John Gaydosh has two passions, and they are evident. 

Gaydosh loves his family and drag racing. 

Gaydosh, the budget-challenged Pro Stock racer from Baltimore, Md., has been challenged through his attempt to race in the factory hot rod division against teams with many more resources in terms of hardware and personnel. 

Nothing can deter Gaydosh from fighting the fight, not even a knee surgery. 

Two weeks after knee surgery, Gaydosh was dumping the clutch at the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals outside of Charlotte, NC.
 
“I injured my knee last summer and thought I was fine. But the week before Gainesville I re-injured it stepping out of a rig,” Gaydosh said. “When we got back from the race I had to have ACL reconstruction surgery.”

With the same fervor he exhibits at the track, Gaydosh exceeded doctor’s expectations in his recovery and was cleared just one week after surgery to race.  
“I have such a passion for this sport that I will fight and chew my way to be out here driving a Pro Stock,” Gaydosh said. “My doctor calls me his ‘Super Patient.’ He was shocked when I showed up to my follow-up appointment without crutches and able to move my knee around.”
 
Gaydosh has transferred this determination into a project he holds near and dear to his heart because it affects his family. 

Gaydosh's wife Tina suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, diagnosed in 2009 and the disease continues to progress.
Last year he started “Burnout Arthritis” to bring awareness to the disease that his wife lives with every day.
 
“It causes pain in your whole body, but for me, it’s mostly in my hands and feet,” Tina added. “Some days you have flare-ups which are miserable. For two days after the Gainesville race, I was confined to my bed in pain.”
 
More than 50 million adults and 300,000 youth in the United States have arthritis. The Gaydosh wanted to do something to help others struggling with rheumatoid arthritis, so they teamed up with the John Hopkins Arthritis Center for Burnout Arthritis. Together they raise money to fund groundbreaking research into causes, treatment, support and care for those with the disease.
 
“This all started with a crew shirt raffle. It didn’t go for too much, but when I gave the check it to my doctor at John Hopkins he was ecstatic,” Tina said. “That’s when we decided to do something more. John told me he would put the logo all over the car and any place else to help out.”
 
This season the team will be raffling off a helmet. Fans can stop by their pits to purchase a $10 ticket for their chance to win.
 
If you would like to learn more about Burnout Arthritis or to donate to the John Hopkins Arthritis Center, go to www.burnoutarthritis.com and select “Donate” button.

The next race for Gaydosh performance will be the NHRA New England Nationals in Epping New Hampshire, June 2 – 4, 2017.