View Brad Doty
“Still Wide Open: The Brad Doty Story”
By Brad Doty
With Dave Argabright
Book Review by Gregg Leary
Category:Auto Racing -> World of Outlaws
“Still Wide Open” uses a few short paragraphs on the dust jacket to prepare the reader for the 282 pages that follow.
Courageous
Determined
Gracious
Talented
Indomitable
“Those words have often been used to describe Brad Doty. A champion sprint car driver, he rose to prominence with the World of Outlaws series, becoming one of the most popular drivers in America.
“Then came a grinding, violent accident in August 1988. Doty suffered a spinal injury, and faced a new, very different kind of life, one in which a wheelchair, not a race car, would be a daily partner.
“In the years that followed, Brad Doty proved that you might break his body, but not his spirit. After a harrowing period of deep, dark depression, he awoke with a renewed optimism that has inspired countless friends and fans.
“Today, Doty continues to inspire as a color analyst for the World of Outlaws broadcasts. He remains a highly visible, deeply respected authority on sprint car racing. He continues to live his life at the same speed as always: Still Wide Open!”
In the Preface, Dave Argabright says, “He once had a life that many would envy, then was locked into a world that most would dread. Through it all Brad Doty has proven that he is indeed an extraordinary human being.”
“He always seemed like one of the nicest guys in the sport. He was always there, always fast, always aggressive, and he did it without crashing you. Brad is a role model for anybody who has been hurt in any way.” Ron Shuman
“Here was this little guy with long hair and a beard trying to look like what an Outlaw racer was supposed to look like back then. But all he had to do was open his mouth to blow his image. He was just so nice. He seemed too nice to be a racer. To this day I don’t know anybody who has ever had a bad word to say about Brad Doty.” Bruce Ellis
“If Brad had been able to continue driving, there isn’t any doubt in my mind that he would have won a World of Outlaws title or two. He had paid his dues, and he was really right in his prime when he was hurt. He would always run you hard, but he’d run you clean. I think it is perfect that Brad is working on the television broadcasts. He knows this sport through and through. He says things in a way that people can understand, and he’s got a lot of credibility.” Steve Kinser
“In my life I’ve seen my share of both joy and despair, and whenever the highs got too high, or the lows too low, I would go to the window and look out at the cornfields and woods and hayfields and barns. Somehow that sight always made me feel more secure, more patient, reminding me that with a little courage you can make it through just about anything.” How prophetic.
When Brad was 10 or 11 he fell off a tractor and “the rear wheel of the tractor ran over my midsection, breaking both bones in my left forearm, and rolled across my stomach. What if the tire had run over my neck? What if we would have had a plow or disc on the back?” Brad nearly never had a racing career.
Brad’s lifelong friendship with Ed and Jac Haudenschild is well documented in the book. The boys raced everything…coaster carts, sleds, ponies, minibikes and motorcycles. Later in life they would race sprint cars.
“I was always amazed that Jac Haudenschild, Kenny Jacobs, and myself all managed to reach the top level of sprint car racing, from our little area in Ohio.”
Brad actually learned the “seat of the pants” feel for a car by driving a Ford Pinto on the street.
“Racing has a way of sneaking up on you. It starts out as a hobby, then becomes a passion, then ultimately is a master, owning all your possessions. If you’re lucky, you’ll keep your soul,,. and that’s about all.”
Brad began racing a modified just before his 16th birthday. He won his second time out. He could have gotten a big head but shortly thereafter he invited his vocational class to the racetrack to watch him run some practice laps. On the second lap a spindle broke and the wheel ended up disappearing into a field. “I was totally embarrassed, and I never did find the wheel.”
“I didn’t care about NASCAR, or Daytona, or even Indy. The only thing that meant anything to me was going to Williams Grove to see Jan Opperman and Kenny Weld. That was the top of the world, as far as I was concerned.”
