Gramma Debbie

#The first Stock Car race of the season at Winnemucca Raceway on Jungo Road is Friday and Saturday nights April 28-29. 

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#The raceway is a beautiful facility with a 1/4 mile dirt oval track featuring four classes of race cars.  

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#The Pure Stock is the slowest class and meant for entry level drivers.  Hobby Stock is the most popular class, true race cars.

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#IMCA sanctioned Stock Car and Modified are the elite classes with all out-competition cars and expert drivers. 

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#One of the most interesting drivers is Debbie Webbe, a 69-year-old grandmother and great grandmother.  

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#Last year her husband and crew chief Butch Ekins found a derelict ‘77 Buick Pure Stock race car sitting in the weeds in Elko. 

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#Accepting the challenge of refurbishing the Buick to running condition, he then needed a driver.  You wouldn’t think it would be that difficult to find a young person to drive and help maintain a race car.   

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#Then Debbie stepped up, “Maybe I could drive?”  Well, why not?  Debbie is a part time truck driver with a Class A CDL and holds a student pilots license. 

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#At the Speedway she drove her rookie year in the Pure Stock class and even won one Main Event.  

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#Her little fans gave her track name, Gramma Debbie.

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# Gramma Debbie has an emotional attachment to the Buick, named Black Betty and asked Butchie, “What would it take to make Betty a Hobby Stock?”  Butchie was on it.  

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#With help from Mike Scott and Brad Schmitt, Betty now has a hot 350 crate motor, competition Powerglide and Ford 9” Posi with deep gears.  

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#Debbie says she will go easy the first year, but once she gets a taste of that power she won’t be satisfied with other cars in front of her.

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#See you at the races.