Mission Accomplished: Westerfield's 3 Straight Semifinals

Courtesy of Todd Veney

With back-to-back-to-back semifinal finishes, Shane Westerfield is back in the Top 10 in the NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car standings. Westerfield, who came within a round of the final at the western region events in Sonoma, Calif., and Woodburn, Ore., and the Northwest Nationals in Seattle, is now ranked ninth in the country.

"Our three-race swing easily could have been better, but it was still really good," said Westerfield, who slipped out of the Top 10 only because he hadn't competed for more than two months. "Our goal when we started this swing was to be back in the Top 10 when we left Seattle, and we did it. The car ran well, we didn't hurt any parts, and we went a bunch of rounds. We put Goodyears on the car, and it's not shaking the tires. A lot of people were switching to them in Seattle."

Westerfield had an outstanding .013 reaction time to defeat No. 1 qualifier Annie Whiteley in the first round in Seattle. He got the jump on quick leaver Doug Gordon in round two with a .049 but red-lighted in the semifinals against Steve Gasparrelli, who was upset in the final by veteran John Evanchuck, who scored for the first time in his career. "I got up there against Gasparrelli, did a long burnout, and was just too fired up when I put it to the wood and staged," Westerfield said. "That could have been our race."

The team's next appearance will be at the prestigious U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis over Labor Day weekend. "We'll have a new wrap on the car, something that really highlights CP-Carrillo but also accents our new associate sponsor, Fluid Sealing Products, and MavTV," Westerfield said. "Mike Blake from Fluid Sealing Products was with us in Seattle, and I think he really loved it. He was up on the starting line with us, and every day he got to the track earlier and earlier. We're really looking forward to running Indy with this new look."

Westerfield Signs Fluid Sealing Products

 Courtesy of Westerfield Motorsports

Hot off a final-round appearance in his most recent start, fast-rising Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Shane Westerfield is embarking on a three-race Western Swing – not the Denver-Sonoma-Seattle trifecta of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series tour, but Woodburn, Sonoma and Seattle.

Westerfield, best known for his lightning-quick reflexes, reached the final at the NHRA Summer Nationals in Topeka his last time out, whipping perennial championship contender Jay Payne in the semifinals and strapping a holeshot on the top-ranked Alcohol Funny Car driver in the country this season, Tony Bartone, in the final. "The car is running well, and our goal is to be back in the Top 10 when we get home from Seattle," said Westerfield, who currently stands 17^th in the national standings despite having competed at just five events so far this year.

Led by crew chief Bob DeVour, who has worked with some of alcohol racing's all-time greats, including many-time world champions Frank Manzo, Brad Anderson, Gary Scelzi, and Billy Williams, Westerfield's team, backed by longtime major sponsor CP-Carrillo, has reached at least the quarterfinals in three of its four 2012 national event appearances. "Bob's always done well at Woodburn and Sonoma," Westerfield said. "He's got new stuff he wants to try, and we're always testing new parts for CP-Carrillo."

New associate sponsor Fluid Sealing Products Inc., a Houston-based manufacturer and distributor of gaskets, stud bolts, fasteners, and related sealing items, joins longtime Westerfield backers Coeste Design, Lucas Oil, MavTV, A1 Technologies, Goodyear, and Juice Plus. "Mike Blake from Fluid Sealing Products is going to be with us at Seattle, and we really want to do a good job for the Blakes and the company," said Westerfield, who also reached the final round at last year's Big O Tires Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.