If Scotty Cannon wins an Ironman trophy this weekend, he’ll only be getting a statue of his likeness. Weeks after undergoing back surgery to repair damaged discs, the driver of Evan Knoll’s Seelye-Wright Top Fuel Dragster plans to race this weekend at the IHRA Skull Shine Sooner Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Cannon ruptured two discs during a Friday qualifying run at Rockingham, NC. He grimaced his way through the pain and completed the weekend. Three days later he was at the Charlotte Spine Clinic undergoing surgery to repair the damage.

Cannon walks gingerly, but assures everyone that he’s ready to race again. His doctor agreed and released him for competition late last week.

Doctor releases Cannon after back surgery

If Scotty Cannon wins an Ironman trophy this weekend, he’ll only be getting a statue of his likeness. Weeks after undergoing back surgery to repair damaged discs, the driver of Evan Knoll’s Seelye-Wright Top Fuel Dragster plans to race this weekend at the IHRA Skull Shine Sooner Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Cannon ruptured two discs during a Friday qualifying run at Rockingham, NC. He grimaced his way through the pain and completed the weekend. Three days later he was at the Charlotte Spine Clinic undergoing surgery to repair the damage.

Cannon walks gingerly, but assures everyone that he’s ready to race again. His doctor agreed and released him for competition late last week.

“The doctor knew I hadn’t planned to race until Friday and felt my recovery process was good enough that I could do it,” Cannon said. “I explained the steps we had made in the car to make it friendlier on my body.”

Cannon took proper precautions such as adding a form-fitted seat from Innovative Safety Products in Charlotte, NC, and adding new belts in the car. He will now employ a seven-point harness system to ensure a more secure fit.

The skeptics gave long-shot odds that Cannon would come back. Cannon was not among the doubters.

“I knew I would make it back,” Cannon said. “I had gone through the same thing back in 1997 and I made it back in the same amount of time. I survived a trip to Australia and did okay down there. I know it will be fragile but the doctor doesn’t seem to think the acceleration with the new seat and belts will be a problem.”

The acceleration may not be the largest issue Cannon must concern himself with. The deceleration is what caused this latest injury.

“Pulling the parachutes is what scares me the most,” Cannon said. “I leveled with the doctor as to what caused it. I won’t go out there and hurt myself if I am going to be crippled up and not be able to walk. To be honest, the doctor is more worried about my every day actions.

“He’s more concerned with the traveling end of things like flying and toting the luggage. I can’t sit for longer than 30 minutes at a time. I have a 90 minute flight. I will tell you that if I wasn’t self-employed, he wouldn’t have released me.”

Cannon says his back is good and bad, depending on the time of the day.

“In the morning, it is fine for me,” Cannon said. “But as the day wears on, my back pain seems to increase. My legs get sore but the doctor says that is part of the injury that will get better in time.”

The hardest thing, many feel, is not for Cannon to endure the pain but to detune his aggressive nature. He says nothing is going to change regarding his spirit at the track.

“Don’t expect me to back off any,” Cannon said. “I’m not going to do it. It’s not the walking that aggravates the injury. It’s the sitting that does. My plan is the time I’m not doing the pr related stuff, I will be flat on my back and resting. That way I will be ready to go when I need to go up and see Scott run.

“I’m not changing my normal routine, just altering it where I can.”