Matt Tillson
Waurika News-Democrat
WAURIKA —
When youngsters are growing up and imagining the future, some see themselves being astronauts soaring through space.
Others want to be policemen, taking down a robber, or maybe a firefighter helping douse a blaze.
But for Waurika’s Chadd Howell, the dreams revolved around auto racing.
That’s easy to understand. Howell is a third-generation car driver — racing is in his blood.
“I have always been somehow involved with race cars in one way or another,” Howell said. “It’s something that I have been around most my life and it is what I know.
“My grandpa, Lewis Howell, got me started when I was 14, and he is the one who also got my dad Duane started.
“Grandpa had been a racer himself, a the old race track at the Lawton/Duncan ‘Y’. He’s the instigator of all this madness!”
Howell has been racing “off and on for 20 years,” the last 10 at Lawton Speedway, where he is currently ranked second in the USA Modified spring car class.
Being second overall is an accomplishment, but Howell believed his team should be at the top of the rankings.
“We should be leading right now, we’ve just had some bad breaks along the way,” Howell said. “Those bad breaks will occur every now and then, you just have to roll with them and fined a way to get past them from time to time.”
Over the years, Howell has logged over 30 wins in heat races and features. “I haven’t won a championship, but I usually win a race or two throughout each season that I have raced,” he noted.
One of the negative often associated with auto racing is the danger of accidents. And Howell, a 1994 Waurika High graduate, has been there.
“I had a bad wreck in July of 2004 driving a sprint car in Lawton,” he said. “It was so bad that I had to miss the rest of that season and I started back the next season too early.
“I had a couple of broken vertebra, a titanium plate in my neck and nerve damage. I was out of work for about a month and it was a very painful experience that I would not like to go through again.”
Medical bills began to add up while Howell was out of commission, but that prompted his racing friends and opponents to make a gesture that reflects the camaraderie found among racers.
“During the races, drivers would go through the stands and get donations to help me and my family pay for medical expenses,” Howell said. “That is a very humbling thing to be witness to. It really shows that people around here really do care.”
Wrecking cars is definitely a negative, but like a lot of drivers, Howell felt the success balances the danger.
“I’ve still yet to have a major highlight in my career, but one of them would be some of the feature wins,” Howell said. “It just feels awesome when you finish the race with a win.”
And although racing seems like a singular sport to some, Howell is very aware of the team concept.
Howell said Cody Bowden has played a key role by allowing Howell to drive his 2002 Harris.
“It’s an old car but it’s a good one,” Howell said. “It handles really well, and also has a very strong motor to get me moving.
“David Henderson has contributed a lot in the last 10 years as my sponsor. I also drove for Robert Green back in 1999, but David has been my sponsor since 2000.
“Harold Winton Senior has supported me over the years and Harold (Winton) Junior has helped, too.
“And Chad Durbin has been my crew chief and fabricator for years. He really does all the work. If it hadn’t been for him, I wouldn’t make it anywhere.”
The future seems bright for Howell, but he’s not sure where that future will lie. Although he’s been based at the Lawton track for a decade, that may change.
“This year, we are going to stick with Lawton and try to win a championship,” he said. “Next year, there’s no telling where we will be.
“We may try and go for the NCRA schedule.”
—Matt Tillson is a reporter for the Duncan Banner. Waurika Editor Jeff Kaley contributed to this story.
