DYLAN WESTBROOK ASCS ROOKIE RETURNS

AT AGE 23, Canadian Dylan Westbrook has shown no fear and proven to be up to the challenge of the difficult ASCS racing schedule and has run a lot of laps throughout the country in the past three seasons. Paired with the historically successful Hills Racing Team, Westbrook has found speed and consistency all across the ASCS race schedule facing off with many unfamiliar racetracks and technical track surfaces. Westbrook’s tenacity and skills brought him his most notable win on June 16, 2021 at the famed Knoxville Raceway. We grabbed a few moments from Westbrook as he seeks to improve on his seventh place point finish with ASCS, which earned him Rookie of the Year honors in 2021.

DIRT EMPIRE: When you’re going to a new track or one that you’ve even struggled at in the past, how do you prepare? Do you seek out mentorship from anyone?

DYLAN WESTBROOK: That’s where I lean on Sam Hafertepe Jr., with him having been on the road so long and being on the same team as me, going to new tracks I can ask him things like what gear to run, what should I unload with, stuff like that. If it’s somewhere that we struggle, I can ask him about it and talk it over with him, he really helps with all of that.

DE: You’re quite a ways from home traveling with the Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series, is it difficult for you mentally being away from your home in Canada and racing around the United States?

DW: Not really, you definitely get to meet a lot of cool people over here, make friends and everything. So, other than dealing with COVID things, it’s not hard at all.

DE: Do you start each race season with a plan or goal? Where do you feel you’re at with achieving this goal being half way through the season?

DW: I don’t really think we made a goal,

BY ASHLEY ZIMMERMAN

I mean, obviously I definitely want to win the championship. It’s still kind of early in the season, but I think we’re around fourth in points right now, so it’s still possible and we’ll keep on working towards that. Just have to keep on being consistent and getting finishes and hopefully it’ll work out for us.

DE: Besides keeping track of wins, how do you assess how the season is going for you?

DW: Well, like with winning at Knoxville, we weren’t very good there, and we kept improving. We went from just making the A main, getting better each week, to winning. If we struggled there before, and we’re making improvements, and getting better each time, that’s what I look at.

DE: Speaking of Knoxville and your struggles there, in June 2021 you got the monkey off your back, so to speak, and won a Saturday night 360 A main. How did that feel and what did it mean to you?

DW: The first few times we were there, I definitely struggled a lot. Qualifying means a lot there and we’re not really used to having to do that. Once we kind of got qualifying figured out, it was just how the track is set up and races, it’s really a lot different than any other tracks. So, once we figured that out, we really got rolling and I went in there and won that night. Just to win there, even though it’s just a Saturday night show, it’s just a huge deal because of what Knoxville is and the atmosphere there. When you get to say you won at Knoxville, it just really means something.

DE: Having won Knoxville, you are now the second Canadian to have ever won at feature at Knoxville, what does that title mean to you?

DW: It’s definitely really cool. I now a couple of other places that I’ve won at, that I’m the first Canadian to have won there. There aren’t very many Canadians that race, so it’s pretty cool for my hometown and to put my name down there.

DE: There really aren’t many Canadians that currently race sprint cars, what made you want to race sprint cars? When did you begin racing? Did you have dreams to race anything else?

DW: I started racing dirt bikes when I was 4 until I was 8, got good at that, then went to go-karts from 9 to 12 years old, then micro 600 sprints from 12 to 15, a crate sprint car from 15 to 16, then onto 360 sprint cars where I am now. I just kind of kept moving up the ranks of all the sprint car stuff. I mean, hopefully, if everything works out try to make the Outlaws. After that, maybe NASCAR, maybe, who knows!

DE: Who would you say has been the most influential in your racing career?

DW: My dad, I mean, he was the one that got me into it, got the ball going and got me moving up the ranks. If it wasn’t for him, I probably wouldn’t have even started racing and wouldn’t still be doing it.

DE: While a lot of time on a big series is spent driving, what does a typical race week on the road look like for you? If there is any down time, how do you fill it?

DW: Normally we race on a Saturday. The next day we’ll wash the car and do a bunch of work on it, we try to get everything we can get done, done without rushing through it and just steadily working on it. That way if we do have a day off or something, we can kind of relax. Here lately we’ve done some sight-seeing. So, we just try to get everything done so it gives us one day to relax if possible.

DE: What kind of tracks or track conditions do you think you favor or you are the most confident at?

DW: Back home, we don’t really have a lot of the big tracks, our biggest one is 3/8s, that’s what I’m used to, I’m not really used to the bigger ones like Knoxville. But, we’ve kind of got those figured out, too. Going down the road, I’m trying to adapt to a lot of different tracks. I’m not really just good at smaller tracks or bigger tracks, I want to adapt and get better on all of them.

DE: What are some of your favorite places to run?

DW: I really like Lucas Oil Speedway; Lake of the Ozarks was pretty cool. At first I didn’t really like Knoxville, but now that we’re starting to go there more and just get more experienced, I’m starting to really like that place a lot more than the first few times. The whole atmosphere at Knoxville is just pretty cool.

DE: Where are some places that you struggle at, and how do you work to improve there at the next race?

DW: Creek County, only been there once, and struggled there. Our first time there we struggled pretty bad, so we’re kind of looking forward to going back there, learning from our mistakes and trying to get better. We have some notes to learn on, and so hopefully we’ll be faster.

DE: Is there a track that you haven’t gotten to race at that you’d really like to? What makes you want to race there?

DW: There’s really not one that just sticks out and makes me say I really want to race there.

DE: What has been one of your most memorable racing moments?

DW: I would say winning at Knoxville, and because it’s a win at Knoxville, it’s pretty cool.

DE: What is a crown jewel in sprint car racing that would mean the most to you to win?

DW: Probably the 360 Knoxville Nationals. It is the biggest race of the year for 360s.

DE: Looking at the opposite, what has been one of your most difficult racing moments?

DW: With me being Canadian, and things like the COVID restrictions and quarantining, the biggest struggle is not really being able to go back home whenever I need to. In 2020, I went home, missed two races, and it took us out of the points. So, that’s the biggest struggle.

DE: Piggybacking off of struggles, how do you overcome slumps and keep momentum throughout the season?

DW: I try not to get frustrated, obviously you’re going to have a bad night. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. Just try not to be upset, know that there’s always next week. Keep your head up, keep going. Know that if you have a bad race this week, someone else is going to have a bad race eventually. Whatever goes around comes around.

DE: One final one, we’ll end on the off season. How do you fill your time in the off season? How do you prepare for the next race season?

DW: Go home, strip all the cars down, go through everything, and replace old parts, worn out parts. Take a little bit of time off with friends and family back home. iRacing has been real big since last year, so I do that a little bit, too.