John Gaydosh probably wasn't aware of what a Pyrrhic victory when he went into Sunday's final eliminations at the NHRA Summernationals, but he quickly became the poster child for victory at too high of a cost. 

Gaydosh scored a monumental victory in upsetting Rookie of the Year frontrunner Tanner Gray in the first round. 

In crossing the finish line, Gaydosh's 500-inch, electronic fuel injected engine dropped a valve, broke a piston and destroyed the cylinder just to name a few of the calamities. Gaydosh was unable to continue and watched the second round as a spectator. 

Gaydosh races on a limited budget, and in doing so, watched as his chances to race in this weekend's NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals went from slim to none. 

By Monday, his chances went from none to excellent thanks to the assistance of his fellow racers. 

“If it wasn’t for my friends, I would not be here. Kenny Delco and Alan Prusiensky offered help right away," Gaydosh said. "Alan let me come to his house at 11 at night to get working on the motor. We may be competitors on the track, but us small Independent teams stick together, and we are there for each other.”

Gaydosh, from the moment the offers came in, began working towards getting the wounded engine healed. 

“I’ve probably had an hour sleep in the last 72 hours,” Gaydosh said. “I started working the minute we pulled out of the pits in Englishtown. I started ordering parts and making arrangements to get everything fixed in time for Bristol.”

Call it racers helping racers, or maybe call it an anniversary present unbeknownst to those who offered assistance. This weekend, Gaydosh and his wife Tina, a staunch supporter of her husband's racing endeavors, will celebrate their 23rd anniversary this weekend as they have done for many years - racing in Bristol. 
 
“I don’t know if anybody else would have done the same things in my situation," Gaydosh said. "My passion and persistence drove me to get my car and team to Bristol this weekend."

A little help from his friends didn't hurt either.