westhoff motorsports

Wrightwood CA - As a child growing up in a lifestyle that didn't differ from that of many others, Joey Westhoff now has a world of dreams that those few hope for. At a young age, Joey grew up with his friends doing the everyday life that a young pup would do. Playing soccer, baseball, football, and snow skiing kept him out of trouble and very active as a boy. At a young age Joey began to get into the sport of BMX and riding bicycles everyday with good long time friend Mike Childress. Growing up with Childress was all that Joey needed to put him over the top. Riding the bikes everyday eventually led to racing them. While racing bikes Joey had also gotten into riding motorcycles which was just that increasing need for an adrenaline rush that Joey had to have. While not racing BMX or riding motorcycles he eventually grew into the sport we all know as snowboarding. This active lifestyle kept Joey going at all times of the year, unlike Nascar does.
By the time all of this had caught up to Joey he wasn’t prepared for the ways his life was about to change. While snowboarding not far from his home, Wrightwood, Ca, in Decemer of 1997 at Mountain High Resort Joey took a bad fall and broke his left wrist. Joey found out that life wasn’t all fun and games, he now had to face reality and recovering was part of it. One of the best, Dr. John Steinmann of Arrowhead Orthopedics, told Joey that his radius bone was broke and he was going to be on the injured list for the next eight weeks of his life. Joey didn’t like what he heard but he knew he was just going to have to deal with it. After about three weeks of doing nothing, all the while knowing his friends were out having fun, the active part of Joey took over. He had to get out of the house and get that adrenaline. Joey proceeded to go back to Mountain High Resort and snowboard again while his arm was still in a cast, all along telling himself that nothing could happen to it anymore in it’s protection. After the seven weeks past Joey figured that he would do the doctor's work for him and cut the cast off of his arm himself. One week later, Joey went back to his scheduled eight week appointment, only to
please his parents, and found out that he only made his wrist worse. He would now need surgery, and be on the disabled list for an additional twelve weeks. After undergoing surgery and having three pins inserted into his left wrist, Joey now knew that the three months of recovery was going to be long and painstaking. Little did Joey know that being out of the action wouldn’t be all that bad. While sitting in the library at Pinion Mesa Middle School, because Joey could not attend P.E., he met David Norris. David is another very active person who just happened to be sitting in the library for the same reason. He had broken his knee in a motorcycle accident where he didn’t quite make the jump he was attempting. After hanging out with David for some time they began to grow close to each other and soon enough they were best friends.It wasn’t long after that, Joey went to his first off-road race in Ridgecrest, CAwith the Norris'.
At the time they were racing the Mojave Desert Racing series in a Class 10 car. Joey was there helping in any way possible, right along side the car cleaning it or looking it over. It was that high octane adrenaline rush that he hadn't seen for quite some time. It wasn’t long after that that Joey started helping the Norris’ while the racecar was getting prepped at their house in Phelan, CA. Joey learned more and more about off-road racing every time he went to help out. Joey invited his parents to come out and watch the Norris' race and to see what it was all about. That was all it took to get the Westhoff's into off-road racing. Shortly after that one of the Norris' friends, Crazy Ol' Bob was selling his old 5-1600 car because he had recently stepped up to class 1600. The Westhoff's heard about this and they were ready to hit the dirt.
After getting some seat time and doing the testing they felt was needed, they went racing. The first couple of times out wasn’t the best due to DNF's, the realities of off-road racing had set in, but they were still having the times of there lives. Between racing, Joey and Tom prepping the car together, and the friends they had made, they created Westhoff Racing- a family motorsport where everyone has a great time no matter what happens. The third race for Westhoff Racing couldn’t be any better, a race that they had finished and even better than that, they had won. It was the M.O.R.E. "One Winner" race in Barstow, CA which also happened be their backyard. Now that racing took up half of Joey's time he had to find something to do when they weren't racing. This is how Joey and David got even closer. David was a motorcycle racer by heart and soon enough Joey was right there with him. When they weren't at school or racing off-road, they
were racing their motorcycles. With the Los Angeles County Raceway also in their backyard, they were always there when they had even a second to spare. Soon enough Joey was back being the active child that he loved to be. By the time Joey was involved in all of this there seemed to be no time for everything else in the kid’s life. Soon enough Childress had Joey and David convinced to go race in the desert, even though they had only raced at tracks. The only riding in the desert they had done was around David's house in Phelan. The desert race was held in Ridgecrest, Ca up by Red Mountain. The day was gloomy and Joey and David both ended up having bad days. David wound up crashing only seven miles from the start and breaking his collar bone and left wrist all at once. Joey had completed the first loop of two, leading his class by 2 minutes, fueled his bike, got a new pair of goggles and continued on in seek of the first place spot. No more than 10 minutes later Joey had returned to the pits holding his right wrist and throttling with his left. The fate of Joey's accident would be a broken right wrist, two brand new desert racers and one desert race, swallowed by broken bones. Both of them insisted that

