Of the many years the well-known Folk family – father Ron, 64, and sons Brian, 40, and Nick, 32 – has been racing, last year was one of the most significant. However, it stood out not for what the three accomplished on the track but for what happened en route to a race on May 16.

In a matter of minutes the Folks’ hopes for an outstanding year literally went up in flames after the family’s race-car transport rig was involved in a traffic accident. It occurred around 3:30 p.m. on I-75 in eastern Kentucky four miles north of the state line with Tennessee.

The Folks, who live near Durand in northern Illinois, were heading to the third annual Spring Fling 20s, a high-dollar bracket race at Bristol (Tenn.) Dragway on May 17-20. They were accompanied by Walt Gray of Winnebago, Ill., and K.J. Mulligan of Dixon, Ill. In the stacker trailer were Brian’s and Nick’s dragsters from American Race Cars in Millbury, Ohio, Gray’s 1968 Camaro built by the Folks, and Mulligan’s dragster from Undercover Motorsports of Wildwood, Fla.

    
Everything in the Folk family’s stacker trailer was destroyed by fire after a traffic accident last May 16 on I-75 in southern Kentucky. Lost were dragsters belonging to Brian Folk, Nick Folk, and K.J. Mulligan and a 1968 Camaro owned by Walt Gray in addition to parts, equipment, tools, and pit vehicles. This photo shows the Folks’ motorhome still burning. It also was a total loss. The thick black smoke in front of the motorhome is pouring from a Dart Transit semi that caused the accident, which involved three other vehicles. Of the many years the well-known Folk family – father Ron, 64, and sons Brian, 40, and Nick, 32 – has been racing, last year was one of the most significant. However, it stood out not for what the three accomplished on the track but for what happened en route to a race on May 16.

In a matter of minutes the Folks’ hopes for an outstanding year literally went up in flames after the family’s race-car transport rig was involved in a traffic accident. It occurred around 3:30 p.m. on I-75 in eastern Kentucky four miles north of the state line with Tennessee.

The Folks, who live near Durand in northern Illinois, were heading to the third annual Spring Fling 20s, a high-dollar bracket race at Bristol (Tenn.) Dragway on May 17-20. They were accompanied by Walt Gray of Winnebago, Ill., and K.J. Mulligan of Dixon, Ill. In the stacker trailer were Brian’s and Nick’s dragsters from American Race Cars in Millbury, Ohio, Gray’s 1968 Camaro built by the Folks, and Mulligan’s dragster from Undercover Motorsports of Wildwood, Fla.

The Folks’ southbound rig, driven by Brian Folk, was stopped in traffic because another accident had occurred. In front of their rig was a semi truck, and behind them were a van and a pick-up truck.

When he came upon the stopped traffic, the driver of another semi, owned by Dart Transit Co. of Eagan, Minn., failed to slow down and smashed into the pick-up, beginning a chain reaction involving the three other vehicles. Although the Folks, Gray, and Mulligan were not injured, the pick-up driver died, and three others suffered serious injuries.

The Dart truck swept by the Folks’ motorhome and, after ramming the other semi, the Dart tractor started on fire in front of the Folks. “When the truck went by, it ripped off the right-side mirror, so I couldn’t tell what was going on,” Brian Folk said. “I was in shock. I jumped out and went around to the passenger side. The truck was hauling catsup, so it looked like there was blood all over the side of our motorhome.”

Ron Folk was riding in front, and the other three men were in back. All exited safely, but then they watched the rig burn because the vehicle that struck the trailer caused it to burst into flames.

The 1999 trailer, which was built by Gold Rush Custom Trailers in Denver, Pa., was owned by the Folks’ long-time friend Forrest Lipke of Madison, Wis. The trailer and everything inside were destroyed. Besides the cars, the loss included a spare big-block Chevy engine, automatic transmissions, converters, alternators, starters, golf carts, a scooter, a bicycle, and numerous tools and pieces of equipment.

The fire spread to the motorhome and was contained to its rear section. However, the heat, smoke, and water used to extinguish the fire resulted in the motorhome, a 2006 United Specialties on a Freightliner chassis, being totaled. Few of the five men’s clothes and personal possessions were worth keeping.

“We probably had between $750,000 and $1 million in the rig and everything in it that day,” Brian Folk said. “You can’t put a price on the tools because they were some of Dad’s specialty tools he acquired or made over the years.”

In the weeks after the accident, checks were issued by insurance companies for the losses. In late August the Folks acquired a 2007 motorhome, another United Specialties-Freightliner combination. They decided to buy their own stacker trailer, another Gold Rush, instead of using a replacement for Lipke’s trailer.

Brian Folk expressed disappointment over having to wait nine weeks for $79,000 from Inland Empire insurance company through Ayres-Rice Insurance Agency in Schoolcraft, Mich., to cover his and Nick’s dragsters. Of the Folk race-car stable, they were the workhorses due to their versatility to compete in big-money bracket events and NHRA Super Comp and Top Dragster.

“Eddie Hall, who is a fellow racer and insurance agent, has been very, very helpful,” Folk said. “He said taking a long time to pay is common practice when a death occurs in an accident.”

The Folks bought American Race Cars chassis and did all the finish work themselves at their Folk Race Cars business. Brian first raced his dragster in September, and Nick followed in October by competing in the 17th annual Million Dollar Race at Montgomery (Ala.) Motorsports Park, runner-upping in a gamblers race and finishing 10th in the main race. He ran the winter series events in Florida, winning $5,000 at one of them. “They run OK, but they are not as fast as the ones we lost because the engines are not as good,” Folk said.

Beginning in late May the brothers used another transport rig and raced their other cars – a 1968 Camaro Super Gasser, 2002 Corvette and 1999 Camaro Stockers, and 2007 Cobalt Super Stocker. Brian borrowed a dragster owned by Robert Stucynski of Wind Lake, Wis., and won a $5,000 race at the World Super Pro Challenge in early August at Mid-Michigan Motorplex near Stanton, Mich.

Dart Transit paid Gray and Mulligan for their losses, although neither one has returned to racing yet. The company has been sued by the Folks to recoup the losses of uninsured items in the trailer and the value differentials of the dragsters, but the lawsuit has not been settled. Should the Folks be paid, 32 percent will go to lawyers, according to Brian Folk.

“When we get the lawsuit behind us, we can breathe a big sigh of relief,” Folk said. “We will never be back to 100 percent, and we can never make up for the lost time. We never got to chase points in IHRA or NHRA due to the accident. It threw our whole year for a loop.”

The Folks’ major setback was softened by how people in the racing community responded. “Everybody was a huge, huge help,” Folk said. “They offered their cars for us to race and held a benefit for us that was very, very nice.”

The benefit, which raised approximately $4,500, was in early June during the Jeg’s U.S. Open Bracket Championship at Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, Ky. The event was staged by Mike Fuqua of Nashville, Tenn., and Dave Szerlag of Brighton, Mich.    

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