Looking for Rutherford
The only question remaining at the end of the tremendous 2007 season was who is going to stop Troy Rutherford in 2008? He caught fire early September and blazed seven out of eight races in Ventura including the season finale. Greg Taylor had deservingly locked the championship, but Troy’s year-end barn burning put everybody on notice for the coming season.
Troy Rutherford Photographed in Ojai, California March 2, 2008
While everybody else put on their Sunday best and headed out for the annual awards banquet in early February, Troy found himself doubled up in pain at home. Getting himself to a doctor who knew kidney failure when he saw it, he was curtly informed he had about five hours to live if he didn’t get down to the county hospital. Ironically there was a five-hour wait at the emergency room when he got there. He called his crew chief Clive who’s wife Estelle worked the maternity ward. She got a doctor to quickly check out Troy. He couldn’t put Troy ahead of the other patients without cause, but promised to keep an eye on him for any acute signs. After twenty minutes of acute puking they locked him into a gurney and began pumping him full of fluids and medication and drawing blood tests. His blood platelet count got down to 10; normal values are 150,000 to 400,000. Troy was barely conscious and having doubts he would ever see his wife and kids again.
I decided to find Troy last weekend and catch up on his plans for 2008. His hometown is an interesting place; you turn right at Ventura Raceway and snake your way up into the mountains. Ojai sits semi isolated in a bucolic elevated valley like some kind of junior Tibet. I pulled my truck into his folk’s spread which hosts a race shop in the back. Out there I found his step dad Frank Sheltren and buddies Rick Taylor and Bud Miles tearing up a Sunday afternoon. These family friends (for thirty something years) were taking down some hapless bidder on EBay and switching back and forth to the NASCAR race. They were laughing so hard they were falling off their stools.
A white truck pulled up and out jumped Troy, wife and kids. He looked good, a little thin, but full of attitude and full of gratitude. “Hey man, I had strangers calling me in the hospital, racing fans, calling me just to say hang in there, we love watching you race…that’s teaches you something…people are good…people get you through…I learned that!”… Troy is still not entirely sure what hit him. He knows it was a viral infection, something where the blood hard drive crashes. His body was rejecting his own blood. Organs were closing down. Only through plasma and dialysis (“instant relief”) did he survive. Two weeks in the hospital, many of the first days were touch and go. Somebody in San Luis had the same blood type, they Fed Ex down a couple of bags and a transfusion puts him over the top. Now he’s getting it all back together, just needs to take it easy for a bit.
So the first question is “How do you win seven out of the last eight races at a highly competitive track like Ventura”? “Right here in this shop” he says looking around…”Races are won in the shop, not at the track. When this car leaves for the track, it is completely ready and dialed in. We get to the track, read the conditions and make those adjustments.” He cites all the credit to team members Clive Burton (“would’ve won eight out of eight if I hadn’t changed Clive’s set up that night!”), Garrett Leib and Frank Sheltren. “And don’t forget that Byron Raney racing engine!” He gets animated telling me about all the people who have helped him including Mike Sala, L&H Consulting, Red Line Oil and Fragola Fittings and Frank’s Rooter and Pumping. Still looking for a killer sponsor that can take the money pressure off. Never mentions his own insane driving abilities.
“So are you able to race this year?” I’m wondering…. “Oh yeah, I’m there, just give me a little time, I just want to be 100%, no less….I’m only interested in winning.... second place is just the first loser...” ‘Points’ I ask? “Could care less, I’m only there to win…” How about Perris? “I’m hoping to be in some 410 races, talking to some people….”
Deal with it; Ventura is going off this year! Wily promoter Jim Naylor has arranged for ten or better races to pay Sprints $2,000 or better to win. He is going to grow that number. Cliff Morgan has crafted an impressive schedule for all classes. Jammy Earnest is track General Manager and everybody should salute her when she walks by. Rick Romine is writing it all down for the Ventura County Star. We got a real publicist named Lee Elder who is out fighting for raceway recognition. I sense a tsunami wave of interest, fans and cars flooding the pits. I get crazy thinking about the great driving that’s gonna pour out of drivers named Kevin, Dennis, Rick, Chris, Ed, Andrew and about a thousand others…And then...And then in the middle of this entire freaking mess somebody’s going to jump in and turbo charge the whole hot damn deal!?!?…..I’m looking for Rutherford.
