IHRA DRIVERS RECOVERING

Funny Car driver Tim Stevens and Top Fuel driver John "Doc" Sipple are both recovering following unrelated incidents at Rockingham Dragway during the IHRA Bethesda Softworks World Finals held last weekend. Sipple, from Berea, Kentucky, suffered a heart attack during the first round of qualifying on Friday. He was transported to FirstHealth Richmond Memorial Hospital. He is expected to be released from the hospital soon and will be staying with his daughter in High Point, North Carolina while he recovers.

Stevens, a Dorr, Michigan native, sustained second degree burns on his hands, smoke inhalation, and a mild concussion when his Funny Car crashed and caught fire during Saturday afternoon qualifying. He was transported to UNC Hospital where he was kept for observation until being released on Monday.

Stevens, who was paired with Terry McMillen, lost consciousness during the crash as his car crossed over into the other lane and hit the wall.

"I just want to let all my friends, family, sponsors and IHRA fans know that I am OK," Stevens said in a statement released Tuesday. "Being unconscious, I had lost the ability to hit the fire bottles, parachutes, and the fuel shut off switch. I was just a body along for the ride. "I must have my priorities in line as I am told I asked to see my wife and kids before I was loaded onto the Life Flight Helicopter." Stevens added, " I've been told I was even asking how fast I went and if I won."

Our best wishes to both drivers for speedy and complete recoveries.  [10-28-2004]

PHILLIPSON PHINDS PHAME

Veteran drag racing photographer Jim Phillipson from the San Francisco Bay area of California was the winner this year at the CHRR photo contest sponsored by DRO columnist Dave Wallace. We thought you'd like to see the great shot that won the Leslie Lovett Photographic Award this year. The car was John Collins's 280Z Funny Car driven by John at the 1978 March Meet. The photo is one of a sequence of the incident.

Phillipson recalls the event: "John was on a qualifying pass and got oil under the tires at about 3/4 track. The car made a hard right turn and came off the track at about a 45 degree angle heading for the old single bar guard rail without slowing much at all. I figured it was about 50/50 he was going to go through the guard rail and join us in the grandstand, as I had seen others go through the rail at much lower speeds. But in my location there was not really any place to go, so I just kept the motor drive going. At the last instant John got the car pointed down track and slammed the guard rail with the side of the car (as seen in the photo) instead of the nose and slid on down the rail shedding parts and fiberglass. Everybody walked away in good shape but it sure woke everybody up."