The track actually dates back to the late 1950s when a local car club ( which included eventual Pro Stock legend Lee Edwards ) spearheaded the effort to construct the drag strip not too long after the dawn of organized drag racing began to sweep the nation . A few years later , however , the car club that was instrumental in building the track had given up on the prospects of its profitability , and the facility had even changed hands before it eventually went into foreclosure . The fate of the track took an eventful turn in 1962 , when a local businessman and farmer named Roger Curtis strolled into the local bank seeking a loan for a hay bailer , for which he was promptly approved , and just for good measure , was also talked into buying the drag strip !

“ George Beard was the president of Second Bank and Trust , and he knew that my dad was a gearhead , so he says , ‘ Roger , have I got a deal for you !’” commented Curtis ’ s daughter , Joy Anderson , who was born the same year her father bought Sumerduck Dragway . “ Of course , then Dad had to go home and break the news to my mother that he not only acquired a hay bailer loan , but had also bought a race track ,” laughed Anderson . Curtis ’ s

wife , Mary Francis , was indeed shocked at this news , as well as a little apprehensive , but dedicated herself nonetheless to the success of the drag strip . She immediately began working at the front gate , maintaining her post every single weekend from 1962 until 2016 . At age 81 , her health has finally prevented her from returning to the track to greet racers and fans for the first time in 55 years . “ We knew she wasn ’ t feeling well when she elected to not return this season ,” said Anderson .

From the very beginning , the Curtis family was successful in the track ’ s operation , and Roger enjoyed

the facility to the fullest from a car lover ’ s perspective . He was also famous for keeping those around him amused with his unique antics . Oftentimes , Roger would be racing his footbrake car at Sumerduck and after making a pass , he ’ d quietly go right out the bottom gate and drive up to the farm and start mowing the grass ! Meanwhile , back at the track they ’ d be ready to run the next round of Modified and realize they were one car short . Pretty soon , they ’ d all be asking , “ Where ’ s Roger ?” Someone would have to call down to the farm and get word to Roger that they were waiting on him . “ He kinda had his own way of doing things ,” laughed Roger ’ s son-in-law ,

Mike Anderson .

Another well-known fact about Roger was his love of Mopars . He even owned a Chrysler / Plymouth dealership in the town of Culpepper at the same time he bought the race track . “ Dad had access to all those Hemi cars , and he developed a real love for them ,” remembered Joy .

Among my favorite legendary tales pertaining to Roger Curtis was the one that proved he had all his “ ducks ” in a row ... if you ’ ll pardon the pun . Here ’ s how the story goes : A number of years ago , some folks moved down from Fairfax and seemed intent on getting the drag

strip closed , seeing as how they disapproved of the noise . Roger was keenly aware that the drag strip had been “ grandfathered in ” when it came to various ordinances and zoning , and he was certain that such an attempt to close the track would be futile . Well , it just so happened that Roger was doing some trading one day at the local country store in Sumerduck when in walks a clipboard-toting stranger who began soliciting signatures to shut down the drag strip . It must have been awkward when the man approached Roger , who defiantly introduced himself as the drag strip ’ s owner . With a heaping helping of conviction in his voice , Roger said ,

“ You ’ ll go to court and you ’ ll lose !” The stranger sheepishly turned and headed for the door and no mention of closing the track was ever again heard around these parts .

You ’ ve probably noticed by now that I passionately write of Roger Curtis in the past tense . I regret I never met him , but I sure think I ’ d have liked him . Roger died in 2006 , the result of a highway accident . He was a youthful 70 years old . At the time of his ultimately death , he still enjoyed the sport of drag racing , operating the race track , and of course , continued to drive people crazy with his disappearing act to the farm in the middle of a race . People who knew him best agreed he was one of a kind . Before they laid him to rest in the local cemetery , the entire funeral procession was instructed to follow the hearse right down the entire eighth-mile Sumerduck Dragway so they could honor Roger with one last pass .

Following his unexpected departure , daughter Joy and her husband , Mike , stepped up and took over operating Sumerduck . After all , this folksy drag strip represents some of Joy ’ s earliest childhood memories , a chapter of her life she wasn ’ t ready to close . She told me many stories that were passed down from her father ; stories about flagmen positioned at the finish line , and how a ruckus would ensue if they ever raised their flags in victory at the same time . She spoke of the little creek that used to flow directly behind the track and how they ’ d dip water from it for the burnout box .

The more stories Joy told , the more I realized this was the quintessential backwoods drag strip . Heck , If Norman Rockwell had ever wanted to paint a portrait of what 1960s gearhead life might have looked like in small-town America , he ’ d have probably used Sumerduck Dragway as his reference material . And so it goes , racers around northern Virginia still gather weekly to “ Try their luck at the Duck ”, which is , of course , a catchy slogan dreamed up by none other than Roger Curtis . DI