Wentzville’s Next Major Athlete

Josh Calloni, Reporter

Wentzville has had a good amount of famous athletes come and go, including running back Montee Ball, and major league pitchers Ross Detwiler and Tim Melville, but now, a new form of athlete is up and coming. Kyle Weatherman, a NASCAR driver, is getting his first opportunities.

Weatherman, a native of Wentzville, and a graduate of Holt High School, has gotten his first two starts in NASCAR’s biggest series, the Monster Energy Cup series, in the last three weeks. Weatherman has been behind the wheel of Rick Ware Racing’s number 51 car, finishing 34th Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway, and 35th two weeks ago at Martinsville International Raceway. Weatherman, who is only 20 years old, has been racing on NASCAR’s levels since 2013, as a 15 year old, starting in the ARCA series, working his way up through NASCAR’s truck series and now, at it’s highest level.

“I think it’s cool how we could be able to witness the next big sports superstar up close and personal, him being from Wentzville,” freshman Jacob Brewer said.

Though he did not start in NASCAR until age 15, Weatherman raced locally since age 10, starting with Legend Cars, and at 12 he won the Legend Car National Championship in Las Vegas. Once he got to the ARCA series, Weatherman raced for two years before winning his first race in Millville, New Jersey in 2015, at 17.

Over his 10 year racing career, Weatherman has won 196 races, through NASCAR and Legend Cars.