VS -     Yeah, you could call it that – I had a five-way bypass. Basically, I had angioplasty a few years ago and it didn’t work.  The stresses of life, if you will, caused me to be totally blocked, and I had to have a five-way bypass August 11, 2004.

CP - Where were you when you realized things were going bad?

VS - I was at a Quick-8 down in Huntsville, Alabama. Every time I got in the car, it was pressure, that kind of thing. I thought, "Something’s up here," but I didn’t know what it was. I felt great the next day when I got home, so I just kind of passed it off as "whatever." Tuesday morning, with the stress of business and what have you, I started feeling the pressure, literally, the pressure on my chest, and I knew something was up. I was sweating profusely, and I said, "I have to go to the hospital," and I was having a heart attack at the time.

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CP -     Do you think you were having a heart attack at the racetrack the day before?

VS -     No. I really don’t. I think it was signals of it, but it was nothing like it was Tuesday morning. Tuesday morning it was bad.

CP -     Can you describe the feeling more?

VS -     Um… It was a hot sensation that I hadn’t felt before, I mean literally hot, like fire. And my shoulder blade… I remember my shoulder hurting like crazy. Not my arms, like they say, but just the heat. Like I said, I was soaking wet. I was thinking: "What is wrong." I didn’t feel – this sounds stupid, but, I didn’t feel as bad as I physically felt. The soaked with sweat, the panting — I didn’t feel as bad as it was portraying I should feel. It’s hard to describe, it really is.

CP -     What were you thinking?

VS -     I just kind of knew it. I know what stress and that kind of life will do to you. I know what eating hamburgers the whole time will do to you too. I kept denying it, basically.

CP -     So, up until that time, even after your angioplasty, diet and exercise hadn’t been an issue?

VS -     Well, exercise is pretty much part of my life. I work out all the time, I had eaten badly all my life, but until I got to be 30 I never had any problem with weight or anything. When I turned 30, I started turning my diet around and eating a little bit better, but it was just too little, too late. Plus, I was pre-disposed to problems because I’ve had a lot of family members with heart problems.

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CP -     So, what are you doing differently now?

VS -     My diet has changed somewhat, it’s become more strict than what it was before. If I had pizza once a week before, I have it once every other week now. The only thing I haven’t really quit is the red meat thing because that’s such a thing that’s up in the air about what causes a problem. I eat the best I can, I do a lot more cardio than I ever have, I’ve lost 30 pounds, and it’s going to stay that way.

CP -     So, now after your heart attack and bypass, you’re getting back in the car and not letting it slow you down?

VS -     Three weeks after my surgery I went flying and felt great — although the doctor wasn’t too happy about that. Of course he didn’t know for a while. Anyway, I went to get permission from the doctor to drive in Dallas, but he and I got into it a little bit, and he said to me, "OK, you’re clear to fly, but you’re not driving." I said, "wait a minute, you told me in another week I could," and he said, "Yeah, another week, you can." I said, "Well, I already have flown!" and he said, "Oh really? Whatever! You must be ok." Then I went to Dallas and drove.

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CP - What do you think about Pro Mod’s position as an exhibition class in the NHRA?

VS - I think that in time it will have its place as a pro class, but until they get all the legalities done, it’s not going to happen. And I love it!  I’ve had a ball driving a full-body car. I wish I had more control over the way things get done, but, that’s not my job.

CP - You’ve driven a lot of classes in the NHRA — compare them with Pro Mod.

VS - Well, there’s not a lot of difference. Competition is competition. I’ll race you on foot – I don’t care… just line up next to me. That’s the way I feel about everything I do. I feel: do it first and do it best. Comparing it to the alcohol funny car, competition is competition, but the cars are totally different. You can drive the wheels off a funny car. In Pro Mod, you have to finesse it otherwise you’ll hit the wall. You stay in a little too long and it’s over with.

CP -     How long have you been racing?

