Dean Allen Abbey
Abbey Racing
Comanche, Texas
Age 7 turned out to be a very momentous year for Dean.
In addition to the beginning of his racing career in basic go-karts, testing at the Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas revealed that Dean suffered from Dyslexia.
The two events have since been inextricably connected and both have made Dean a better racecar driver.
School and Home Life
The Abbeys are always busy doing a multitude of activities. Dean has three brothers, his mom is a pharmacist and his dad is a vet. They live on a farm in Comanche, Texas and approach everything as a family.
A coordinated effort on the part of Dean’s family involvement, schools, other educational resources and his personal efforts took what could be debilitating and turned it into a reason to excel. An overall “B” average throughout his schooling has been a real challenge, but Dean thrives on challenges. He also has excelled in soccer from ages 5-9, baseball 5 – 13, football 13-14, basketball ages 9-13 and in track the shot put, discus, 100 meter and 400 meter.
Dean’s involvement in Future Farmers of America (Junior FFA 3rd –8th and FFA 9th to present) occurred as a natural progression from doing his chores on the Abbey Farm. Many competition ribbons and belt buckles have been added to the “Abbey Trophy Room” for showing his beef heifers, dairy heifers, goats and pigs.
Dean’s interest in science resulted in numerous school wide, regional and statewide science fair awards. In 7th grade he qualified for the Regional Science Fair with his project about friction. In 8th grade he qualified again with his project about force required to bend different types of metals, and won 2nd place in the engineering division as well as “Best of Show” for the Junior High division. Discovery Kids producers were made aware of Dean’s successes and invited him to compete in a national science competition for junior and senior high students. In the 9th grade he was on the Parliamentary Procedure team in the Greenhand Chapter Conducting competition.
The Race Track
Dean’s first race at age 7 was in a 5 hp live axle under 11 class go-kart driven at the Cowtown Speedway, Kennedale, Texas. The following year moved Dean into his first race with a 5 hp Modified Live Axle under 11 Class go-kart and finished 4th overall.
At age 9 Dean graduated from go-karts to the INEX Bandolero Bandits division racing on the asphalt track at Texas Motor Speedway. In addition to racing at TMS, Dean competed at tracks all over Texas and was invited to the Bandolero Nationals at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He also finished 4th in INEX Bandolero Bandits Texas Points.
In 2001 at age 11 Dean competed at the Bandolero Nationals in Concord, NC, was the INEX Texas State Bandolero Bandits Points Champion and the INEX National Bandolero Bandits Points Champion. Dean’s success in Bandoleros spurred his interest in other racing series. He also began running a Toyota Corolla in the Texas Junior Mini-stock class.
Dean was busy in 2002 winning the Texas IMCA Nationals race in the Junior Mini-stock division at Waco, raced as a Bandolero Bandit, and finished 5th in National points in the Bandolero Bandit division.
In 2003, he won the Texas IMCA Nationals race in the Junior Mini-stock division in Kennedale, built a Pinto for dirt tracks, competed in the Bandolero Nationals race at Orlando Speedworld, and moved from Bandits to the INEX Bandolero Young Guns division. He also finished 3rd in INEX Texas State Bandolero Young Guns division and 12th in National points.
In 2004, Dean moved into INEX Legends cars racing in the Semi-Pro division. He finished 5th in the 2004 Young Lions National Race in Grand Bay, Alabama, competed in the Legends Nationals at the “Bullring” of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and was named in Texas the 2004 Legends Rookie of the Year.
INEX moved Dean in 2005 into the Legends Pro division, which allowed him to race with the best Legends drivers across the country. Dean competed in 15 states including the Legends Nationals at Lake Erie, Pennsylvania. He also finished 14th out of the best 40 Legends drivers in the country at the December 2005 Inaugural Performance Racing Industries Invitational USAC Midgets and INEX Legends race. Dean was named Texas State Legends Pro Champion in 2005 as well as the winner of the INEX Legends Touring Series Champion in the Pro Division. Dean capped off the year as the recipient of the 2005 Bilstein Madonna Award for excellence in racing. 2005 also saw Dean move up in IMCA to Hobby Stock receiving in his 1st win at the 281 Speedway, Stephenville, Texas in only his sixth start. Dean turned 15 in 2005.
2006 marks Dean’s return to the Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Concord, NC to compete in the Legends Summer “Shootout” June 13 through August 8.
Winters Series 2006-2007, Dean finished 8th place into the Pro Legends Division at Texas Motor Speedway in Ft. Worth, Texas.
2007 Dean will compete in both the Lowe's Motor Speedway Summer Shootout and the Texas Motor Speedway Summer Stampede.