ROCKCASTLE COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — A Kentucky racer is making a comeback after a freak accident Friday night in Lincoln County that sent three people to the hospital.
Shane Irvin is a first-generation racer and has been burning rubber on race tracks across Kentucky since he was 14 years old.
Recently, the Ponderosa Speedway underwent new ownership and hosted its first race to celebrate on Friday night. Irvin was one of 11 racers on the track that night when his race car was struck and lost control.
"It's the first time — I've raced 24 years and never — first time I've been upside down or anything of that nature."
Irvin explains how his buddy's race car got sucked into the wall as they were making a lap. "It ain't like a ditch. You can’t just pull it back on. It tries to suck you into the wall. He didn’t do nothing wrong, he jerked the wheel to try to get it out of the way and when he did his car just made a dart left and I was there," recalls Irvin. "It started flipping and barrel rolling. I remember every bit of it but I just kind of put my hands down to my sides and held on. I just had to ride it out from then on."
Irvin says his oldest son and youngest daughter were in the stands at the time of the horrific accident and his first thought was to make sure his kids knew he was "perfectly fine."
"After a few minutes I said 'Can you please flip me back over? I'm upside down. Blood's rushing to my head. I don't know what's going on. I don't care about the race car, just flip me back over.' They said, 'You don't understand. You're in the pit grand stands and we think there's people underneath you or against the car. We can't move the car," said Irvin.
By a miracle, Irvin walked away without a scratch. Three people in the stands were sent to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
"I got up this morning, felt fine. Little bit sore in places but I went about my day and I'm here at the race track to race tonight, doing something I love," admits Irvin. "No fear. No fear whatsoever. I just hammer down. I just hammer down and let the car do what it's gonna do and it don't phase me one bit."
Irvin says accidents like his rarely happen. All race cars are built to protect the driver if they crash. To prepare for the worst, all drivers must wear a one-piece fire retardant suit, a helmet, and a pair of special race shoes. They must also be strapped in with a five-point harness.
"The support I've never in a million years, the phone calls I've had today. The people that have come up to me at the race track, I was at the race track until one, two o'clock in the morning. People just coming up, I mean giving us hugs, crying I mean tears in their eyes. People you don't... you don't really know that well, but you see them every weekend. They've kind of become family," explains Irvin who also says this accident should not deter anyone from coming out and enjoy a race night.
