BARTUNEK RETURNS TO RACING AFTER VIOLENT CRASH
Tue, 2010-05-25 22:20
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One look at the footage of the crash Bartunek experienced last November during the Shakedown at E’town event in Englishtown, NJ., would leave the most seasoned driver second-guessing whether they’d want to race, too.
For the record, Bartunek quit and decided to come back six times.
“Every week, you stop and wonder if it’s really worth it,” said Bartunek, who raced for the first time since the wreck at the ADRL U.S. Drags III in Richmond, Va. “You know putting all the time, the money, the traveling, it’s tough. With a family and stuff, but we love to do this stuff and I enjoy it, that’s the reason I’m about to do it again.”
Bartunek just missed the sixteen-car field with a 4.026 best run but making the field was secondary to just finding his spot in the game again. Friday’s first qualifying run was the first time for both he and his repaired car down the track since the accident.
Bartunek admits the crash was a combination of driver error [aggressive driving] and a parachute getting underneath the wheelie bars.
Jerry Haas, the car’s original chassis builder, was able to rebuild the car from the remnants of the crash.
“You can’t tell that it was ever touched,” Bartunek admits. “I mean Jerry did an absolute awesome job.”
The initial indecision for Bartunek, he admits, was the long time which lapsed between the accident and the time the race car was returned to the strip. There’s a common belief amongst those racers who have suffered a catastrophic crash which suggests the best way to eliminate the second-guessing is to get back on the track as soon as possible.
“That’s a fact,” Bartunek confirmed. “You start thinking if it’s time to call it quits. A lot of things run through your head. But you know, I like doing this stuff and that was unfortunately something that happened that we had no control over.”
Bartunek’s first run since the crash inspired a flurry of emotions.
“It’s interesting you know when you back away from the burn out and you’re looking down the track thinking about what happened last time,” Bartunek explained. “I’m pretty calm and confident.”
He did get out of the run early just to play on the conservative side. His first run was tuned aggressively, probably a bit too much for the first hit coming back.
“I started out at a 3.80 pace and ended up at 4.09,” Bartunek said. “The motor just wasn’t tuned up right so hopefully this run will be a little better. I felt real confident, the car’s perfectly straight, it’s doing everything it does. Just like [chassis builder] Jerry told me on the phone, don’t worry about it just let the clutch out.”
And with the advice, Bartunek shuffled the Englishtown memories to the back of his mind.
Between last November and May of this year, ADRL Pro Nitrous racer John Bartunek admits he was as indecisive as he’s ever been about drag racing.
His uncertainty had nothing to do with the tune-up of his engine or which series he should race.
Instead, Bartunek was hesitant about whether he wanted to race at all following a 2009 crash where his car went airborne and flipped violently.
Between last November and May of this year, ADRL Pro Nitrous racer John Bartunek admits he was as indecisive as he’s ever been about drag racing.
His uncertainty had nothing to do with the tune-up of his engine or which series he should race.
Instead, Bartunek was hesitant about whether he wanted to race at all following a 2009 crash where his car went airborne and flipped violently.One look at the footage of the crash Bartunek experienced last November during the Shakedown at E’town event in Englishtown, NJ., would leave the most seasoned driver second-guessing whether they’d want to race, too.
For the record, Bartunek quit and decided to come back six times.
“Every week, you stop and wonder if it’s really worth it,” said Bartunek, who raced for the first time since the wreck at the ADRL U.S. Drags III in Richmond, Va. “You know putting all the time, the money, the traveling, it’s tough. With a family and stuff, but we love to do this stuff and I enjoy it, that’s the reason I’m about to do it again.”
Bartunek just missed the sixteen-car field with a 4.026 best run but making the field was secondary to just finding his spot in the game again. Friday’s first qualifying run was the first time for both he and his repaired car down the track since the accident.
Bartunek admits the crash was a combination of driver error [aggressive driving] and a parachute getting underneath the wheelie bars.
Jerry Haas, the car’s original chassis builder, was able to rebuild the car from the remnants of the crash.
“You can’t tell that it was ever touched,” Bartunek admits. “I mean Jerry did an absolute awesome job.”
The initial indecision for Bartunek, he admits, was the long time which lapsed between the accident and the time the race car was returned to the strip. There’s a common belief amongst those racers who have suffered a catastrophic crash which suggests the best way to eliminate the second-guessing is to get back on the track as soon as possible.
“That’s a fact,” Bartunek confirmed. “You start thinking if it’s time to call it quits. A lot of things run through your head. But you know, I like doing this stuff and that was unfortunately something that happened that we had no control over.”
Bartunek’s first run since the crash inspired a flurry of emotions.
“It’s interesting you know when you back away from the burn out and you’re looking down the track thinking about what happened last time,” Bartunek explained. “I’m pretty calm and confident.”
He did get out of the run early just to play on the conservative side. His first run was tuned aggressively, probably a bit too much for the first hit coming back.
“I started out at a 3.80 pace and ended up at 4.09,” Bartunek said. “The motor just wasn’t tuned up right so hopefully this run will be a little better. I felt real confident, the car’s perfectly straight, it’s doing everything it does. Just like [chassis builder] Jerry told me on the phone, don’t worry about it just let the clutch out.”
And with the advice, Bartunek shuffled the Englishtown memories to the back of his mind.
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