[coverattach=1]LEXINGTON, Ky. - Rick Stivers was on a tear at the beginning of the Pro Mod season, scoring one runner-up finish out of two completed events and qualifying hard for a key spot in his third race until a mechanical failure put a crashing stop to his charge for the top. His dramatic crash in St. Louis will long be remembered by those present as one of the miracles of safety in racing. Stivers walked away from the incident, shaken up and bruised but otherwise un-injured, and now, after fully recovering from being shaken and stirred, the feisty horse farmer and HVAC entrepreneur is ready to make a charge to be in the top eight in Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge points and earn the right to compete in the $35,000 MATCO Tools Pro Mod Clash.
Stivers will get behind the wheel for the first time since his accident on Monday as his team owner and tuner Brad Anderson calls the shots in testing at the same track where Stivers hit the wall: Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill.
"I'm not really phased by it, but it is kind of strange," Stivers said about going back to the scene of his accident. "Brad says a track is a track, and to a point it's true. We're not going there to really compete as much as we are going to get the new car dialed in and ready for Indy.
"It took me a while to fully get myself back in shape mentally after the wreck, but, I can honestly say that I'm back to 100 percent and ready to make a charge for the top. I know we were having a great start to the season, and I'm ready to pick up right where we left off," he said.
"The plan now is to get acquainted with the new car, make some short blasts and then, if everything is working out right, we can try to push it a little more. The whole goal is to get ready for Indy, because if we want to have any chance at all, we've got to win a race or two.
"We can win, and I know I'm more ready than ever before to do my job, blow away the tree and drive like a mad man on a mission," Stivers said.
The car will be wearing a new paint job designed by Rod Burke and will proudly show Trane Air Conditioning livery.
"It's true, it's really is hard to stop a Trane, and this train is back in the station and ready to blow onto the next race," Stivers said.
Stivers will get behind the wheel for the first time since his accident on Monday as his team owner and tuner Brad Anderson calls the shots in testing at the same track where Stivers hit the wall: Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill.
"I'm not really phased by it, but it is kind of strange," Stivers said about going back to the scene of his accident. "Brad says a track is a track, and to a point it's true. We're not going there to really compete as much as we are going to get the new car dialed in and ready for Indy.
"It took me a while to fully get myself back in shape mentally after the wreck, but, I can honestly say that I'm back to 100 percent and ready to make a charge for the top. I know we were having a great start to the season, and I'm ready to pick up right where we left off," he said.
"The plan now is to get acquainted with the new car, make some short blasts and then, if everything is working out right, we can try to push it a little more. The whole goal is to get ready for Indy, because if we want to have any chance at all, we've got to win a race or two.
"We can win, and I know I'm more ready than ever before to do my job, blow away the tree and drive like a mad man on a mission," Stivers said.
The car will be wearing a new paint job designed by Rod Burke and will proudly show Trane Air Conditioning livery.
"It's true, it's really is hard to stop a Trane, and this train is back in the station and ready to blow onto the next race," Stivers said.
