[coverattach=1]LEXINGTON, Ky. - It was a weekend that, for those who were present, will not soon be forgotten. May 1-3, 2009 in Madison, Ill., just the other side of the mighty Mississippi from St. Louis. There was a train going through town, and it wasn't the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, it was the Trane Pro Mod Stratus, piloted by veteran driver and HVAC entrepreneur Rick Stivers. When he rolled into town, he was coming off a semifinal finish in Gainesville and a runner-up performance in Houston. Things were good... very good. Up to that weekend, he had delivered the most 5-second passes in the class for the year behind the wheel of his Brad Anderson-owned and tuned car. And then, in the second qualifying pass on a balmy Saturday evening, Stivers made the highlights - not because of performance, but because of a most dramatic crash.
"I hit the throttle, and, it was like, all hell broke loose," Stivers said.
According to video footage and photos taken by series photographer Roger Richards, the left-rear wheel sheared off the axle and slipped up into the chassis, pushing Stivers from the right lane to the left guard-wall. From there, the Stratus slammed the wall, slid, stood almost completely upright and landed on its top, then rolled back onto its wheels and came to a stop.
And, as quickly as it happened, Stivers got out of the car - completely unscathed and uninjured.
"It's one of those things, just a mechanical failure. I used up one of my nine lives and I have to thank the Guy upstairs for getting me out of that one. After I hit the wall, I was just flopping around - I don't really remember what was going on until I got out of the car," he recalled.
Trying to describe everything that happens in something like Stivers' crash is difficult, because while doctors said his body was healthy and he had no injuries, he still hurt. "I know for me, my initial reaction was, 'Get me another car, I want to finish the event.' That was the adrenaline talking, I'm sure. The next day, my body ached, and it did for quite a while - but I'm fine now, no pain, just a burning desire to get back in the saddle and pick up where I left off," Stivers said.
Of course, the effects of a crash are not just physical: there's the mental part of driving, too. Stivers said driving on his familiar home-town streets of Lexington, Ky. was an adventure for a while after the race.
"Every car was a threat. My mind knew the facts, that everything was fine, I thought I needed to get back onto the horse - but my subconscious was saying 'slow down. Take some time.'"
"So I did," he said.
"The whole thing definitely affects you - makes you look at everything differently. My relationships with my family, my friends - they all seem to have a different importance now. Tough to explain unless you've been through it - and I pray to God no one else has to - but I know that I'm not the last one that will. It's the nature of the sport and our Pro Mod class.
"We're unpredictable - the thing that makes us so exciting. I love it, and I know the risk - but with the safety and protection, especially with what NHRA does for us, and the Safety Safari - those guys are the very best, and that's why we love to race there. That's why I won't race anywhere else. No one has the facilities and commitment to safety like they do. Bar none," Stivers said.
Brad Anderson has replaced that car, and, according to Stivers "There's a new Trane coming. Better than it was. Better, stronger, faster.
"I'll be back in the car testing really soon, and from there, we'll be ready to go in Indy. As far as I'm concerned, we are still a threat in both the championship as well as the Matco Clash.
"Remember, 'It's hard to stop a Trane.' And I'm living proof," Stivers said.
"I hit the throttle, and, it was like, all hell broke loose," Stivers said.
According to video footage and photos taken by series photographer Roger Richards, the left-rear wheel sheared off the axle and slipped up into the chassis, pushing Stivers from the right lane to the left guard-wall. From there, the Stratus slammed the wall, slid, stood almost completely upright and landed on its top, then rolled back onto its wheels and came to a stop.
And, as quickly as it happened, Stivers got out of the car - completely unscathed and uninjured.
"It's one of those things, just a mechanical failure. I used up one of my nine lives and I have to thank the Guy upstairs for getting me out of that one. After I hit the wall, I was just flopping around - I don't really remember what was going on until I got out of the car," he recalled.
Trying to describe everything that happens in something like Stivers' crash is difficult, because while doctors said his body was healthy and he had no injuries, he still hurt. "I know for me, my initial reaction was, 'Get me another car, I want to finish the event.' That was the adrenaline talking, I'm sure. The next day, my body ached, and it did for quite a while - but I'm fine now, no pain, just a burning desire to get back in the saddle and pick up where I left off," Stivers said.
Of course, the effects of a crash are not just physical: there's the mental part of driving, too. Stivers said driving on his familiar home-town streets of Lexington, Ky. was an adventure for a while after the race.
"Every car was a threat. My mind knew the facts, that everything was fine, I thought I needed to get back onto the horse - but my subconscious was saying 'slow down. Take some time.'"
"So I did," he said.
"The whole thing definitely affects you - makes you look at everything differently. My relationships with my family, my friends - they all seem to have a different importance now. Tough to explain unless you've been through it - and I pray to God no one else has to - but I know that I'm not the last one that will. It's the nature of the sport and our Pro Mod class.
"We're unpredictable - the thing that makes us so exciting. I love it, and I know the risk - but with the safety and protection, especially with what NHRA does for us, and the Safety Safari - those guys are the very best, and that's why we love to race there. That's why I won't race anywhere else. No one has the facilities and commitment to safety like they do. Bar none," Stivers said.
Brad Anderson has replaced that car, and, according to Stivers "There's a new Trane coming. Better than it was. Better, stronger, faster.
"I'll be back in the car testing really soon, and from there, we'll be ready to go in Indy. As far as I'm concerned, we are still a threat in both the championship as well as the Matco Clash.
"Remember, 'It's hard to stop a Trane.' And I'm living proof," Stivers said.
