Chase Womack has packed a career’s worth of accomplishments into just over two years of drag racing, but the driver of the screw-blown “Hitman” Firebird added his biggest one yet at the Freedom of War no-prep race, July 3-4 at WesTx Abilene Raceway. Womack outlasted a stacked 48-car Small Tire field over six rounds on the West Texas track’s bare-concrete surface to claim the $75,000 winner’s share of the biggest small-tire no-prep purse in history.
Making the weekend even sweeter, Womack lined up against his own CW Racing teammate, LJ Grissom, in the final round. Grissom, driving the team’s “HammerHead” Corvette, helped lock up $95,000 in total winnings for the CW Racing camp.
“It was an unbelievable feeling,” Womack said of the all-CW Racing final. “Honestly, the semifinals felt like the championship round because we knew what was at stake. Once both win lights came on, we knew we’d locked up the entire purse for the team. That’s something I’ll never forget. It wasn’t luck – it was the result of a lot of preparation, constant adjustments, and an incredible group of people who never stopped working.”
The victory is the latest highlight in a rapid rise for Womack, who made his first trip to a dragstrip in 2024 and was hooked immediately. Within a year, he was lining up against some of the quickest small-tire drivers in the world on a 28×10.5 slick.
“Our program has progressed incredibly fast,” Womack said. “The speed at which we’ve grown is a credit to everyone involved in our program. It takes a tremendous amount of work, dedication, and the right people around you to make that kind of jump, and I’m proud of what our team has been able to accomplish in such a short amount of time.”
That growth was on full display in 2025, when Womack won two of the three nights at Outlaw Armageddon at Tulsa Raceway Park, beating Kye Kelley in the High Rollers Shootout final and Ryan Martin in the Day 2 final before breaking in the semifinals on Night 3. Womack also earned an invitation to run the True 10.5 class during the Drag Illustrated Winter Series at Bradenton Motorsports Park, where he recorded a 4.06-second pass despite battling engine issues.
Since then, Womack and his team, including tuner Jack Roberts and crew chief Austin Poiencot, made a significant change to the former Bobby Ducote No Prep Kings car, swapping its ProCharger combination for a screw blower.
“We felt the screw blower offered better weight placement for a 28-inch tire combination, and the way it produces power gives us more flexibility with power management,” Womack said. “From a performance standpoint, I also believe it’s one of the most capable power adders out there, second only to a turbo setup when it comes to maximum horsepower potential.”
The Freedom of War race presented a challenge unlike anything else in no-prep racing, as track owner Matt Tucker stripped the WesTx Abilene Raceway surface down to bare concrete from the starting line to the 660-foot mark. It’s a surface that bit Womack and his team in a previous appearance at the track, so they left nothing to chance in their preparation.
“The last time we raced at WesTx Abilene Raceway after they stripped the track down to bare concrete, we struggled to slow the car down enough to make it drivable,” Womack said. “This time around, we wanted to be prepared for every situation – from the first round on a completely bare surface to the quicker ETs we’d need later in the event once the track started coming around. We tested on surfaces that were as close as we could find, but the truth is it’s impossible to fully replicate what Matt Tucker does with that track. All we could do was find the worst surface possible and spend time testing until we felt confident.”
The preparation paid off, starting with a first-round win over Eric Bain that Womack pointed to as one of the biggest of the weekend.
“The first round was huge because we’ve been knocked out first round at that track before,” Womack said. “Even after all the testing and preparation, we were still skeptical that a surface that tricky would hold the kind of horsepower our car makes. The track was changing every pair, and there wasn’t much data to rely on.”
Womack kept turning on win lights deep into the night, setting up a semifinal matchup that he considered the defining moment of the race. With Grissom already through to the final in the HammerHead car, Womack knew what a win over “Big Za” would mean.
“We’d managed to keep our two team cars away from each other all race long,” Womack said. “Once LJ got around the Falcon, we knew that if we could beat Big Za, we’d guarantee an all-CW Racing final and lock up $95,000 for our team. That was also the most intense moment of the race. We felt like the truck was trying to run us out of fuel, and there were a few staging games being played. There was a lot on the line, but our team stayed focused, the car performed exactly like it needed to, and we got it done.”
Womack was quick to praise Grissom, who reached the final round with only a handful of passes in “HammerHead” before the event.
“His driving was calm, consistent, and impressive all weekend long,” Womack said. “He did an outstanding job, and having him put the ‘HammerHead’ car in the final alongside the ‘Hitman’ made the weekend even more special.”
Womack credited a long list of people for the win, starting with his wife, Jessica Womack, along with Poiencot, crew members Alan Bradshaw, Brandon Chance, and Raymond Cruz, who thrashed until nearly 6 a.m. to keep both cars ready every round, as well as longtime supporter Michael Poland and the media teams who cover the no-prep scene – Tessa Womack Photography, Lone Star Racing Channel, Never Too Late Video, Ticklefitz, Primitive Models, and 4Ever Grudge.
He also singled out Roberts, his tuner, who was recognized on the Drag Illustrated 30 Under 30 list in 2025.
“Jack continues to impress me every race,” Womack said. “Round after round, he kept making the right adjustments, and the car just kept getting faster. He stays humble, keeps his head down, and lets his work speak for itself. In my opinion, he’s one of the most underrated tuners in drag racing today.”
Womack saved special praise for Tucker, who put up $150,000 of his own money to fund the record Small Tire purse and has plans to grow the race even bigger.
“They’re doing something completely different than anyone else in the sport,” Womack said. “What impressed me the most was Matt Tucker’s commitment to making the event better. He’s the only track owner I know who personally calls racers to ask what they liked, what they didn’t, and what could be improved. He’s genuinely trying to create an environment where any combination has a chance to win, and I think that’s great for the sport. Promoters willing to invest in racers and push the sport forward deserve a lot of credit, and we’re grateful to have been part of it.”
Womack confirmed he’ll be back at WesTx Abilene Raceway when the track hosts its next big event in November – and he believes there’s more performance left in the Hitman.
“Between now and November, we’ll be testing, learning, and making every adjustment we can to make this car even faster,” Womack said. “Even though we won, we still believe there’s ET left on the table, and we’re determined to find it before the next race.”
This story was originally published on July 8, 2026. 
The post Chase Womack Talks $75,000 Small Tire Victory as CW Racing Sweeps Freedom of War Final at WesTx Abilene Raceway first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
