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Racers Unite for Racers in Need

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Racers, fans, and friends of the drag racing community, the situation I’m about to describe is one that was, and is, simply devastating for everyone involved. Anyone who is a participant in or a fan of drag racing knows that it is a dangerous sport. Even when we are vigilant and careful, have all the proper safety equipment, and we’ve done something simple a hundred times, bad things can unexpectedly happen…and they can happen to ANY ONE of us at any time. This is the risk we take in the sport we love, but it is especially tragic when bad things happen to people you know. This story has many facets so please bear with me; in asking for help, I feel it’s only fair that you have the big picture before making a choice to donate.

It begins (but does not end) with Mark Sullens, the “E85 Carburetor” guy. Maybe you’ve heard of him, maybe you haven’t. But in the short time I’ve known Mark, I quickly realized that he’s not solely out to sell carburetors – he truly CARES about the people who buy his products and it is obvious that he enjoys helping people realize success in their racing endeavors. He has a “day job” like the rest of us, but works COUNTLESS hours in his ‘off’ time building and testing carburetors, and taking calls talking people through converting their set-ups to E85 and troubleshooting. He believes in E85 and what he is doing, and is passionate about sharing success. Mark also races himself, with his own E85-powered setup, to demonstrate the benefits. What I did not know until just days ago, is that he has done all this despite battling a terrible liver disease, which has threatened to drain him physically and financially. He is not one to shout that to the world, and absolutely seeks NO pity; but it becomes an important part of the picture in this whole story.

Mark, along with his wife Tana, son Royce, and supporting crew had traveled from Missouri to Alabama in sponsorship of an inaugural race event October 10, 2015 at I-22 Motorsports Park, with a group of local racers called “House of Smoke” being first-time promotors. While he brought a car to race, he had also put up certificates of significant value as prizes, and was there to offer support and answer questions for anyone running E85 (Mark is the kind of guy who will answer anybody’s question whether it’s his product or not). He took the time to make a few minor adjustments to the 950 I had just bought from him.

The event was scheduled as a double-header, two races in one day, and the crowd that came to support it was outstanding. But with a lot of cars comes the potential for additional delays, and before we knew it 6 hours had passed since some of us had made a run, and the first race had not even been completed. With the considerable difference in air and weather, officials decided it would be most fair to allow everyone one time trial before the second race. They called us up as the final four from the first race also prepared to run their final rounds. By this time it’s about 10:00 pm and the night air is pretty heavy with dew.

Thankful for the opportunity, I made my way to the staging lanes quickly and returned from my own time trial with a good light and a good run (after fixing a minor electrical malfunction that caused me a loss in second round of the first race). After several minutes back at the pit (a good distance from the staging lanes), we realize no one else is going down the track. A few moments later, we notice that a couple of the final four are returning to their pit - ??? My husband and I walk up to the staging lanes to a sight NO ONE EVER wants to see: Glass everywhere, three people lying on the ground (Mark, his son’s best friend/crew member, and another racer we’ve raced with at various tracks for years)…two cars pretty much destroyed and several others littered about the staging lanes with varying degrees of damage.

At this point, it’s difficult to discuss what happened. Mark’s 18-year-old son, Royce, who has been around racing all of his life and had raced this car many times before, was at the wheel of the Sullens’ Chevrolet Chevette race car, preparing to move it forward in the staging lanes to get his time trial for the second race. The car suddenly accelerated wide-open, first sending Mark and Royce’s best friend flying, and then impacting several other cars, one in which another racer was sitting (the other injured party), before it finally came to rest. Keep in mind that this car was capable of moving 60 feet in 1.2 seconds in normal racing conditions. To shorten (but not to minimize) the story, Mark suffered four cracked vertebrae in his back, his son’s friend had some bumps and bruises and received stitches for a cut to his forehead, and the other racer had a bad concussion, was kept for observation, but was released the next day. All are expected to make a full recovery. We ALL thank God that no one had life-threatening injuries and we all agree this situation could have been MUCH worse.

While mechanical failure was initially suspected (which may or may not have been easier for people to handle), the Sullens’s and an experienced racing friend later evaluated the car and the scene (this, after being released from the hospital and returning to the track to begin preparations to return home to Missouri). Royce had confirmed that his foot suddenly slipped and became awkwardly lodged between the brake pedal and the accelerator. He did his very best to avoid people and vehicles by steering the car toward an open staging lane as the sudden acceleration threw him back in the seat, but the suspension had unloaded; at this point he was able to hit the kill switch to shut the car off. As you can imagine, this all happened VERY quickly—a matter of less than two seconds, with fractions of seconds to make decisions.

Fellow racers, “what-if’s” have run rampant, friendships have been strained in many directions, and much discussion has taken place regarding safety and preventive measures within our own local racing community. Contrary to banter on forums from people who were not even present, this was NOT a result of blatant negligence, irresponsibility, or any type of “jackassery” by the driver, or a lack of proper safety equipment such as a neutral safety switch. The bottom line is, it was a tragic, unintentional ACCIDENT and the outcome cannot be changed. Mark and Royce both feel the tremendous burden of what has happened; Mark has also, in good faith, reached out to the other four drivers whose cars were damaged (which included one injured individual). However, he does not have the financial means to help each and every driver restore their rides and pay for all medical expenses. (While he may feel morally obligated, according to the waiver we all sign, everyone races at their own risk and he is under no legal obligation to do so.)

Folks, Mark did not feel right trying to solicit money; his wife was adamant they would figure out a way to handle their own life difficulties. It was the idea of a handful of us racers to appeal to the racing community for some assistance to help ALL of those involved with repairs and medical bills. Because of his health issues previously mentioned, Mark had already nearly (if not completely) exhausted his sick and vacation time at work. His recovery from the accident continues, but it will be some time before he is still able to return to his “day job,” which is now only preserved by FMLA. Some people suggested that the Sullens’ should sell everything they can to help pay for the damages. Yes, they could (and he will be forced to sell off things that make sense financially anyway) but like many of us, they owe money on items of sizeable value so anything left is not going to make much of a dent in the big scheme of things.

As many of us have agreed, “this situation just sucks for everyone involved.” We are serious about helping each of these racers with repairs and/or medical expenses, and we will distribute any funds we are able to raise among them in an ethical, fair, and proportionate way.  The goal listed is the sum of all damages to five race cars (two of which were mostly destroyed) and medical expenses for the three individuals who were injured. ALL involved have agreed that if it should HAPPEN that the amount of money raised exceeds the goal, we are all determined to help other racers in similar situations, as well as contributing to worthy, race-related charitable causes. Think if it was you, in any role in this situation, and help if you feel so led. We are so appreciative of any amount you can give, large or small, to help our fellow racers.
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Donations 

  • Lee Marcum
    • $100 
    • 8 yrs
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Organizer and beneficiary

Wendy Marshall Kreps
Organizer
Jefferson City, MO
Mark Sullens
Beneficiary

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