The 1990 Lanier National Speedway track champion will come out of retirement as she slides behind the wheel of husband Mike Love's No. 25 Chevrolet in the Budweiser Pro Late Model division Saturday night at LNS.
Lunsford-Love, 38, of Maysville last raced competitively in 1996. But she is eager to show she still has the touch which made her one of the nation's most prominent female drivers in the late 80's and early 90's.
She and Mike Love, who she would later marry after spending several years rubbing sheet metal against him, ruled Lanier during that era. This weekend, she will return to racing with husband Mike on the sideline acting as her crew chief.
According to Lunsford-Love, "we're trying to get another car. But Mike has been gracious enough to let me drive his car some at Lanier this year."
But that car has proven to be a fast "hot rod." In Pepsi qualifying for the Budweiser Pro Late Model division on March 23, Mike Love tied a Lanier track record for two-barrels as he toured the .375 mile track in 13.78 seconds.
Mike has decided to forgo chasing NASCAR and Lanier points and, for now, will alternate driving duties in the No. 25 Chevrolet each week with his wife.
Deb, as she is recognized by Mike, works for a family business owned by her father Bud Lunsford, who is the founder of Lanier National Speedway. Debbie's passion, however, still lies behind the wheel of a race car. She is hoping to use a return to racing at Lanier as a springboard into the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
"I'm hoping to get into the Craftsman Truck Series. But right now I just need some seat time."
In addition to being a former weekly regular at LNS, Lunsford-Love competed in the 1989 NASCAR Busch Series race at what was then known as Lanier Raceway. She started 15th and finished 23rd in the Big Star/Nestle 200 won by Ronald Cooper, a retired Busch Series driver who currently resides in Bogart, GA.
See Lunsford-Love and the rest of the Budweiser Pro Late Model drivers in action on True Value night Saturday April 6 at Lanier National Speedway.
Gates open at 5 p.m., qualifying begins at 6 p.m. and races start at 7 p.m.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/4/196459