Weekly Notebook presented by FK Rod Ends
Notes: Webb plugs away in twilight of career
By Todd Turner
DirtonDirt managing editor
Gary Webb (Tyler Carr and Mike Ruefer photos)
Veteran Iowa dirt racer Gary Webb remembers a long ago conversation with his brother Robert about assisting him as a crew member at dusty tracks across the Midwest.
“He said, I will help you all I can, but I don't wanna do this all my life,” recalled the Blue Grass, Iowa, driver, who starts the season atop DirtonDirt's Weekly Notebook presented by FK Rod Ends.
Well, it hasn’t been quite all their lives, but the 76-year-old Gary is grateful that Robert has stuck by his side entering his amazing 55th season of Dirt Late Model competition. And what a ride it’s been with more than 500 victories, an array of championships, a NASCAR Weekly Racing Series title and checkered flags at a whopping 65 tracks.
The wins don’t come as often these days for the driver who averaged 20 victories per season during his prime, but they’re all the more satisfying when Webb can outrun drivers generations younger than him. The Webbs skip racing when it’s too cold or too hot, but reaching victory lane remains special.
Calling his brother “a quiet man,” Gary said that Robert never was one for emotional reactions.
“I always said I can roll a car over or win the feature, and his demeanor is the same, and that's really the truth,” Gary said. "But I noticed the last time or two that I did win, that I saw a smile on his face that I usually didn't see, and I thought, ‘By golly he likes that winning more than I thought.’ I always kind of got a kick out of that.”
Webb also gets a kick out of his career-long achievements, including his 2008 induction into the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame, two Yankee Dirt Track Classic victories. At East Moline (Ill.) Speedway, where he’s a 17-time champion, Webb had a three-year stretch in the track’s Coors 100 of setting fast time, winning his heat race and leading every lap of the century grind.
"Now if that don't get you a few boos at a driver introduction,” Webb cracks, “I don't know what does.”
His racing career started in 1972 and, after working as a millwright 10 years at Ralston Purina, he became a full-time racer, supporting his growing family by averaging $80,000-plus per season, hitting occasional extra paydays like the $150,000 NASCAR title. He was a two-time United Midwestern Promoters champion and 15-time winner on the NASCAR Busch All-Star Tour.
These days Webb is a highway hauler for JP Transport (owner Jon Passick is also a racer), averaging more than 100,000 miles on the road annually, and competes in weekly events close to home, including East Moline and Davenport, Iowa.
Webb says he’s “used racing as a crutch” during tough times, including the death of 3-year-old daughter Karrie Ann in 1974. Webb’s wife Cindy, always supportive of his racing, died in a tragic 2018 house fire. And just five weeks ago his son Brian, also a dirt racer for many seasons, died at 57 after a brief illness.
The elder Webb, who drove the No. 56 car most of his career (he’s driven a car labelled with a “W” for many seasons), originally planned to retire at age 56. But after blowing past that signpost, Webb decided he’d retire after his 56th season, which means he’s got one more after this one “and we’ll call it a career.”
He’s going out with a bang, running a Crate-powered car in weekly events and also competing on the Karl Chevrolet Pro Late Model Tour. He ran fewer than 40 races last season, but would like to get his total back above 50 the next two seasons (his busiest racing seasons often surpassed 80 race nights).
"I'm looking forward to it. A lot of guys I've seen come and go, tremendous amount of people I've seen come and go, some were really talented, but they just couldn't keep the financial balls in the air,” Webb said. “And that's what I'm proud of is we're not quitting because we can't afford it. We're quitting because we're just tired, you know? It’s harder to get up and off the creeper than it used to be.”
His racing records were lost in the house fire, but Webb says he’s tallied 523 Late Model feature victories and would like to hit 530 before he retires. He knows that’s a challenge with racing now more expensive, the shock programs requiring extensive knowledge and the fact that his physical peak was years ago.
