Speed Thrills, Speed Sometimes Kills
Story and photos by Dwight Drum © 2007 Dwight Drum Web work by Larsen & Drum
A Tribute and Final Interview with Eric Medlen
Long ago in a previous article I stated: The application of all the gold on the planet and every second in a millennium couldn't produce a safe race car. A safer race car is always the goal of every sanction whether NASCAR, NHRA, IndyCar or others. Safety is primary, but I believe a totally safe race car is unrealistic as long as we have gravity and friction.
Interviewing hundreds of racers and dozens of motorsports champions will reveal little about a reluctant sense or fear of speed that most would expect. In the speed business all understand elements of danger, yet many go for the thrills even though few get pay and most actually pay to race. The bravery and dedication of those who choose to compete is sometimes lost in the excitement of the show. It's a lot safer on the couch or in the stands, but racers like Eric Medlen and Danica Patrick prefer a path in life at incredible speeds. Patrick lost her teammate, Paul Dana, in a 2006 Homestead-Miami Speedway crash.
"We all know potentially it's a dangerous sport, but just because you're a race car driver doesn't mean you are supposed to die," Patrick said. "You just have to hope and pray that it's not in the cards for you. The best thing to do is to not really think about it."
When tragedy strikes on a racetrack our knowledge about racing helps many to accept human loss to some degree, but always when we are personally involved with a racer that passes on -- our emotional pain lingers. Fans often feel like their driver is a personal friend so a feeling of loss over tragedy is multiplied way beyond family and personal friends.
Eric Medlen, 33, developed a popularity that seemed to be as natural as his professional ability. Once he considered rodeo as a career from his champion efforts at Oakdale High School in California while tutored by rodeo great Jerold Camarillo. A call about a mechanic position from dad, John Medlen at John Force Racing, changed his focus. After eight years on that Funny Car team Medlen chose to drive 320 mph as eagerly as he would have chosen to ride and rope.
Our last interview on March 16th 2007 with Medlen at Gainesville Raceway was only a week before his passing and as usual he was positive and energetic. He loved his job and we loved him for it. He approached every interview and every public moment with smiles and eager words. If we all take some of that approach to life, the smiles and all, maybe our world might be just a touch brighter.
Medlen always gave us that touch. If we remember him with a rope in one hand, a throttle in the other and a smile - almost wrist to wrist - we knew Eric.
Can you identify the common hurdles you must overcome routinely as a driver at the NHRA POWERade level?
"I don't think it ever really changes, just the stress of trying to get the thing qualified. Work like a team not like an independent. We've got one team with four cars here so we all try to help each other. A lot of times it gets real hectic. You gotta help this guy do that and this guy do that and then still pay attention to your own thing. The biggest thing for myself is to try to get everything done before you run because there are a lot of things to get done when you've got four cars."
If you were able to take a fan for a ride down the fast track during competition, what would you say to them about the expectation of the experience?
"I believe that's different for everybody. Myself, I've been around racing all my life really. So the first time I got in a Funny Car, believe me it was overwhelming, I'm not downplaying it at all. But a part of me kind of thought man that was it? Everything is always built up so much. You hear all these guys talk about, oh it puts you back in the seat and you can barely focus and all this stuff that's going on. Really I haven't found that. If they go faster that would be fine with me. I would just tell them to just tough it out and hang on because you are in for the ride for your life."
Focus is important; did you acquire that or bring it with you?
"I believe that I brought a little bit of it with me, but not near the amount that I've got now. I learned that through my dad, John Medlen and John Force himself. John Force, words can't tell the story about the focus this guy has got. He goes in sponsorship meetings, goes in and talks to the crew, go talks to his daughter and soon as the instant he gets in the car, nothing else matters. There is nothing else in the world that he is focused on more than what he is doing on the racetrack. He brings a lot of that to the team and he tries to teach myself, Robert and now Ashley that same thing. He kind of taught Tony Pedregon that and he's one of the best guys out there. I think if the three of us just stick with him we'll be just as good as he is."
In a typical racing week, what words do you hate to hear the most?
"When Burnie gets on the radio ,"Ahh. He got ya."
In a typical racing week, what words do you love to hear the most?
"When Burnie gets on the radio at the finish line and my dad says, 'We got 'em. We got 'em.'"
Do you believe successful drivers handle stress and pressure better than the average person?
"I don't know. I believe successful drivers whether they want it admit it or not, have a great group behind them to help them deal with the stress and the pressure. That's what makes the biggest difference in a championship team."
Do you have strategies to bring the best out of yourself or do you just race?
"Yeah, I think you do have strategies. It's not like circle track racing or World of Outlaws or something like that where you've got pit strategies. You don't want to be too aggressive in the early going to crash. In our game just like the commercial says you either win or you go home. There's only one shot. But then again you've got to have strategize your approach to the racing because it if you don't you're just going out there trying to make laps. You're not really learning like you should be if you have a strategy like your saying going in."
Is there any secret to carrying momentum season to season, race to race?
"A lot of that I believe depends on the guys. Number one it's hard to find and hire good guys. It's really hard to keep them. You train these guys to do everything to get them to be the best and the other teams come and they offer them the big paychecks to come to upscale their programs. So sometimes you lose them. The biggest thing I believe is keeping the same people around year after year. Because once you have that chemistry a crew chief can focus solely on tuning the car. He doesn't have to worry about making sure that the valves are ground right, making sure the guy is preparing the clutch right, the super charger.
"All that time, maybe it just takes on the outside looking in just a couple minutes each time. But added all together that's another 10 minutes he can spend looking at the track or looking at the computer or thinking about what he wants to change technology-wise that really makes a difference. Looking at the track these days is a huge thing. So if the guy has to be back at the pits over the car he doesn't get to look at the track. But if does have time as soon as you warm it up and makes changes, he can go look at the track and have an idea where he wants to go and where he doesn't want to go and what's going on with the lanes. And better communication with the other cars to make sure that our car wins."