When Matt Westfall crossed under the checkered flag at Arkansas’ Texarkana 67 Speedway, even his competitors couldn’t suppress a smile.
It had been 17 long years since the Ohio veteran won a USAC sprint car feature. Not that he has been irrelevant. It is so easy to refer to Westfall as a journeyman, but that well-worn term seems wide of the mark. Those in the know understand how good he has been, and this is demonstrated by a plethora of championships earned in a wide array of racing disciplines.
This year has been his most active campaign with USAC and even with his deep experience it appears that just getting more repetitions behind the wheel is paying off. In some ways he has even returned a bit to his roots, and this was underscored when he submitted an entry for this week’s BC39 at the Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
It can be argued that he first established his reputation in the wider racing community behind the wheel of a midget many summers ago. By the time he was six years old Westfall was racing a two-cylinder outlaw kart at Willowdale Raceway. He remembers those days fondly.
“It was a little 10th mile high banked track and it really was a mini-Eldora,” Westfall said.
He then turned his attention to 250cc micros, competing at Ohio’s 35 Raceway Park and he also ventured across the border to Indiana racing at Camden, Peru, and occasionally at Logansport. He did well and in his father Phil Westfall’s words, “He got crashing out of his system early.”
By the time he graduated from Newton High School in Pleasant Hill, Ohio, he was ready to go midget racing. Matt and his father knew they needed help to take the next step and a member of the family agreed to step up. The late Jack Hammonds was able to provide some cash and with that in their bank account they decided to take on the NAMARS circuit.
Under the eye of former racer Jack Calabrese, the NAMARS schedule included dirt and pavement races staged primarily in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. It was hard work. The Westfalls were constantly switching their sole engine between two chassis but maintained their enthusiasm as the quality finishes came in bunches.
Westfall’s performances during his formative years established a pattern which is present today. Steady results and few mishaps meant his season long point total continued to climb. Westfall held off A. J. Fike and was the 1998 NAMARS champion and rookie of the year.
After a few more years in a midget, it was time to find a more fiscally viable alternative. There was a sprint car in the shop, but it needed an engine. They worked a trade with Pennsylvania owner Gene Franckowiak, who received all the midget inventory in exchange for two 410 engines.
It seemed midget racing was relegated to the rearview mirror save appearances at special indoor events like the Chili Bowl Nationals. Then to the surprise of some Westfall appeared at the 2023 USAC National midget opening weekend in Belleville, Kan.
There was a method to his madness. About three or four years ago Westfall acquired a new DRC chassis and it was recently enhanced when a new Esslinger engine was installed in the bay. The car is owned by Steve Bordner, whose firm Bordner Welding has been one of Westfall’s sponsors for years.
Westfall was present for the first two editions of the BC39 but knew that if he was going to take this race seriously a change needed to be made.
“The engine we had was an old Ford and it didn’t have enough power to do anything,” Westfall explained. “It’s not like we have a Toyota or anything like that, but what we have is alright for races like the Chili Bowl and the BC39.”
Bordner was particularly interested in racing at Indianapolis and Westfall was game to take on the challenge.
“We’re just trying to race a little more,” Westfall said. “That car only has about eight to 10 races on it. We don’t do it enough to be good on our setups. You set them up differently than you do a sprint car or anything else really. That’s another reason to get it out.”
At Belleville the team fell one position shy of the feature on both nights. While that was disappointing, they knew they were close to getting it right and racing at Indianapolis will provide more notes.
The math is easy. Westfall captured the NAMARS title a quarter-century ago. Most participants in the USAC National Midget series weren’t in elementary school at that point. He joins others of his generation in being a tad weary of wading in the middle of the land of the young and at times over-exuberant. However, he feels more comfortable at IMS than he would jumping in a midget at place like Eldora.
“I have been to the BC39, it’s a small track,” then he pauses and adds, “but I know you can bust your ass there the same as anywhere else.”
Right now, he is looking forward to the BC39, particularly given the new split-field format.
“It is a fun time,” he said. “I like that we are going to get a day off. I might play a little golf and it gives us time to relax, regroup, and think about what you need to do.”
He is also quietly confident noting, “We have been pretty good the last few weeks.”
The record backs him up. At the recent 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway he finished in the runner-up spot in the Silver Crown race and was up front in his sprint car in the late going when he felt a troubling vibration. He thinks he knows why he has enjoyed a successful year.
“I think it is because we have had the chance to race with the best,” he said. “Before this we really didn’t run a lot of USAC and we have learned a lot.”