Shane Westerfield has a new way of doing business even though the old way won him the 2017 NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car title.

“Last year we would qualify top 5, top 6 and go rounds here and there but we had a lot of luck on the way, and a lot of other cars that did a lot of the dirty work for us and took out guys that we couldn’t beat at times,” Westerfield explained.

In the rough and tumble world of Top Alcohol Funny Car, when you are the champion, the alligators are always nipping at your heels. And while Westerfield wouldn’t necessarily call his competition, the likes of Sean Bellemeur, Annie Whiteley, and Doug Gordon animals, the competition they bring to the table is every bit as vicious. In other words, Westerfield understands reinventing himself to defend his title was not an option, it was a necessity.

“This year we are trying to be more aggressive, a new way of running the car, new fuel system, clutch program. It paid off the first couple races,” Westerfield confirmed. “We didn’t qualify so hot, but when it came to race day, we ended up low e.t. and top speed of the first two races.”

Westerfield’s title-defense has had moments of brilliance and some not-so- excellent moments. He recorded victories at the NHRA Winternationals as well as the NHRA Western Regional at Wild Horse Motorsports Park outside of Phoenix.

The NHRA Vegas Four-Wide Nationals was a challenge as always.

“We came out of the box okay, and then as the weekend went on, we just progressively got worse,” Westerfield admitted.

A quarter-final finish in Las Vegas didn’t come as a surprise considering The Strip at Las Vegas has never been one of the tracks he’s encountered much luck. He did run the Regional in Vegas a week.

“We went back to the old setup for the second race and went to the final,” Westerfield said. “We knew we weren’t going to be the quickest and fastest but we figured we could go rounds, and we did.”

Following a challenging two weekends of racing, Westerfield was reminded of the big picture in life, and it had very little to do with wins or losses, or even finding the right combination for a temperamental track. Westerfield lost a friend. Shortly after the Las Vegas regional event, Mike Blake of Blake Brothers Racing passed away. Blake was popular in the alcohol pits, and extremely popular in the Westerfield camp.

“He was one of my best friends,” Westerfield said.“We met all the Blake Brothers in Houston in 2012, and it seems like, with Mike and I and John, we really hit it off. We had a lot of the same interests as far a racing goes, and then John was also in the boat racing side, so we had that to share. They were there to win.

“They got me all the best parts that we could possibly get to go do it, the best equipment. But it turned into more than just a sponsorship or even a friendship. We became more like family. We would go out there (Houston) several times throughout the year and just go hang out, and they’d come out to California, and we’d go watch baseball games together. The whole racing thing that turned out to be more of a bonus than anything else. They have such a passion for it. I’m going to miss him, not just as a sponsor but as a really good friend.”

Since the NHRA Springnationals were not on the Top Alcohol Funny Car schedule, an event considered home territory for the Blakes, Westerfield and his team packed up and grabbed their blown-gas Flatbottom boat and headed to Bakersfield, California’s Lake Ming. After all, racing is racing, at least to Westerfield and his father Steve. They would honor Mike on the water.

“The way we approach the boat racing thing is just a relaxed environment. If we get beat, we get beat. If we win, we win. It’s just a lot of fun” said Westerfield. “Plus the car racing stuff, I get to race with Dad, or I get to be with him there, but with the boat races, I get to race against him, and it makes it even more fun.

“We talk like we’re not competitive, but when we get on the rope, we’re probably the most competitive people there are,” said Westerfield. “He was probably running three or four tenths slower than me throughout the weekend, so when we paired up during qualifying, he made sure he had a three tenths red light against me so it would look good for pictures.”

Westerfield has plans to attend 8 NHRA National events and 5 Regional events in 2018.

“We might add some here or there if we need to,” says Westerfield. “We are racing this weekend in Topeka, followed by Chicago two weeks later for both the National event and the Jegs All-Star race.”

And if there’s one thing Westerfield doesn’t doesn't mind a bit of deja vu, it is his outcome at the 2017 NHRA Route 66 Nationals, a race he not only won the Jegs All-Star title but also took home the event crown in one weekend.