“Eldora Speedway is one of the toughest and most exciting tracks I ever encountered. People told me, ‘If you breathe the throttle at Eldora, they’ll drive right by you.’” Brad took the advice and kept the throttle to the floor running right against the wall. He heard the sound of an engine right behind him, thought it was another car, so he didn’t lift…it was the echo of HIS engine.”
“If a guy wins at Eldora, he can win anywhere, because that place is so tough and demanding.” Brad won there.
July 23, 1988. That was a day that changed my life, for sure. Eldora. Kings Royal. $50,000. It was not to be.
“I don’t blame anyone for the accident. Nobody did anything wrong. It just happened.”
Brad was paralyzed in the accident from the waist down. It could have been much worse.
“A piece of tubing had penetrated my helmet…stopping a quarter-inch from my head. Yet, I didn’t have a head injury Another piece of tubing looked like it had penetrated my chest If my injury would have been a tiny bit higher, I wouldn’t have had my hands. I’m really, really lucky.”
Brad’s battle back from extreme depression, resentment and wishing that he would die is a testament to his character and the amazing support of family, friends and fans. Just when he felt he had reached rock bottom, his wife Laurie discovered a lump on her breast.
“That incident yanked me out of my depression. I suddenly realized that my recovery wasn’t optional; it was mandatory. God was smiling on us, because (Laurie’s) spots were simply calcium deposits. My awakening had begun, and from that point forward I had a new attitude, a new outlook that was far more positive than before.
“Life was worth living again. I felt that I had a purpose, a reason for being on earth. My children, and Laurie are enormously important to me, and when I realized that they still needed me, it was all the motivation I needed to begin my real recovery.
“Instead of complaining about an obstacle, I began to consider things as a test. I’d look at a hurdle and try to figure out how to overcome it.”
“I’ve learned not to live in the past, because I can’t change it. I’ve also learned not to dwell on the future too much. After many years of soul-searching, I’ve decided to live more for today, because that’s all we really have: today.”
What an inspirational read.
Some interesting fun facts about Brad Doty.
D.O.B.: 7/27/57
Home Town : Apple Creek , Ohio
Wife: Laurie
Kids: Brandy, Braden, Brittani
Racing History (Highlights)
1974 Started racing a homebuilt open wheeled modified at Lakeville Speedway, Lakeville , Ohio
1978 Raced first Sprint car (won first ever A-main)
1979 Lakeville Speedway track champ
1980 (3 Championships) Track Champion at Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, PA and Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, PA and was Western PA State Champion.
1981 R.O.Y. (rookie of the year) with the All Star Circuit of Champions
1982 R.O.Y. with World of Outlaws (WoO)
1983 Won first career WoO race ( Oklahoma City , OK .)
1984 Won WoO “Spring Nationals” ( Dallas TX .)
1985 3 Wins and a 2nd place finish in a one weekend 4 race Midget car event at I-70 Speedway in Kansas City, KS. Won C-main, Won B-main and finished 6th in A-main at Knoxville Nationals in Knoxville , IA.
1986 Won WoO “Pacific Coast Open” (biggest win of career) at Ascot Speedway in Gardena , CA .
1987 Won both races of season opener at Ascot Speedway, finished 2nd to Steve Kinser in WoO National point standings
1988 Won 2 USAC (United States Auto Club) winged races before a career ending spinal cord injury in July at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg , Ohio
1993 Started TV career as an “Analyst/Color Commentator”
1997 Won National Sprint Car Poll “Media Member of the Year” award along with the “Outstanding Contribution” to the sport award“
1998 Won “Outstanding Contribution” to the sport award for an unprecedented 2 years in a row. Got back into a sprint car for the first time since career ending accident and paced the main event in a hand controlled sprint car during the “Kings Royal” (the same racing event and racetrack where accident happened 10 years earlier)
1999 Co-wrote autobiography with author Dave Argabright titled “Still Wide Open”
2001 Inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum