It’s been 13 years since a freak accident during what should have been a routine test session took the life of rising Funny Car star Eric Medlen and put into motion a father’s quest to transform personal tragedy into meaningful change in race car design.
In this, the debut episode of Legends: The Series, Season Four, John Medlen talks about his son’s passion for life, his affinity for people and how his pursuit of a dream ultimately landed him in the seat of one of the world’s most powerful race cars and made him a six-time NHRA tour winner. “(Driving) was something he wanted to do very, very, very bad,” Medlen said of his son, who was just three races into his fourth pro season when he died at age 33. “I did everything I could to talk him out of it (but) I could see that’s where his heart was. That’s what he wanted to do.” Nevertheless, overcoming his own grief in the aftermath of the accident was a slow and very painful process, one in which he insists Eric played a major role.
“We all get to choose the path we take in life,” he said. “You’ve gotta make the best decisions you can, but it’s your life. It’s a time that God has given us on this planet and you get to pick. We have an arrival date and an ending date and there’s a dash between it all. We get to pick how we live that dash. (Eric) was a perfect example of living (that dash) to the fullest."
Thanks to the forward thinking of former Funny Car racer Ron Colson this video exists.
Colson's Colson Communications was responsible for shooting and producing this video, which back in the day was cutting edge for a drag racing presentation. NHRA Drag Racing was syndicated, and while we are uncertain if this appeared on any television station, it was available in VHS in an era when this medium was still in its formative stages.
Mike Dunn is one of the best natural drivers to ever step behind the wheel of a nitro car. From capturing a U.S. Nationals title in 1986 and becoming the first Funny Car driver to run over 280 miles per hour in Dallas in 1987 while driving for Joe Pisano, Dunn had accomplished more than any driver could imagine. But one thing that eluded him well into his career was a championship.
In 1999, in his seventh season driving for the legend Darrell Gwynn, Dunn would put together one of his best seasons yet and led the Top Fuel points standings for much of the year.
However, a devastating summer slump and failing to qualify late in the season in Memphis would put a damper on Dunn’s title hopes, as Dunn would lose the points lead at the U.S. Nationals and never recover, ultimately making 1999 the potential championship season that got away.
The year was 1988, and NHRA was engaged in a full-scale war, the likes of which hadn't been seen since the IHRA became a formidable force in drag racing. Texas Motorplex owner Billy Meyer had just purchased the series from Larry Carrier and moved it to Waco, Texas, and likewise pulled his crown jewel of a race track out of the NHRA and put it in IHRA.
One of the staples of the IHRA schedule was rain, and so much so the IHRA actually was recognized as "it has rained again." The IHRA Winter Nationals had traditionally been the series launch event, but with new ownership the opening was moved to Bradenton, Fla, for hopefully better weather. However, Mother Nature returned things to the original plan and Darlington was actually the launch point, even though it, too, was hit with rain.
Some pretty interesting scenarios in this record-setting event including a controversial Funny Car final with a familiar face in the middle of it all.
Popular Funny Car driver Jim Epler was on top of the world following the 1993 NHRA Drag Racing season, becoming the first Nitro Funny Car driver to run over 300 miles per hour at the third to last race of the season in Topeka and closing out the year with a big-time win at the season-finale in Pomona.
Unfortunately, Epler's win at Pomona at the end of 1993 would be his last for quite a while, as he would go winless over the next seven seasons.
However, Epler changed the course of his career, teaming up with Jerry Toliver to form a powerful Funny Car duo backed by the WWF in 1999. With the brains of John Stewart calling the shots on his Kane-sponsored Nitro Funny Car at NHRA's debut at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the Spring of 2000, Epler would find his way back to the winner circle, laying the smackdown of the rest of the Funny Car class to score his first win in seven years.
The penultimate race in what has been an exciting 1987 IHRA season brings the tour to Rockingham, NC, where titles are on the line for the Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Alcohol Funny Car divisions.
Mark Oswald and Gene Snow exert their dominance in the fuel categories but it is the Pro Stock division to watch. Pro Stock rookie Doug Kirk makes his debut in Pro Stock driving for Roy Hill, who has stepped aside from the cockpit. See how he fares against the seasoned veterans.
You'll see a feature on the exciting Top Sportsman division with cameos by Charles Carpenter and Scotty Cannon.
It’s been 13 years since a freak accident during what should have been a routine test session took the life of rising Funny Car star Eric Medlen and put into motion a father’s quest to transform personal tragedy into meaningful change in race car design.
Thanks to the forward thinking of former Funny Car racer Ron Colson this video exists.
Mike Dunn is one of the best natural drivers to ever step behind the wheel of a nitro car. From capturing a U.S. Nationals title in 1986 and becoming the first Funny Car driver to run over 280 miles per hour in Dallas in 1987 while driving for Joe Pisano, Dunn had accomplished more than any driver could imagine. But one thing that eluded him well into his career was a championship.
Popular Funny Car driver Jim Epler was on top of the world following the 1993 NHRA Drag Racing season, becoming the first Nitro Funny Car driver to run over 300 miles per hour at the third to last race of the season in Topeka and closing out the year with a big-time win at the season-finale in Pomona.