they would never race a motorcycle through the desert again, which was entirely untrue because it only took a couple of years to realize it was fun and it just wasn’t their day. They both returned a couple years later to race in the desert again and this time it ended successfully. The boy’s parents knew that if their son’s wanted to pursue a racing career a few things would have to change. Joey and David were both put into Independent Study, where they would have a chance to get an education and race at the same time. After taking a year to rebuild and buy all new parts for the 5-1600, the Westhoff’s returned to the M.O.R.E. desert racing series with a new paint job and new name.Instead of Taz Racing which they had originally named the racing team, with a big looney toon "Taz" on the hood, they changed it to Westhoff Racing. With new skins and a new name Westhoff Racing was ready to make something of themselves. For the next couple of years the

team had seemed to be consistent, finishing almost every race they entered. Joey had graduated high school by this time and went on with his life going to a trade school in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. Universal Technical Institute was just what Joey thought he needed to make money and expand his career into the automotive industry. UTI was a one year course that would teach him to work on cars and make something of himself in the automotive world. While going to school Joey was still doing what he loved to do most, racing. It wasn’t until the M.O.R.E. Holiday 200 in December of 2004 that Westhoff Racing finally had some bad luck. Joey had only went 18 miles in a race that Joey was determined to win with his mom in the car, and rolled three times. The DNF was a bad one causing them to replace a rear arm, motor cases, a body, stub axles, and all the hubs. The 2005 year was right around the corner and it wasn't looking good for them. At that race David's dad,
Mike, ran into a longtime short course racer Troy Johnson. They got to talking and found out that Troy now owned his own fabrication shop and was looking for help. Mike told Troy about Joey and said that he would be down the following Monday to see how he could help. Joey started working for Troy that Monday and soon realized he was learning more at work than he was in school. His school wasn’t over for another seven months so Joey was working part time for Troy while still going to school. The first project Joey worked on at Johnson Fab was a full prep on Darren Skilton’s Kia that was about to race Paris to Dakar. Joey quickly picked up the skills that were needed to make it in the fabrication industry. Joey’s 2005 racing season started when the Norris' decided to race the SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge in their 5-1600 and wanted Joey to co-drive for David on the first day of the two day event. With nothing
better than that, Joey took the co-driver seat with honors. Starting in the eighth position, David and Joey worked their way up to the fourth spot on the end of day one. Day two David moved over and took the co-driving duties for his brother Michael. Everything looked to be okay until the third lap when the right axle let loose and an unfortunate DNF for the day. While working at Johnson Fabrication Joey met Chris Bowman who was a class 5 unlimited car owner. Chris had decided that he was going to run the whole SCORE series for 2005, and with a win at the Laughlin Desert Challange was headed to San Felipe. Chris was looking for a co-driver for San Felipe just as Joey asked him who was riding with him for the race. That was all it took, Chris was looking for someone and Joey had offered to co-drive with him. They ended up getting in for the

second half of the race where they had three flats and had to limp in on a front flat for thirty miles. By the end of the day they came up a little short to the car of Tom Brown. A second place for the day wasn’t bad for the points position that Chris was going for. At the same race Joey's girlfriend Brittany was also getting into the racing world.Her dad Tim Sanchez had recently had a 5-1600 built and San Felipe was going to be the first race for their new car.They didn’t have the best of all days either and after going through two transmissions, they were forced to call it quits. In February of 2005 the M.O.R.E. series was having a race in Barstow that Joey had decided to run in his 5-1600. Getting it all back together in time to make it to the race, they were going to give it a go. Westhoff Racing started in the back of the pack and and worked their way to the front of the pack on the first lap. During that lap they lost an alternator and third gear in the transmission. After changing the alternator and Tom took over the driving duties
for the second lap, Joey decided to call it quits when they came in at the end of the second lap with the alternator destroyed again. Another terrible DNF for the Westhoff's. After all of this they had decided that is was time to build a new car and to retire the 5-1600 and use it strickly for pre-running. The car that they had in mind, a 1-2/1600 car.While getting all the parts together for the new car Joey had to stay busy in the racing world.With Joey's boss Troy driving in the class 1 car of Rick Wilcoxson and Marty Melendrez, and his girlfriends dad having a car, Joey was bound to stay busy. After going testing with Tim and his 5-1600, my chance had come to drive at the M.O.R.E. Freedom 250 night race in Barstow. Battling the difficulties of a still recently new car Desertbull Racing left the starting line, only to go 26 miles and break a transmission. With the help of Joey and the chase crew they got the car running again and back around to the main pit where Joey would
take over driving duties. Not long after that, a call came on the radio to come and get the car, they had broken another transmission. Although this race didn’t go to well for Desertbull Racing it was good testing for the car as they had major plans to run the Baja 1000. Finishing the next race and getting ready for the Baja 1000 was on the to-do list, and that what was going to be done. With Joey prepping the car for Desertbull Racing, he felt like they were on the right track for a flawless Baja 1000. Joey started the next race of the M.O.R.E. series and with the winning set up they had, he was leading on the first lap until him and Brittany had a flat. They were passed while limping to Pit C, but were three minutes behind the leader after they left the pit. By the time they had got back to the start finish they were only 30 seconds behind the leader. At the end of the second lap, the driver change was scheduled, but while it was underway they had found out
that they had a big leak in the transmission somewhere. After putting three quarts of transmission fluid in each lap, the Desertbull Racing car finally crossed the finish line on the way and ready to tackle the Baja 1000. With a couple of months to go before the big race, Joey had to stay busy in the racing world. The CEO of Mastercraft Seats, Robbie Pierce, one of Desertbull Racing’s sponsors, had recently bought a Protruck and was racing the BITD "Vegas to Reno" race his first time out. Joey had volunteered his help to Robbie and was gladly accepted. The Mastercraft Racing Team put together a solid first race, finishing in fifth place. With all the pre-running and preparation put into the Baja 1000 Desertbull Racing knew what they had to do to get to the finish and how hard it was going to be. Off the start line was Tim with his daughter Brittany, a dream come true to him to leave the line of the Baja 1000 with his daughter. Unfortunately at race mile 44 they were caught in the dust of the silt beds with a high line and a low line, the middle line threw the car onto its side and they were left to wait for someone to upright them. The car finally made it to Joey where he was waiting to get in at rm 78. He and Sergio Ulloa got in to tackle the Summit and brought the car to rm 160.

