Friday, October 05, 2007
Thank God John is alright
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Man, it’s been a hard week for our sport, to say the least. First, Force’s crash at Dallas, which I have to say, was very upsetting to see. Then Wally’s death, which was somewhat of a surprise.
Wally, despite his legendary stature in the world of motorsports and all of his success, was one of the most down-to-earth and humble people I’ve ever met. To me, the guy walked on water. So, the fact he was friendly towards me way back when I first started working NHRA races meant everything to an easily influenced 18-year-old. While Wally loved drag racing, obviously, he also loved journalism and photography. Just this past Winternationals, we were able to talk about photography for a few minutes before the race. Wally’s mind was as sharp as ever at 94 years of age. It’s pretty obvious he lived a full and successful life. We all have a lot to thank him for.
John’s crash was devastating, but it should have been so much worse. It’s hard to imagine anyone can survive a Funny Car coming apart like that. The fact he survived with his legs intact is nothing short of a miracle. Medlen’s car broke in a bad place too. These cars breaking like this, need I say, is totally unacceptable. I wrote in a blog earlier this year, and you can scroll back to find it, there are really intelligent people in our sport, like Bill Miller, Jim Head and many others, who have questioned and spent lots of money to prove that the current chassis regulations, for lack of a better word, are simply wrong. Why these people’s opinions aren’t considered and acted upon immediately is beyond me. When things are wrong, they need to be made right. When smart people offer solutions to problems, the sport needs to listen and take notice. We almost lost our biggest star and why? (Baze is right on the money about the BS going on with the slip-tube TF-FC chassis! – FlA)
I talked to Force the other day and he’s impressive. All he can talk about is how much he wants to race again, which is great. One of the things that has impressed me about John is his incredible motivation, even after all the success he’s had and not to mention his age. There comes a time when normal people want to slow down and smell the roses, but not John. This is a tough game and it wears you out. I’m sure John will feel even more motivated when he comes back to prove that he still has it. It goes without saying I miss racing John and his team. Since I’ve been racing, they’ve been the yardstick by which you are measured. When you beat Force, you know you’ve beaten the best.
I told Force some stories of my own hospital stay of 10 years ago. We were laughing. I wish I could write those same stories, but I can’t. It’s kind of private. Force thought it was funny. When I went down to the crash site and they were extracting him from the car, I thought it was odd they would have used the Jaws of Life to cut the car in half where they did to remove him. It was only after he was in the helicopter when I realized that’s what was left of the car. It’s truly frightening.
Force is the kind of guy that will motivate himself through rehab and the painful process that awaits. Let me tell you, learning to walk again is no fun, but sometimes when you’re in that situation, taking your first steps can feel better than winning the U.S. Nationals. Michelle, Dashiell and I wish John the best during his recovery.
Right now, Ted and I are driving back to Richmond from Williamsburg, Va., where we had a Matco Tools function this afternoon. I’m talking as I drive. Ted, as usual, is typing furiously. On the home front, we just put our Eugene house on the market. I’ll have some good bus stories in my next blog. Fun things like Dashiell setting off a fire extinguisher inside. Fun stuff like that makes life exciting and busy.
Take care.
Baze
