2003 Race Recovery At The Daytona 500 By John Borowski Every day that you drive to work, there may be, on some occasions, an accident. Nobody ever seems to think about the industry group of professionals that are responsible for cleaning up those messes and keep traffic flowing. Well on the NASCAR race track circuit that may hold true with the spectators but not with the competing teams and drivers. In February of this year I had the unique opportunity to experience first hand, a group of professionals that are well respected and appreciated for their talents and abilities in the race world. Known as Race Recovery Crews, this elite group of towing experts is expected to clear the track in a moments notice while the racecars are still on the track awaiting a green flag. At the Daytona 500 there were 12 trucks, with crews of four or five per truck, that are continually recognized for their work and thanked by drivers and crews alike. Every day would start out with an emergency services meeting at or about 7:45 am. Then we would hear from the NASCAR officials about the events of the prior day, good or bad. Also discussed would be the type of vehicles to be encountered in the upcoming race and what precautions and different hook-ups were possible. In the group were the fire personnel and the ambulance people as well. The purpose was to improve our ability to work together and save time out on the track. Ken Burdine who has been doing this for over 20 years heads the Race Recovery Crews up. For the past eight years it has been his sole duty as a Miller Industries employee. Burdine had done this for several years and realized that there may be great exposure for Miller and submitted a proposal and the rest as they say is history. My personal involvement was with Burdine and his group on Wrecker 1, which consisted of Dick Bramer, Joel Fry, and Danny Trentham. These guys have been working together for some time and it showed. Everyone has a specific duty and does only what is expected of them and get back on the truck. As much as I thought that I was focused and quick on scene, these guys defined a new meaning to me. It was an honor and privilege to not only witnesses this kind of expertise but to be part of it. While I was on the watch with Wrecker 1 on the tunnel we had several calls all weekend but we'll only talk about Sunday and the 500. The race started 20 minutes early in an effort to get it in before the much anticipated rain. The initial start of a race can usually bring an accident but this would not be. The race continued at a steady rate and almost hypnotic roar every 50 seconds or so when suddenly Burdine jumps up behind the wheel monitoring 2 -two way radios (1 for the tower and 1 for the other trucks), a scanner (the race teams and drivers) and a satellite radio broadcasting the race on a 10 second delay, and put the flashing lights on and slips the transmission in first gear and says where is it? I look over my right shoulder and see Ryan Newman hit the wall at about 180 mph and slide down towards the start finish line and start barrel rolling three and a half times. We're already moving and have a full view of the car. We come down a small ramp behind the ambulance and across the grass and approach the scene. As Burdine hits the brakes beyond the #12 car that now stopped on its roof he yells to me "Go now!" I bail out the door and get to the vehicle and back up Burdine while Danny and Dick hook up a strap onto the roll bar and Newman is pulled from the wreckage, a slight pull forward brings the car upright that has the rear axle ripped out and the entire right front wheel assembly laying next to it. A roll back is on scene and is instructed to take the car while we belt strap the rear axle and take it the garage area where NASCAR is waiting to examine this car. While in route to the garage the sky opens up and it pours. After a short inspection as to why this vehicle behaved the way that it did, NASCAR released it but ordered their restrictor plate returned. Meanwhile we put the truck back into a ready condition, and then the tower calls all trucks to help dry the track. All twelve trucks are instructed to stay high on the wall and maintain 55mph. Of course I'm riding with seasoned veterans so they make sure that I'm up front to get the full experience of climbing those walls. As we go into turn one I notice that we're constantly keeping the steering wheel to the right to stay up high on the track and as I look over at Burdine he is way down below me. I mean like the top of his head is two feet lower than mine! On our final lap we did 85mph and it was more comfortable and was able to sit normal instead of hanging onto the right grab handle. After the guys having a good laugh at my surprise, we returned to the tunnel just in time for a restart. The race goes just a few laps before Jimmy Spencer crashes and then Ward Burton, which we handled uneventfully and once again it rains and becomes the final time we will go out onto the track for this event. It is impossible to explain a week of Daytona with this extraordinary group however, Burdine and his program is something to be witnessed. He has a handful of regulars that follow him around and have many years of experience to help train the rookies such as myself. I never thought of myself as a rookie after 30 years in the industry but I guess now, I'm no longer considered one. Burdine asked that we all leave with one thing and I did, "keep tension on the cable." Thanks Ken! John Borowski a tower for 30 years, 19 of which he owned his own tow business, John has also served as President for Statewide Towing Association of Massachusetts and is currently an officer for the association. A two-time recipient of the American Towman Medal (for heroism), John is AT's Operations.