Q&A: Connelly Springs’ Landon S. Huffman discusses racing career

Landon S. Huffman grew up around racing and decided early on that he wanted to be involved in the sport.

The son of Shane Huffman, who won track championships at Hickory Motor Speedway (HMS) in 1996 (Limited Late Models) and 1999 (Late Models) before later competing in nearly 40 NASCAR races, including 31 in the Xfinity Series and seven in the Craftsman Truck Series, Landon S. Huffman is a 17-year-old East Burke High School student who will graduate in 2025. And just like his father two and a half decades ago, he is now racing at HMS in the Late Model division.

The Paper recently talked with Huffman, who resides in Connelly Springs. Here’s what he had to say about his early days in racing, what he likes about HMS, the best advice he has ever received, and more:

Q: What age were you when you started racing and what got you interested in it?

Huffman: I was 6 when I started racing go-karts. My dad had raced a long time before I was born and then he had run some Xfinity stuff right around the time I was born, so I watched him when I was really, really young, and then I was just around it even after he got out of the driving part. I was around it a lot, so I think that’s probably how I got into it.

Q: Last year you started racing regularly at HMS in the Late Model division. You won one race last year and have two wins this year and are fifth in the standings. How far do you feel like you’ve come since last year when you first started racing there regularly?

Huffman: I feel like I’ve come a long way, just as far as car control and understanding what I need out of my car and knowing how to race people better. My racing has come a long way, I feel like. 

Q: Obviously HMS has a great history with a lot of phenomenal drivers who have competed there over the years. What’s your favorite thing about that track and then also what’s the biggest challenge of competing there?

Huffman: My favorite part about it is probably the fact that it has character. It’s really bumpy, it’s worn out, so it’s really fun to run a race there. I really don’t get to run very many long races there, but I think it’s got a lot of character, that’s probably one of my favorite things, and that’s probably also one of my more exciting things about going there is the amount of character it has. It’s really bumpy, really worn out like I said, it’s just fun to race on.

Q: What kind of mentality do you take out onto the track with you on a race day?

Huffman: It’s not really any different than any other mentality. Just to do the best I can at what I’m doing and if it’s not enough then it’s not enough. We’ll go back, we’ll work on it, get better, and come back and hope it’s enough.

Q: Talk about Pinnacle Racing Group, a Mooresville-based Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) team that was founded in February 2023 by Mark and Jerri Webb. Your dad helps manage the team and you’ve got some other talented drivers on the team as well. How does it feel to represent Pinnacle Racing?

Huffman: It feels great. I’m very lucky to be in the position I’m in with them and very thankful for Mark and Jerri Webb for giving me the opportunity they’ve given me, and it just feels really good to have such a great organization like Pinnacle is. It’s really fun to be a part of, everybody there has fun, the people that work there are really fun to be around, so it’s just really fun.

Q: I saw earlier this year you got to join your team at Daytona International Speedway and get some laps in on that track through the ARCA program. What was that experience like?

Huffman: It was pretty fun just to be there and be able to make laps because that’s something that I feel like any kid that likes racing wants to do. It was a little on the boring side because you’re just wide open the whole time, you don’t really have to turn all that much just because the banking turns right with you, but it’s still really, really cool to be able to turn some laps there.

Q: Outside of HMS, what are some of the other tracks you’ve gotten to compete at?

Huffman: I’ve been to Florence Motor Speedway in South Carolina and Tri-County Motor Speedway (in Hudson).

Q: Off the race track, what are some of your other hobbies and interests?

Huffman: I really just race. I mean, I watch football, that’s really the only other sport I enjoy watching. Obviously I watch NASCAR and I play iRacing a lot, but really outside of racing I don’t do much.

Q: Who’s your favorite professional driver and what’s your favorite track that they race on in NASCAR?

Huffman: I don’t really have one anymore, but it was Jimmie Johnson before he retired, which I guess he’s not necessarily retired, he’s still kind of there. But my favorite track to watch is probably Darlington or Charlotte, they just put on the best racing.

Q: What’s some of the best advice you’ve received in your racing career and who gave you that advice?

Huffman: Probably just work as hard as you can and that the Lord above has a plan for everyone, so you’ve just got to work and trust in that plan, and that came from my dad.

Q: What are you hoping to accomplish the rest of this year at HMS?

Huffman: Just hopefully win as much as possible. We’re not really going for a track championship or anything like that, so just to win every weekend that we show up, that’s probably the goal for this year.

NOTE: Excerpts of this Q&A were edited for brevity and clarity.

Josh McKinney can be reached at 828-445-8595 or josh@thepaper.media.