Nicky Fowler from Scoggin-Dickey

Interview conducted and photos by Ro McGonegal

Nicky Fowler of Scoggin-Dickey Performance Center in Lubbock, Texas, is a tremendous resource, inside and outside of the racing business. He's done it all and he loves, really loves cars--and the drama and emotion that they are certain to evoke. You could say that he built his life and livelihood around them, is very grateful for that fact, and avidly gives back whenever he is able. Here he shares some drag racing stories.

: Scoggin-Dickey Performance Center is arguably the largest company within a company of its kind. What trends have developed over the last six months?

Nicky Fowler: Trends depend upon the customer base and we still cover a large demographic of customers. But the most obvious is the interest in the LS engine across the board. From a racing standpoint it makes great power with little effort; for the average consumer it offers the potential of increased gas mileage and power as they weigh the options of engine replacement versus new vehicle purchase. Performance enthusiasts are really paying attention to the power output versus engine drivability.

: What is the customer base (drag race, circle track, street)?

NF: We cut our teeth on the racing market. In the 1970s and ‘80s the majority of our business was strictly racing. We expanded our vision in the early ‘90s and the racing business has really become a very small part of who we are today. We are still actively involved in the racing business but that is not the majority representation of our inventory.

: How did you get involved with Scoggin-Dickey?

NF: I was born at Scoggin Dickey! My father went to work for Mr. Scoggin in 1959. With his blessing and my father’s vision and hard work they built one of the largest GM Parts warehouses in the country. I have done it all at this place, from trash boy to F&I sales. My dad was always involved in drag racing and not only did he grow the GM Parts business, he was always pushing the factory hi-po GM parts. I worked part-time in the parts department during the ‘70s, the proverbial “kid in the candy store” every day that I went to work. I went on to get my degree in Mechanical Engineering because I wanted to understand the real science of making horsepower. I graduated and my dad made me an offer that I could not refuse! There are a hundred stories in between all of this, but that's the simple and short version.