Positivity: Crash Survivor Still Has the Same Drive
Article Launched: 07/26/2007 09:32:28 PM PDT
Gary Jenkins admitted others might think he’s crazy.
But he expects to be in his driver’s seat at Irwindale Speedway on Saturday, ready to race in the ACDelco Super Late Model series main event. He’s going to do it nearly two weeks after he almost died on the track’s half-mile oval.
The San Diego resident was up to eighth when the car driven by Newport Beach’s Brian Wong went through “my window like a torpedo.”
The car’s tire nearly hit his head, the fender went through the safety net brace and the front of Wong’s car severed the welds that hold the head restraint in place. He was wearing a HANS neck safety device, but if the front of Wong’s car had gone 3 inches farther, it would not have mattered. Jenkins, who turns 59 on Tuesday, would have suffered severe head trauma, a fractured spine and more than likely would have bled to death before Irwindale’s safety crew reached him.
“It is a miracle, really,” he said. “I have a sticker on my rocker arm that says, `Jesus saves.’ Well, He did save my life. No one expects me to be there (Saturday). If I can function, I will be there.”
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