THE HAPPIEST UPSET:
A Recap of Dustin Vandermooren’s Emotional Pick Your Part Pro Late Model Win Aug. 17 at Irwindale Speedway
Written by Greg Toumassian
Irwindale Speedway
It sounds like the plot to a big screen movie—an underdog tale where a father and son team build a race car together that beats some of the best drivers in the region and takes home the win.
But unlike a Hollywood production, this short track David and Goliath story didn’t take 90 minutes to unfold. And there certainly wasn’t a massive crew or budget behind the scenes to make it happen.
It took years of trials, tribulations, and hard work for Dustin Vandermooren to finally get his storybook ending on August 17 at Irwindale Speedway—and he’ll be the first to tell you it was all worth it.
“And then instantly… it was a feeling of relief… from the finish line to the middle of the back straight stretch was just an exhale,” said Vandermooren. “You know, there’s a weight lifted off, like, we can do this, we’re okay, you know. I am pumped.”
As Vandermooren took off at the start of the night’s Pick Your Part Pro Late Model main feature, he would take the lead away from some of Irwindale Speedway’s heaviest hitters—and some of the best on the West Coast—and then build a gap that no one saw coming.
Early into the race, Vandermooren was being chased down by ARCA West veteran Trevor Huddleston, a three-time Pro Late Model champion and Irwindale’s all-time winningest driver.
Behind Huddleston’s #50 machine was Jeffrey Peterson, who is in the midst of a dominating year with his #51 car leading in both victories and points for the Irwindale Speedway and CARS Tour West Pro Late Models championships.
And behind Peterson was the #55 of Linny White, the two-time defending Pro Late Model champion and one of the West Coast’s most experienced and respected drivers.
“You know when I started hearing, ‘seven cars back,’ ‘eight cars back,’ it’s like, is my hearing right?” said Vandermooren. “Is my spotter judging it right? And then at that point, it’s just a matter of reminding yourself you only have to go fast enough to be the first one over the line.”
“You know when I started hearing, ‘seven cars back,’ ‘eight cars back,’ it’s like, is my hearing right?” said Vandermooren.
The 37-year-old driver based in Rancho Cucamonga got his start racing in pro trucks back when he was 17 years old.
In 2013, Vandermooren would get into his first late model and continue to compete in pro trucks, driving on and off until 2017.
Then in 2018, Vandermooren went full-time running the former Southwest Tour Trucks series, where he would find his competitive edge and end up winning the series championship before taking a year off driving.
Since 2019, Vandermooren and his father have been focused on building a race-winning pro late model. It’s a true, humble, grassroots effort.
Vandermooren rolls in with a small, enclosed trailer and a few toolboxes, and handles all the major maintenance and setup with his dad.
Aside from a couple of helpful hands on race day, it basically is—and has been—a two-person operation.
“When it comes down to building the car, all the maintenance on the car and testing, which is the majority of the work, that’s almost all just me and my dad,” Said Vandermooren.
Dustin is no stranger to mechanics, having worked in manufacturing as an automated systems technician focused on robotics before moving into the elevator industry, where he’s currently a mechanic.
But even before gaining this professional experience, he had a very important mentor early in life.
“I learned it from my dad,” said Vandermooren “He was an automotive mechanic and owned his own auto repair shop. He’s a true gearhead.”
So, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Dustin and his dad have been incredibly hands on with every aspect of this car.
What might be surprising, however, is the origin of this race-winning machine.
“It’s really the same car—the center section of the car is the same car—that I started racing in 2013,” said Vandermooren.
While Saturday’s victory was certainly a sweet one, the road to success had plenty of bitter moments.
“It’s not always fun to be in the development phase, and really, that’s the way I see this car,” said Vandermooren “It’s a proof-of-concept prototype car, so I’m not afraid to cut stuff off of it and try something, try a different thing, you know?”
And with lots to learn and gain from every race, Vandermooren said it wasn’t always about doing what everyone else was doing—it was about seeing what would happen if they tried something new.
“We’ve tried all kinds of wacky things that I know there was lots of people rolling their eyes at, and to me I felt like it was worth it to try it—even though it might sound stupid, or we might look stupid,” said Vandermooren. “I wanted to see if I can understand what is actually happening, what is it actually doing. And I mean big, big swings, like mounting the body on the late model completely the opposite of what we were seeing.”
While Dustin and his father have done extensive work to the car over the years to get it into race-winning form, there’s one thing that’s been along for the ride this whole time.
“The seat that’s in it was a $300 seat that I bought on eBay,” said Vandermooren. “It’s a Sprint Car seat, and it’s the seat that I bought in 2013 for the car.”
Vandermooren doesn’t feel intimidated in his humble approach. In fact, it’s a motivator.
“I love that I get to go out there and pull in next to a stacker—pulling next to a big team that has three or four cars,” Vandermooren. “I don’t look at that and go, ‘We shouldn’t be racing against each other.’ Never thought that. I thought, ‘I am so lucky I get to race against these guys.’”
“I don’t look at that and go, ‘We shouldn’t be racing against each other.’ Never thought that. I thought, ‘I am so lucky I get to race against these guys.’” said Vandermooren.
And after the emotional win at Irwindale Speedway, it’s safe to say Vandermooren’s unwavering grit, drive and determination have finally paid off.