“I don't go to the track thinking that I'm not going to win. It's just usually I leave the track and I haven't won, so I don't want to put the pressure on myself, but sometimes I think I need to be better with my shock absorbers,” Webb said. “Maybe my eyesight's not what it used to be. I hope that's not the case. Or my reactions. I try not to dwell on that or even admit to it. But the facts are I just don't seem to get the wins.
"I still enjoy it. I still get excited going to the track and I actually enjoy the time in the shop. It's usually my brother and I and we stand back at the end of the day and look at what we have accomplished because we do our own bodies and all the maintenance involved and we each have our own details. So I'd say it's as much just the enjoyment of doing it. That's probably what I'll miss more than going to the track.”
What would he like to see etched on his tombstone? “I guess I'm just a person that did what they loved, you know?” he said. “I’ve always maintained that you can't get too high or you can't get too low. I always go home knowing I did the best I could and I don't beat myself up over it.”
Longevity has made for an interesting career.
"I've raced with fathers, sons, and now grandsons, so specifically the Birkhofers,” Webb said. “I raced with Dave Birkhofer and along came (Dave’s son) Brian (a Hall of Famer like Webb), and then he came and went, and now I'm racing with his son Cruz.”
And outlasting some of his peers, and some much younger drivers, has its own satisfaction for a driver whose career has spanned six decades.
"I was thinking earlier today, I've had two different young men come get in my face and what they both said was the same — and it hurt my feelings — 'Why don't you just retire?’ And now they're both gone, their racing is over,” Webb said. “And I thought, who got the last laugh there?”
Weekly highlights
• Leading all 25 laps from the pole, Justin Weaver of Clear Spring, Md., captured the 90th season opener at Bedford (Pa.) Speedway.
• In the first racing program at Oak Level Raceway since 2009, Jack Brown of Lexington, Va., grabbed the Crate Late Model feature at the Bassett, Va., oval.
• Winning March 28 at Benton (Mo.) Speedway, David Payne of Cabot, Ark., won in back-to-back weekends following a March 21 Limited Late Model triumph at Poplar Bluff (Mo.) Speedway.
First things first
Recent first-time occurrences at the dirt track:
• Winning March 28 at Winder-Barrow Speedway in Winder, Ga., Justyn Jacobs of Nicholson, Ga., captured his first 602 Crate Late Model feature.
Weekly news briefs
• Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, Miss., is mourning March 29’s passing of Glenn Boswell, a track worker who helped at the pit gate, cut grass and picked up trash. The Hamilton, Miss., resident was 61.
• Continuing improvements at the Clint and Kim Snyder-owned track, Hilltop Speedway in Millersburg, Ohio, has trenched a power line for the scales, added a new handrail in the bleachers, installed new stairs for the flagstand and built a new set of bleachers for lawn-chair seating.
• Tri-County Speedway in Pollard, Ala., pushed back its season-opening practice to April 10 because of equipment issues. Parts required for water truck repairs weren’t available until after the originally scheduled March 28 practice.
• Hidden Valley Speedway in Clearfield, Pa., is seeking an assistant for security. An ideal applicant would have good communication skills, proper demeanor, previous experience and a four-wheeler. Check the track’s Facebook page for details.
• Weekly events at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis., have been added to DIRTVision’s streaming lineup, the service announced. The track’s weekly events frequently feature Limited Late Models and the USRA Late Model division.
Weekly points
Crate Racin’ USA (602 Crates): Covy Parsons of Iuka, Miss., has 137 points to lead Brennen Shirley (136) and Joey Tucker (130).
Crate Racin’ USA (604 Crates): Shannon Lee of Lumberton, Miss., has 181 points to lead Taylor Jarvis (179) and Sid Scarbrough (164).
(Several organizations have yet to have points races)
Upcoming weekly specials
Among non-touring and independent special events coming up for Late Models at dirt tracks around the country:
Moler Raceway Park, Williamsburg, Ohio (April 3): The season opener includes a $2,000-to-win Super Late Model event topping a five-division program.
I-55 Federated Raceway Park, Pevely, Mo. (April 4): The track’s season kicks off with a $2,000-to-win Super Late Model event.
