GREENE COUNTY
At 11 years old, Westin Parker Webb recently completed his third season of NHRA Jr. Dragster drag racing, winning three of nine major events entered in 2023 across the Southeast.
Junior dragsters are scaled-down versions of adult-sized, rear-engine race cars capable of reaching speeds over 330 miles per hour.
For the second straight year, the Veazey-based racer was competing in the 8.90 (seconds) index class for drivers aged 10-12 years old with top speeds reaching about 75 mph over an eighth-mile course. This year, Webb also participated in the Open class, racing against drivers up to 18 years old and finishing in the top 10 at one event. All Jr.
Dragster classes require an NHRA driver’s license to participate. Webb’s season began March 3-5 at Gainesville Dragway in Florida.
Unfortunately, rain washed most of the weekend away with Webb’s family-based team struggling to find consistency and managing just one round win. Regardless, the highlight of their weekend was meeting former NASCAR champion, now-turned-drag racer Tony Stewart, whose team was parked just a few spaces away.
Webb competed on a cold weekend from March 17-19 at South Georgia Motorsports near Valdosta. The team continued to fight problems from the Florida race but made some changes and was able to win a few rounds before the car’s driveshaft broke to end their weekend.
The Webb family team next visited Silver Dollar Raceway in Reynolds April 17-19 and picked up its first winnings of the season. After weeks of struggling, Webb qualified sixth and finished third in the race to earn $250 for the weekend.
The first weekend in May, Webb and his crew returned to Silver Dollar Raceway for another solid outing, pocketing $175 for a fifth-place finish.
The team traveled to Capital City Motorsports Park in Montgomery, Ala. June 23-25 for the World Series of Jr. Drag Racing and Webb’s first Open class race of the season.
With a newly rebuilt engine between the frame rails, Webb’s confidence climbed as he won round after round and raced until late in the evening.
Of 70-plus entries, he made it down to 14 cars before being eliminated by a team from Texas.
Regardless, a $275 take for the weekend made for a happy drive back to Georgia.
July 29-30 at Carolina Dragway in Aiken, S.C. delivered to Webb his first national event win ever as he qualified first in class and went on to win the final round on Saturday night. In addition to earning $500 for his first-ever national win, Webb also received his first, much-coveted “Wally” trophy, named after NHRA founder Wally Parks.
Still at Carolina Dragway the next day, Webb carried the positive momentum he’d built up and qualified fourth before making it to the semi-finals and pocketing another $150 for a fourth-place finish.
A sizable gap in Webb’s major event schedule followed as he did not get back on track in the national competition until Oct. 28-29 in the Jr. Dragster Racing 4 a Cure event at historic Darlington Dragway in Hartsville, S.C.
Fortunately, Webb never missed a step as he competed in the $5,000 Gambler’s Race on Saturday. He laid down seven consecutive winning passes in the Open class, breaking his personal record for consecutive winning passes in the process. He won his 8.90 class and went on to race again in the Open class with its significantly quicker 7.90 index. Again, Webb made a strong showing, placing ninth of more than 150 entries in the race.
On Sunday at Darlington, Webb again competed in his usual 8.90 class race and again earned a win in the final round, which delivered a big cardboard check for $500 and another large trophy.
The 2023 NHRA Jr. Dragster season was an exciting one for Webb and his team, as they stepped up to compete in mostly large national events and tested the Open-class big-money races.
Due to hard work and dedication, Webb was able to end his season on a very positive note. After 22 total events this year, the Webb Land Service team had its most profitable campaign yet and looks forward to enjoying even more success next year.