Rusty Webb, a former NASCAR spotter, knows talent when he sees it. That’s why he’s tapped Hayden Cardwell as his driver for the 2022 season. Together, they seek the American All-Star Series Presented by PPM Racing Products championship.
While Webb raced pavement late models earlier in his life, he’s best known for his stint as a NASCAR spotter. He started in that line of work by happenstance.
“A friend of mine had done engines for Morgan-McClure [Motorsports, a former NASCAR Cup Series team with three Daytona 500 wins],” said Webb, 58, of Seymour, Tennessee. “I went to Daytona just to watch and I was standing in the garage. [Team owner] Larry McClure said to me, ‘Don’t you drive race cars?’
“I said, ‘Yeah.’
“He said, ‘Well, we need a spotter.’
“I said, ‘Wait a minute. I’m not getting up there, spotting, and being responsible for [all the cars on the track]. I was so nervous … because you have a lot of drivers’ lives on your hands and a lot of money in equipment. One mistake, and you’ve torn up 10 race cars.’”
Reluctantly, Webb gave spotting a try.
“I started spotting for Mike Skinner and he told Larry, ‘You need to hire this guy,” Webb said. “I told Larry, ‘I’m not looking for a job.’”
Webb took fill-in assignments as a spotter that season before it became a full-time gig the following year. He spotted professionally from the early 2000s through 2020, with his last tenure at Penske Racing. One of his most memorable moments came while spotting for Parker Kligerman in the ARCA Menards Series. In 2009, Kligerman won nine races and finished just five point out of first place.
However, Webb still yearned for the short-track scene. With pavement tracks dwindling near his home, he went dirt racing. The last few years he’s fielded cars for the likes of Zach Sise, Logan Roberson, and now Hayden Cardwell.
Cardwell has only one year of experience behind the wheel of any type of race car. (See “Hayden Cardwell: Uses iRacing Winnings for Race Car”.) Nevertheless, his on-track actions caught Webb’s attention.
“Hayden’s got car control,” said Webb. “He looks for speed. He wants to run faster every time he goes out. That’s what I like. I like that he wants to dig.”
In their first race together at 411 Motor Speedway in February, Hayden Cardwell won. Webb’s experience as a spotter seems to have helped him find his next talented pilot.
“After doing [spotting] for so long, you can tell what the car’s doing … and you can tell the drivers who can adapt,” Webb said. “Hayden can adapt. His car wasn’t always perfect, but he always made it look good.”
Rusty Webb and Hayden Cardwell will be gunning for their first win in American All-Star Series Presented by PPM Racing Products competition this weekend. The tour opens their season with a doubleheader on Friday, April 1, and Saturday, April 2, at I-75 Raceway outside of Sweetwater, Tennessee. After finishing second-place in points last season with Sise, Webb and Cardwell look to do one spot better in 2022 to win the championship.
Outside Groove Note of Transparency: Outside Groove is a sponsor of the American All-Star Series. The American All-Star Series paid for the production of this article. The content was not subject to the approval of the American All-Star Series.
The Outside Groove Executive Editor has covered motorsports since 2000. His many awards include the 2019 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Jim Hunter Writer of the Year and the 2013 Russ Catlin Award for Excellence in Motorsports Journalism.
