One does not need to have all their senses intact to enjoy an afternoon at the drags.

Sergeant Doug Evanston attended the 2009 NHRA Auto Club World Finals but couldn’t see the race due to blindness. Spend some time with him and you’ll find that his fan experience was not hindered by what some would consider a handicap. If anything, he says, it was enhanced.

Doug’s last visual experience at the drag races occurred on ‘Thunder Mountain’ in 1989, when he saw Joe Amato, Bruce Larson and Bob Glidden capture professional category victories at the Mopar Mile High Nationals in Morrison, Colo. One week later, he entered basic training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot in Parris Island, SC. The honorably discharged United States Marine and Purple Heart recipient from Madison, Wis., lost his vision after an Improvised Explosive Devise (IED) exploded 10 feet away from him during Operation Desert Storm in 1992.

“I can feel it…can you?”

One does not need to have all their senses intact to enjoy an afternoon at the drags.

Sergeant Doug Evanston attended the 2009 NHRA Auto Club World Finals but couldn’t see the race due to blindness. Spend some time with him and you’ll find that his fan experience was not hindered by what some would consider a handicap. If anything, he says, it was enhanced.

Doug’s last visual experience at the drag races occurred on ‘Thunder Mountain’ in 1989, when he saw Joe Amato, Bruce Larson and Bob Glidden capture professional category victories at the Mopar Mile High Nationals in Morrison, Colo. One week later, he entered basic training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot in Parris Island, SC. The honorably discharged United States Marine and Purple Heart recipient from Madison, Wis., lost his vision after an Improvised Explosive Devise (IED) exploded 10 feet away from him during Operation Desert Storm in 1992.

“I guess you could say that was a bad day,” noted the 42-year old father of two boys, Gary (21) and John (19) whom he named after his two favorite Funny Car drivers, Densham and Force.

“When the IED went off I saw a bright flash of light, kind of like the flames coming from the back of a jet car in the dark. Some might call it a tragedy, but in hindsight,” he said with a chuckle, “at least I’ve had a chance to see my kids faces when they were babies.”

This particular day at the NHRA Finals, began with a stroll in the pits to seek a sense of touch; a hand shake and autograph from Ashley Force. When asked why he likes Ashley he said, “She sounds like a winner. So confident, articulate and sounds like a lady who has her s#%t together. You can tell she’s a daughter of the champ. Plus she took the time to shake my hand. That’s what I love about these drivers and our sport. You can reach out and touch them. It’s a great feeling.” 

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Before heading to his seats in the stands, Evanston and his boys got their ‘nitro fix’ courtesy of the Kalitta contingent. Their senses of smell and taste were assaulted when the Doug Kalitta driven, Kalitta Motorsports Top Fuel Dragster fired up to prepare for a first round engagement with Steve Torrence.

“It’s a tradition which we’ve been doing for ever,” said Sgt. Evanston. “Before first round on Sunday, I always head to the church of Kalitta to be baptized by the nitro gods. Nobody spreads the ‘holy water’ better in the pits than old Conrad.”

Evanston sat in the grandstands, about 800 feet down the Pomona quarter mile and enjoyed second round eliminations, and his descriptions of what was happening on the track were precise. He correctly stated Robert Hight smoked the tires at about 300 foot in his race versus Tim Wilkerson when he yelled “tire smoke” and pointed towards the left lane, during the run. He continued, “Bad tire shake right lane” when Allen Johnson rattled the tires hard in his match up versus Jason Line. When Larry Dixon captured an important round win over Cory McClenathan he said, “D*** that was a close one, less than a foot right?”

Yup, eight inches to be exact.

“Being unable to see does not hamper my experience at the drags,” he confidently stated. “The anticipation is amazing as the drivers hit that second fuel pump I can hear that engine pulling down. It is like they are rocks in a sling shot pulled back, ready to strike,” he said as ‘goose bumps’ were visible on his right arm and mine too.

“There is nothing in the world that compares the having your guts shaken by two cars pounding the ground as they race past you at more than 300 miles per hour,” he said. “That’s why I sit down here at the top end during eliminations. I feel it in my feet, through my (rear end) and extend to the tips of my fingers.”

Spending a few hours with Doug will open your eyes to a simple fact; drag racing is a true sensory overload. And if one of those senses goes away, the others will be there to pick up the slack and still provide an excellent fan experience.

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