By Bandit
with photos by Clint Schlegel
Freddie Cuba, a longtime custom bike builder of dubious renown grew up in Hastings, Nebraska, but bought a cabin 28 miles outside of town in Deweese in 1999. So get this, he flat-track raced for several years, but got disillusioned. His brother said something about driving hundreds of miles to race for a costly experience and said, “Fuck it, let’s build a track out by your cabin.”
His brother Junior cleared the land. “At times he had more imagination than I did,” Fred said. Junior built the beautiful track with his construction equipment.
There you have it, buck the system, build your own track and so, Freddie Cuba produced his own races in Deweese for 20 years and then moved.
Fred woke up one morning and said, “Why are we driving back and forth from Hastings to Deweese. Let’s move,” and they did. Since 2021 this has been Bev and Fred’s new home.
Here’s the critical component to Fred’s endeavor and I quote, “Boobs would be pointless without nipples,” Mr. Cuba said. “We started this in 1999 for me and my buddies to play and watch their kids grow. We saw dirty youngsters runnin’ around in diapers years ago and now watch them win races and carry the checkered flag around the track.”
He doesn’t charge a dime for racers or spectators.
They set up on Friday, race all day Saturday, and Sunday some guys flog the track practicing for the following year. “Monday, I lick my wounds,” Fred said.
Fred had a close fried Jerry Homes who was more than a friend. “He was a brother,” Fred added. “He was here from day one, telling me I had a good ideas or once in a while he would shout, ‘What the fuck are you thinking.’” Jerry passed away recently. The brothers rode backwards to dust the dirt with Jerry’s ashes.
Let’s see if I can get this straight. First, they let the go-carts race because they pack the track down for motorcycles. Then Big tire mini-bikes race followed by little tire Mini-bikes. There’s a 150cc class affording all small motorcycles to compete. There are age group competitions, team races and a flathead class or doodle-bugs.
The number 13 on the logo represents Gavin Garth’s racing number as a tribute. “He raced here last year and was looking forward to coming back,” Fred said, “but tragically lost his life in an automobile accident.”
Each year they look for whacky trophies and this year a local oil company threw away several hundred warning signs and they went to the dump, but Fred rescued ‘em. On the back it warns the winner that removal of this sign could cost ‘em a hefty $500 fine…
The American flag on the t-shirt sleeve represents Kim Niederhouse,” Fred said. “We called him Pete. We went to school together from the 2nd grade. The flag we flew at the event was given to him on July 4th 1998.” As it turned out the Navy awarded it to him at his retirement gift from the USS Arizona. “He gave it to us to fly during the event,” Fred said. Pete passed away last spring.
The wonder woman was a TRUE wonder woman. Kathy Strong Morehead lost her fight with cancer this year. “She was my sweatheart in 2nd and 5th grade,” Fred quipped. “When I was in 7th grade, I fell off the back of a car and cracked by skull. Kathy (I called her Kate) came to see me in the hospital daily for a week. She was more like a sister to me than a friend.” She’ll be missed by everyone.
Wait, there’s something or someone very uplifting who added a race of gentlemen touch to this event, the flag girl Diva Weber. Her father builds rat rods and she knows exactly what to do with her body when it comes to events. More brothers will be back next year because Freddie kept asking Diva to jump higher.
Hang on for the free Twisted Nipple flat track racing event for 2024, which will be the 25th Anniversary. Be there, Be there, Be there.
