The Homestretch

All those rich-voiced years he spent behind a microphone created a slew of fond memories for retired radio disc jockey and racetrack announcer Marty Webb. Near the top? That would be his interview of NASCAR Hall-of-Famer Richard Petty before the racing legend went on to serve as honorary starter for a race in Rockingham.

“The fact that I grew up watching him race and then I had the opportunity to be able to interview him on the PA system at Rockingham was special,” Webb said. “I watched him from the whole time I started going to any races. He was my driver.”

But not even Petty could overshadow the legion of friends, family and even complete strangers who have supported Webb in the months since he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a form of cancer in his spleen. Chief among those supporters has been the staff at Cape Fear Valley Cancer Treatment and CyberKnife Center, where Webb rung the center’s bell in July, signifying his cancer had gone into remission after six months of treatment.

From oncologist Kenneth Manning, MD, himself a cancer survivor, to the nurses, dieticians and even Jerry the golf cart shuttle driver, Webb says he received the best care.

“I’ll love every one of them for the rest of my life,” Webb, 74, said. “They’re going to be special to me for the rest of my life. They are very patient-oriented at the cancer center. They answered every question I ever thought about having. They’re all wonderful people.”

The outgoing Webb, better known as Marty the One-Man Party to the many fans of his radio and racing career, was a longtime disc jockey for Fayetteville radio station WFLB and then an announcer for Fayetteville Motor Speedway when it opened in 1968. In 1989, he helped call the action for MRN Radio in NASCAR races at Pocono, Rockingham, Darlington and Richmond.

“Once you get a microphone in your hand, it becomes part of you,” Webb said.

And, as it turns out, there were lots of people who remembered his enthusiastic and friendly delivery. And even those who didn’t know him from his radio and broadcasting career became fans during his cancer battle. In late April, for instance, Manning became concerned about Webb’s red blood cell count and sent him to the Highsmith-Rainey Specialty Hospital for a transfusion. As he does most everywhere he goes, Webb made an impact.

“You know, Mr. Webb,” a staff nurse at Highsmith-Rainey said, “with your radio voice and the people you know, you could really help our blood donor center.”

Her words struck a chord with Webb. Two days later, he was about to induct six drivers into the Fayetteville Cumberland County Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame. He looked out over a crowd of about 300 people at the Vander Walking Trail Civic Center.

“Before I started the induction ceremony, I said, ‘Folks, I want to ask you to do me a favor. A lot of you know I’m in a battle against cancer,’” he said. “’I’m not here to ask you for any monetary donations. I want to ask you to give the gift of life. I want you to go into the Cape Fear Valley Blood Donor Center and tell them you’re there because Marty asked you to go in and give the gift of life. Let’s call it the Race for Hope and Cancer Awareness Blood Drive.’”

Robert Kitchen, a friend of Webb’s and dedicated community volunteer, even organized a June blood drive in Webb’s honor that resulted in 35 blood donations in eight hours. A subsequent bloodmobile trip to Rockfish Speedway yielded 12 more donations.

Webb calls those who have stepped up for him “prayer warriors.”

“My prayer warriors were in the thousands,” he said. “I posted a picture of my bald head and asked, ‘Who wants to join the Cueball-Headed Marty Party Support Team to Fight Cancer?’”

It was a reference to a 1999 insult Dale Earnhardt Jr. made toward Todd Bodine after a crash at Pikes Peak International Raceway. But now there was no ill will, only camaraderie. Eighteen men shaved their heads in a show of solidarity with Webb losing his hair.

Webb said that’s the kind of support that has carried him through. He says he’ll never forget the care he received at the cancer center and the concern from loved ones and people he’d never met. Linda, his wife of 58 years, has been by his side throughout his treatment. And then there are people like his longtime dentist, Dr. S.O. Smith, who added Webb to the prayer list at Snyder Memorial Baptist Church.

“Marty is a unique person,” said Smith, himself a cancer survivor. “I think it helped us to pray for him as much as it helped him.”