30 UNDER 30
30 UNDER 30
SHANE WESTERFIELD
Despite racing at less events than all but one of the other top 10 finishers in the NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car national points standings , Shane Westerfield managed to pull off what many racers would consider a career-best season . The 29-year-old driver won two national events , including a rare double-up at the JEGS Allstars race at the NHRA Route 66 Nationals in Chicago , finishing the year with the best points-perrace average of any of the top 10 drivers . And he did it all while learning how to be a father to his and wife Kayleigh ’ s baby girl .
Westerfield planned to abbreviate his racing schedule to accommodate the addition to the family , who was due about 10 days after the Houston race in April . The family ’ s CP Carrillo / Blake Bros . Racing / Lucas Oil Camaro was on the ground and ready to run at Royal Purple Raceway when Westerfield got the call to fly back to California . Corah Westerfield was born on Saturday , when Shane would ’ ve been
preparing for first round of eliminations . His car remained untouched in the trailer until it was unloaded at Route 66 Raceway in July . Even then , the driver / tuner left his combination alone for the first qualifying pass at the NHRA Route 66 Nationals , firing off a 5.54 . Westerfield clicked off several runs in the low fifties to high forties to first win the JEGS Allstars specialty race on Saturday , then secure the Route 66 Nationals Wally on Sunday .
“ We couldn ’ t screw up ,” said Westerfield , who ’ s also turned on win lights in the Worsham family ’ s nitro Funny Car . “ I red-lighted one of the rounds , but ( Doug ) Gordon red-lighted worse . It was amazing how the luck was going our way , but the car was running good too . We were low ET ( 5.459 ) and top speed ( 270.92 ) of the weekend , and low ET of most of the rounds . We didn ’ t break a part and went home with a bunch of cash .”
After it was all said and done ,
Westerfield pulled out of Route 66 Raceway with about $ 21,000 in prize money , a Wally , and the coveted JEGS Allstars trophy . Perhaps more important were the points that came with the win , which Westerfield combined with a dominant win at Seattle , runner-up finishes at three regional races , and a final-round appearance at the NHRA Finals to finish fifth in national points .
“ We were joking after the JEGS Allstars win on Saturday , ‘ The bonus money is awesome , but those 85 points would be really cool .’ The next day we ended up getting the 85 points and the double-up money and the regular NHRA money . I guess you could call it one of those dream weekends .” – NATE VAN WAGNEN DI
CHRISTOPHER MENAPACE
The NHRA ’ s ever-popular Junior Drag Racing League has long been the proving grounds for the next generation of star drivers in the professional and sportsman ranks , but it ’ s also served as a starting point for some of the youngest pro crew members . Arizona ’ s Christopher Menapace is a prime example . His passion for working on race cars started when he was driving the family ’ s Junior Dragster .
“ My whole life I ’ ve wanted to learn how [ the cars ] worked ,” recalled Menapace , 20 . “ Even racing Junior Dragsters I ’ d get frustrated if I didn ’ t know what was wrong . We weren ’ t very successful for a long time and I would get frustrated because I didn ’ t know why it would do what it did . That ’ s when I realized if I ever wanted to win , I needed to learn how the cars worked . When I started doing that and realizing , ‘ I can make a change here and the car will do this ,’ that was really satisfying for me .”
Menapace raced with the Ruckman family in the Junior Dragster ranks before he joined them
to work on Terry Ruckman ’ s Top Alcohol Funny Car , tuned by one of the most accomplished alcohol flopper crew chiefs .
“ Through the Ruckmans , who I work for now ,
I got the chance to meet Bob DeVour . I was supposed to go to California just to help for the weekend , and now we ’ re two years into working together . We both got along great . He ’ s a wealth of knowledge . I just really wanted to learn , and he said as long as you want to learn I ’ ll teach you . He ’ s taught me everything I know about working on a race car .”
His location in southern California and his connection with DeVour have also allowed Menapace to branch out to work with other key players in a variety of classes . He ’ s worked with tunerto-the-stars Jerry Darien on his potent A / Fuel dragsters , as well as former NHRA Funny Car team owner Larry Minor on his legendary sand cars .
“ I just really loved getting to work with these big names that I grew up watching . I used to watch Cruz Pedregon driving Larry ’ s McDonalds Funny Car when I was a kid . To grow up and have those kind of people as my bosses was really awesome . It ’ s been a fun three years now .”
Menapace , whose goal is “ 100-percent to be a crew chief someday ,” will soon have another big name as his boss . He recently accepted a position at John Force Racing to work on Robert Hight ’ s Mike Neff-tuned Auto Club Funny Car .
– NATE VAN WAGNEN DI
PHOTOS : DRAG ILLUSTRATED ARCHIVES
106 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 115