another Northern Territory title to his name, Duell is looking forward to contesting the majority of the major street stocks events during the upcoming 2023-24 season.
“Prior to competing in the Northern Territory title I was not too sure of my plans for the season ahead as I was in the process of building a new VY Holden Commodore to run in production sedans, but now I think I might put that on the back burner for the time being,” he said.
“As the street stocks class continues to evolve with new car builds and the advancement in technology, I still feel that my VY Commodore is capable of consistently running at the front of the field – and I’m hoping to continue to prove that during the upcoming season.”
For Duell, his two Northern Territory title wins adds to his other highlights during his 20 years in street stocks, which includes two national title minor podium finishes – second in 2002 and third in 2013, third at the 2014 Victorian title, third at the 2016 South Australian title, third at the NSW title and two Northern Territory title minor podium finishes of second in 2012 and third in 2019.
