NHRA family celebrates Medlen's memory at HRP
NHRA racing ended at Houston nine days after the death of Funny Car driver Eric Medlen. There were winners, and losers -- and plenty of tears, writes Terry Blount.
BAYTOWN, Texas -- Moments after Ron Capps blasted down the track at more 307 mph to earn his second consecutive NHRA victory, he got out of his Funny Car, pulled off his helmet and started to cry.
Those weren't tears of joy.
J.R. Todd, who won in Top Fuel, knew exactly what Capps was feeling. Everyone did.
An emotional and difficult weekend at the O'Reilly Spring Nationals ended nine days after Funny Car racer Eric Medlen lost his life from a testing crash in Gainesville, Fla.
"I've never wanted to win any race more than this one," Todd said. "Eric was one of my best friends. He was looking down on us today."
Capps and Todd plan to give their winning trophies to John Medlen, Eric's father and crew chief at John Force Racing.
Force, a 14-time NHRA Funny Car champion, decided to pull his team for the Houston event out of respect for Medlen. The three remaining drivers at JFR -- Force, son-in-law Robert Hight and daughter Ashley Force -- stayed home in California.
Capps never has driven for Force, but Capps considers Force a mentor. To Capp's surprise, Force called him Sunday morning.
"John gave me some encouragement," Capps said. "He's a wreck right now, but that call meant a lot to me. I was fighting back tears every time I went to the starting line."
Many NHRA team members were wearing black T-Shirts in Medlen's honor. The shirts had a photo of Medlen's face inside the No. 4 (his car number from his points position last season) and read "Eric Medlen, A True Champion."
Only a few weeks ago, Todd was helping Medlen paint the walls of Medlen's new house in suburban Indianapolis. On Wednesday, Todd was a pallbearer at Medlen's funeral.
"I was there when he crashed and I was with him at the hospital," Todd said. "You just never believe something like that can happen to someone close to you."
Medlen's crash came on March 19, the day after the Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway. His car shook violently before a tire blew and turned the car into the wall.
Medlen, who was 33 and competing in his fourth season as a driver, suffered severe head injuries. He was taken off life support four days later.
"This was a tough weekend for all of us," said three-time NHRA champion Angelle Sampey, who won the Pro Stock Motorcycle class Sunday at Houston Raceway Park. "We didn't really know how to handle it."
It wasn't long ago when a death in auto racing was almost expected. It was part of the deal when you got in the car. You strapped in the seat and took your chances as a modern-age gladiator.
But safety in racing has advanced to the point where a death from a crash not only is unexpected, it's unacceptable.
"I told my wife at the start of the week that I didn't feel like going to Houston," said Jason Line, who won the Pro Stock class at HRP. "I always think something good comes out of everything, but right now it's hard to see anything good to come out of this."
Sadness over the loss of a talented young driver like Medlen also brings anger and questions. Why did this happen? How can we make sure it doesn't happen again?
Many drivers were asking those questions at HRP. They want changes made.
Some want the SAFER barrier. Some want to restructure the cage around the driver's head.
Many drivers want changes in how testing is done. Top Fuel racer Whit Bazemore proposed specific NHRA-sanctioned testing dates for all the teams to ensure better track preparation and increased safety personnel at each test session.
All of it was discussed during the Houston event, but it's up to the drivers to make sure the necessary changes are made. Force, the NHRA's biggest star, is the man in position to do it.
Force and his team are working with NHRA officials to determine exactly what happened in Medlen's accident and how to prevent a similar occurrence.
But Sunday wasn't the day to talk about those issues. It was a day for healing for everyone.
"I know it sounds weird, but I felt Eric's presence all day," Capps said. "I was so sad at times today. Then I thought, this isn't what Eric would want. He was such a happy person. We should celebrate that."
Sunday's finals started three hours late because of heavy rains. But the skies were clear when the event ended.
That was meaningful to Capps, who took over the Funny Car points lead from Hight. Capps said he got out of the car, looked up and raised his arms in thoughts of Medlen.
"I looked at the sky and the sun was setting," Capps said. "That was perfect."
Terry Blount covers motorsports for ESPN.com. He can be reached at terry@blountspeak.com.
