3/5/2014
Willamette Speedway
Getting Up To Speed With… Collen Winebarger
Getting Up To Speed With… Collen Winebarger
By Ben Deatherage
(Photo Courtesy of Doc’s Photos)
To say that 2013 was a breakout year for “Superman” Collen Winebarger would be a complete understatement. The kid from Corbett, Oregon would win six features with the Northwest Extreme Late Model Series and three victories at the Cottage Grove Speedway. In addition to all of his visits to victory lane he would also finish the campaign second in points with the Northwest Extreme Late Models.
The Corbett High School senior got his start in the Micro Sprints at Salem Indoor Speedway when he was just eleven years old. Since then he has moved up from Tracers to Street Stocks to Modified to Late Models. 2014 will be a year full of racing for the eighteen year old as he plans to compete for the X-Factor Super Late Model title at Willamette Speedway as well as running in various local and regional Late Model and IMCA Modified events.
A former champion of Sunset Speedway Park in the Tracer division Winebarger is a second-generation driver following in the footsteps of his father Scott. He has also achieved Rookie of the Year awards at SSP in the Street Stock and Modified division while also earning rookie honors in the Northwest Extreme Late Model Series. Now let’s get up to speed with Collen Winebarger.
Driver: Collen Winebarger
Home Track: Willamette Speedway
Hometown: Corbett, Oregon
Occupation: Student at Corbett High School
Age: 18
Years Racing: 6
Classification: Late Model/Late Model (Crate)/IMCA Modified
Car: 1
Chassis: MasterSbilt Race Cars (Late Models)/Larry Shaw Race Cars by Jeff Taylor (Modified)
Sponsors: Discount Race Car Parts, All-In Property Investments, Hillsboro Vac & Sew, Gordy Lee Photography
Special Thanks: Donna and Scott Winebarger (Mother and Father), Skyler Winebarger (Brother)
BD: Collen 2013 was simply amazing for you with all your successes. Could you have imagined things would have turned out the way they did?
CW: No, I definitely would have not thought it up. We built some momentum at the beginning of the year and I had some good opportunities to drive other people’s cars. I started the year off great with a win at CGS and rolled with that momentum and had a good trip to California late in the year. It’ll be hard to duplicate a season like that but I’m excited to try and do even better in 2014.
BD: The season is only month away. What are your plans for 2014?
CW: Right now our plans are kind of up in the air. We had an ambitious sixty-nine race schedule that had us not really running one particular place. We plan on running three different cars this year. I have an Open and a Crate Late Model as well as an IMCA Modified so we will be busy for sure.
We plan on at least making the first seven or eight races at Willamette and see how things are going. Now that X-Factor Race Cars put up a good point fund that kind of turned our head. If we’re doing well at Willamette we’ll stay there but if not we’ll move around. We’re going to play this year by ear.
BD: The “Superman” theme seemed like a big hit especially with the kids. What inspired you guys to have the nickname, wear the shirts, etc.?
CW: It started out as a nickname on my spoiler. It blossomed a lot because of the fans. I’d wear a Superman t-shirt under my race suit and then all of a sudden people started wearing Superman t-shirts in the crowd. It turned out to be a big hit with twenty or thirty fans with those shirts on and really getting into it. It’s always awesome to have a little kid come up to you and say he cheered for the Superman car all night.
BD: I know your younger brother Skyler a.k.a. “Sky Dog” races karts but I heard that you got in one this winter. I know you have a strong Micro Sprint background but was this the first time in a Kage Kart?
CW: (Laughs) It was my first time in a Kage Kart. The Micro stuff I started when I was eleven and it definitely got my career rolling. We’ve been spending a lot of time with Skyler at Salem Indoor this year. Jimmy Whisler gave me the opportunity to drive his Kart a couple of times. I have had a ton of fun with all the friends I’ve met through Karts over the years. I’ll even be running a Kage Kart a couple of times this year.
BD: I’ve been told you work very hard on your car by spending countless hours in the shop. For such a young man that is pretty impressive. What drives you to put so much effort into dedicating pretty much every spare moment into racing?
CW: Even though we’re at a local level I have a true passion for racing. I’m thankful for the opportunities I’ve been given and I feel I should give it my full attention. I believe that races are won in the shop whether it’s maintenance or whatever. Working on the car in the middle of the week is very important. I’m just really dedicated to this and I want to do the best I can and hopefully all the hard work pays off.
The 2014 season is quickly approaching and Willamette Speedway is the place to get your racing fix. Saturday April 5th will kick things off with the test and tune open practice while the “Cabin Fever Season Opener” will be held the following Saturday on the 12th. Be sure and log on tohttp://www.trophymotorsports.com for the latest information regarding Willamette Speedway.
Submitted By: Ben Deatherage