whole team aspect of how excited everybody was, it was just a great experience. As a driver, you want to always be perfect and do your best job. I think both of us missed the tree a little bit, but we were able to squeak one by.
“ And he is no rookie either,” Stanfield adds, praising Norton.“ He was driving like he’ s been driving those cars for a lot of years. And ironically, his crew chiefs [ Rickie and Rick Jones ] used to be my crew chiefs on the Pro Stock cars, so it was kind of a full-circle moment.”
As excited as Stanfield was in the car, his wife, Joleigh, and the entourage that gathered in Stanfield’ s lane on the starting line went just as wild. Getting to celebrate with them all at the top end and back in the pits made the win all the more rewarding.
“ It’ s the best feeling,” Stanfield says.“ I had my wife and my kids and my father and mother-in-law there and some family. Anytime you can share those memories with the people that you’ re really close to and care about, it means a lot. Richard Freeman and Erica Enders and Travis [ Dieterle ] that works on my Pro Stock car and all the Scott Tidwell guys – the Winter Series was the first time I’ ve ever really been around them – we definitely created some lasting memories. It’ s something I’ m super grateful for.”
One of those lasting memories came in the winner’ s circle when reigning WSOPM champion Steve King presented Stanfield with the trophy. It’ s become a tradition for the previous champion to present the trophy to the new winner, but King’ s team owner, Gene Pilot, took it a step further by commissioning a“ traveling trophy,” similar to hockey’ s Stanley Cup, that will stay with the winner for the year between races. Stanfield will get his own name plate on it, joining Mike Bowman, Carl Stevens Jr., the late Scott Oksas, Spencer Hyde, Derek Ward, and King. Stanfield will present the traveling trophy to
the 2027 WSOPM winner – unless he becomes the race’ s first repeat winner.
“ Steve let me know to soak it in and enjoy the moment because that’ s one of the bigger moments you can achieve and they’ re hard to get,” Stanfield shares.“ Super, super nice guy. That’ s the first time I’ ve gotten to meet him. It’ s a special moment and he’ s been there and he knows what it feels like. It’ s cool for someone to be able to pass it on.”
As the winner’ s circle celebrations settled down, the motion picture prop hundred-dollar bills and champagne forming a paper mâché of sorts on the car, Freeman heaped on the praise for Stanfield, who’ s won NHRA national events in five different professional and sportsman classes, as well as three NHRA Factory Stock Showdown championships.
“ He’ s a natural-born driver,” Freeman said in a winner’ s circle interview with Elon Werner.“ He’ s good. He’ s a champion. This is good for him. He comes from a great lineage of drivers, from his grandfather to his father. He’ s a real good, humble guy. He’ s got a long tenure with us. He didn’ t drive that car until he got here Wednesday. The [ poured ] seat’ s not his. He just drove with what was in there. He’ s just that good. Not just in one of these cars. In a Pro Stock car and
DRIVING A CAR- AND COMBINATION- THAT WAS NEW TO HIM IN PRE-RACE TESTING, STANFIELD QUICKLY ACCLIMATED TO THE FLAT-HOODED TIDWELL CAMARO.
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