Legacy. Although it is defined as what is left behind in an organization, I would argue that its definition runs so much deeper. A legacy is not awarded, nor is it earned overnight. A legacy is something that is built day by day with hard work backing it up along the way. There are few people that built a larger legacy for motorsports in New Mexico than the late Truman West.
Although his racing career was cut short due to an injury, Truman never let that change the way that he thought about Sprint Car racing. A true handyman and craftsman his entire life, Truman worked hard with help from a great group of friends to compete towards the top of the local racing scene with a much smaller budget than some of his competitors. Along the way, he was able to introduce an impressive number of young men to the sport he loved so dearly and shared his experience with it to each of his young protégés.
I was lucky enough to be one of those kids that he found. I remember asking Truman one day why he chose to cycle through rookie drivers every couple of years rather than keep a veteran in the car full-time. It seemed silly to me knowing how many mistakes rookies are known to make and how little we know that this was Truman’s idea of fun. His response taught me a lesson that day that success isn’t necessarily measured by wins and podiums.
“There is nothing in the world that beats the smile on a kids face when they pull in to the pits after their first laps in a Sprint Car,” said Truman. “That will always be my favorite part about racing.”
He was right. The first laps that I ever turned in a Sprint Car at Southern New Mexico Speedway in the No. 56, made famous locally by Truman, are a memory that I will never forget. I’m not sure if it was the raw speed, horsepower, or excitement of a new challenge that made those laps so memorable but they truly are some of my happiest moments of my life. Truman got the honor of feeding these moments to over a dozen young guns, which was a success in itself in his eyes.
Unfortunately his wisdom and playful smile left the racing world much too soon. A few years ago I was able to ask him how he would like people to remember his legacy that he has built.
“I go out of my way to try to make sure that I pay people that I owe, that I thank people that help me, and I hope that when my life is over with that those people all stand there and say that he was a pretty good ole boy. You just have to take life as it comes; give back and try to do everything I can to be a better guy tomorrow than I was yesterday.”
It goes without saying that Truman succeeding in being a good ole boy. I hope he knew just how much he was appreciated in the racing community.
Since his passing, it has been clear as day that behind every good man is an even greater woman. His wife, Pat, didn’t skip a beat and stepped up to make sure that Truman’s No. 11w would stay on track with me as a driver. The 2020 season showed major promise for the team as we were able to capture multiple podium finishes together and end up second in the POWRi NMMRA championship point standings by just six points behind Caleb Saiz. As we approach a new year, it is so exciting to know that Truman’s dream will continue on as Pat will grow the SEH Motorsports team to two full-time Sprint Cars in 2021 with me running the newly-numbered 7D7 and Travis Oldfield returning to the team to pilot the No. 11w. Travis and I are both very excited to see what next year has in store, and we couldn’t be happier to be a part of carrying on a legacy over 45 years in the making.
Article by Spencer Hill