Joey handed the car off to be taken from there all the way to mile 270. At mile 270 Joey got in to co-drive through the three toughest washes of Baja with Crazy Ol' Bob. At mile 400 Joey got out of the co-drivers seat to get in the drivers seat with Sergio co-driving for him. They proceeded to take the car through Mikes Sky Ranch and through the night and early morning to the 540 mile marker where Sergio got out and Brittany got in to co-drive the coast with boyfriend Joey. They then took the car all the way to 670 pit where Tim was scheduled to get back in the car with Brittany and finish the epic race. At mile 630 Joey lost the brakes and with an hour of down time found some brake fluid and repaired the problem with the brakes to get to the finish. With a finishing time of 26 hours and 2 minutes Tim, Brittany and Desertbull racing crossed the finish line of the Baja 1000 in eight place. A dream come true to many, the celebration was underway.

No more than two weeks later was the last race of the M.O.R.E. racing series where Joey was set to co-drive in the class one car of MW Motorsports, with his boss Troy Johnson. After battling all day Troy and Joey brought the car across the line first physically and second overall on time.The 06' season again was right around the corner and again Joey was scheduled to co-drive in the MW Motorsports class one, this time to solo the whole race. With Troy starting the race and Rick finishing they were bound to have a great day. Troy drove his part and handed the car off in second place. Rick then stepped up the pace and on the fifth lap passed the leader to take the first overall spot on course. Only 2 miles from the start finish line they broke a CV joint and had to settle for 45 minutes of downtime and a third place for the day.
Not even a week later was the BITD "Parker 425" Were Joey again pulled solo co-driving duties in the Mastercraft Seats Pro-Truck. Jim Chick started the race and after having a flat and two dust filled laps, handed the truck off to Robbie. Robbie then piloted the truck around the last lap stopping halfway for fuel. The alternator had stopped charging for some reason and Joey's quick thinking switched to one battery and saved the other in case it died. Just after the Midway pit on a hard left corner Robbie put the truck over twice and landed on its wheels, only to flatten two tires. After changing the flats and continuing on Robbie and Joey stopped to get a tire at the Mineral Wash pit and then once again the truck stopped running about ten miles from the finish. The second battery eventually died because of a broken stud on the alternator. Waiting for someone to stop and lend/deliver a battery was a long wait. The day turned

turned to night and a BITD offical finally reached them with a new one. They crossed the finish line, finishing 11th in class and 54th overall. They may have had a rough day, but they made it to the finish line. While all of this is going on Joey is also an instuctor for Troy at the Fab School in Riverside, CA. He teaches, he’s a fabricator and a racer. What more could he ask for. When Joey isn’t teaching or working on somebody else’s car, Joey is working on his 2-1600 car that is being built on the fixture plate at Johnson Fab. With the help of family and sponsors like Mastercraft, Fox Shox, Kartek Off-road, Carey Building Supplies, Dirtnewz.com, and his mom and dad the car would not be possible at all. This lifestyle doesn’t match up to the one that he lived as a boy, but he is doing what he loves to do and that is all that matters.