COMANCHE, Texas – Winning track championships were at the top of Westin Abbey’s to-do list at the start of the season.
After collecting 17 IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature victories, he had titles at 281 Speedway and Heart O’ Texas Speedway, as well as a career third EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region crown to show for his 2019 efforts.
“This one was more challenging, for sure,” stated the Comanche, Texas, pilot, when asked to compare the drive his latest championship to 2016 and 2018 crowns. “We wanted to win track championships in the Stock Car and factory stock. The regional championship wasn’t on my mind before mid-season. We’d led national standings, were looking good in points and decided to run for the region.”
He took eight checkers at 281 and another seven at HO’T, then picked up single late-season wins at Kennedale Speedway Park and Boyd Raceway and finished third in the national point race.
“I hurt a couple motors but didn’t have a lot of DNFs. Consistency was important,” said Abbey, who overcame a slow start with nine wins from early March to mid-May.
Brother Jeffrey, champion of the early-season Sniper Speed Lone Star Stock Car Tour, was a frequent competitor.
“We had some good races,” Abbey said, ironically pointing out a couple of them that neither ended up winning. “I like racing with him. It’s fun. He’s quick.”
Partial to Heart O’ Texas, Abbey tabbed his first-ever win in the late October Fall Classic as his highlight of the season.
“I really like it up there on the cushion,” he said of the Waco speedplant. “I’ve won a lot of races up there. It cost me a couple, too.”
The second-year student in the diesel technology program at Texas State Technical College in Waco now has 57 wins in his IMCA Stock Car career.
Starts 53 Wins 17 Additional Top Five Finishes 19
HIS CREW: Father Randy, brothers Dean and Jeffrey, Dakota Holder and Justin McCullough.
HIS SPONSORS: Abbey Racing of Comanche; Swenson Shocks of San Antonio; 517 Designs of Whitney; Don Wilde Racecraft of Wall; Easterling Farms of Rule; CRS Suspension of Midlothian; DDR Racing of West; B & B Racing Chassis of Belle Plaine, Minn.; KS Engineering of Albert Lea, Minn.; J & J Motorsports of Haynesville, La.; and Dynamic Drivelines of Des Moines, Iowa.