DRIVER RELEASE: Conner Weddell is moving up to the Virginia Racer class at Dominion Raceway just months removed from winning the Legend Car championship at Dominion Raceway.
Weddell, 14, from Centreville, Maryland, won eight races in Legends competition at Dominion en route to the division championship before making a handful of starts in the Virginia Racer (Limited Late Model) division. The Maryland teenager has already picked up a top-five finish in the bigger, heavier cars, and has his sights set on victory lane in a car owned by Chris Phillips.
“I’m really pumped about it,” Weddell said. “I think we’re going to have a really good chance at a couple wins this year. Dad wants to win a championship, but I think we’re going to have a good year. I’ve done a lot of testing, we ran a couple races last year, and got a lot of laps down.”
Weddell’s father, Mike Weddell, is a racer himself who has frequently competed in a Legend Car across the Southeast. The younger Weddell began racing when he was five years old, first in a quarter midget on dirt, then in Bandoleros, and eventually moving up to Legend Cars where he picked up his first career win in 2022.
Much of Weddell’s success comes from learning the ropes, in and out of the car, from Tyler Hughes. Hughes is an 18-time Late Model Stock Car race winner who has been victorious at four different Mid-Atlantic short tracks.
“He’s done a great job progressing through the ranks,” Hughes explained. “Last year was a breakout year with him being able to get a bunch of wins and win the championship. I saw something in him click last year when he matured as a driver and was able to put a lot of races together. I feel like that’s going to be a benefit for him stepping into the Virginia racer.”
For his part, Weddell looks up to Hughes as an influence – and continues to lean on the veteran as he transitions from Legend Cars to Late Models.
“The cars are way different,” Weddell remarked. “They’re not even close in driving style, and Tyler teaches me a lot. I would like to just learn what a change in the car will do for a Late Model. I’ve gotten used to it on a Legend Car.
“I love working with Tyler,” Weddell continued. “He’s taught me pretty much everything I know about racing. He’s been there the whole time, and I’ve raced against him a ton. He’s hard to beat and I think that’s why I did so good in a Legend Car and expect to do so good this year.”
Hughes feels Weddell has the talent to get to victory lane.
“I think finishing top-three in points and maybe a race win or a few would be a really successful first year in that Virginia Racer class. He ran four races last year and finished top-five in three of those races. The last race he ran was at Southern National, a low grip racetrack, and he did a good job managing the race, managing his tires, avoiding the wrecks and being there at the end. He drives very smart and he has the potential to have a really good year.”
Weddell will compete predominantly at Dominion Raceway in Thornburg, Virginia, while also making a handful of starts at Langley Speedway in Hampton, Virginia. Weddell may also compete in some bigger races later this season.
Conner Weddell’s efforts are supported by First Choice Garage Doors, a garage door installation and repair company with two locations in Maryland (Easton and Odenton), a location in Manassas, Virginia, and a location in Parkesburg, Pennsylvania. For more information about First Choice Garage Doors, visit firstchoicegaragedoorsinc.com.
To learn more about Conner Weddell and follow his racing career, visit the Weddell Motorsports webpage at weddellmotorsports.com or follow Weddell Motorsports on Facebook. To lean more about Tyler Hughes Motorsports, like Tyler Hughes Motorsports on Facebook or follow @_THMotorsports on X (formerly known as Twitter).