VS -     I started racing in 1992, and then I raced the funny car five seasons, an abbreviated one in ’95, and then in 1996 we won the championship in the IHRA. And then, ’97 was just a tough one personally – I don’t even remember the year and we still placed second! We only missed the championship by three rounds! I don’t know how we did it – I couldn’t tell you. Then we won IHRA Funny car in ’98 and ’99, and then moved to Nitrofish, who promised us the world but folded up shop and I never got anything other than some product to sell. I finished second in points in the IHRA in 2000. 2001 was still one of my better years. I finished fifth in the NHRA in points, and Jensen sponsored us for all of 2001 and most of 2002.

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CP -     What would you tell someone that wants to get into racing?

VS -     Well, I think you’re going to get a lot of different opinions, but my advice is to try to the biggest fish in the smallest pond that you’ll be happy with. I consider myself a realist, and unless you’ve been born with a silver spoon in your mouth, it just doesn’t come that easily. You don’t have to be happy with it, but you do have to be happy with yourself — whatever you get. Oh, and don’t think you’re going to get it because of merit. You’re going to come out of racing feeling bad, in most cases, because it’s not going to fly the way you think it is. I know this is not the best way to put it to people who want to get into racing, but, if you can be happy with your performance and go to bed at night without any guilt that you didn’t try your best, anything you do – from Jr. Dragsters to Top Fuel – if you do your best, that’s all you can do. You know, I’ve had a lot of time to think about this since my heart attack. I honestly think that I really didn’t start living until August the 12th. I think about things more now, I think about what matters to me now, and it’s like everyone who has these revelations — you figure it out when you almost die. The doctor gave me a 50/50 chance, and I lived. I don’t want to upset anyone that wants to get into the sport, but it is that tough. If you can be happy, whatever level you attain, then I’m all for it.

CP -     Who has been the most influential in your career?

VS -     It’d have to be my dad. I know everyone says that, but it’s really my dad. As far as racing goes, Howard Moon has been there from day one.   I don’t want to race a day without him. Oh, and if you know anyone in the fuel ranks, I still want to race fuel.

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CP -     I understand things have changed a little in your plans for next year?

VS -     Yeah, apparently. Not by my choice, but yes. And I want to say something about that. I feel a little scorned about that deal. Everything was "No problem. No Problem, this is how it’s going to be…." Then I went to the Christmas party, and when he [Tommy Lipar] announced the team, he said "our ‘present’ driver." I was the only guy on the team that picked it up. The next day I got my walking papers – he wanted his nephew to drive this year. I don’t understand. I had gotten in the car, went to four straight finals — I couldn’t do any better than that! I just feel scorned! I’m not happy about it, and I wish he would have done it differently.

CP -     So what are your plans for next year?

VS -     I’m going to drive for Rick Jackson in California, and I’m working on my own deal as far as an IHRA car I can race when I’m home. I’m also going to race some motocross, try to keep the business going, and try to bounce my kids on my knee every now and then.

CP -     Any more details about the California deal?

VS -     Yeah, it’s Rick Jackson, Jackson Racing out in California. He’s got an alcohol funny car that John Capps drove last year, but he got a new Brad Hadman car, and he wanted me to come and try it out. He called me back a short time later and said, "Hey, why don’t you race this thing at Pomona?" I said: "I’ve got nothing else going on… you bet!" Howard Moon said he’d come and crew it for me, and it looks like I might be racing the whole season.

CP -     What division?

VS -     I don’t know if I’ll run Division 7 or Division 2 — I’m trying to talk him into letting us bring the stuff back here and leaving it… so, we’ll see.

CP -     And the IHRA?

VS -     I’m working on getting the car I raced two years ago. I’ll race IHRA when I can, and hopefully do the full NHRA season.

CP -     So, what’s the bottom line?

VS -     I’ll be fine. It’s just one of those deals — God’s got a better plan, apparently. That’s the way I’m going to see it.