Dale Creasy Jr. will never forget his second career test.

Creasy, one of the lesser funded teams in the NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car division, while on a testing run at his home track Route 66 Raceway outside of Chicago, made an abrupt turn right into the retaining wall. He was uninjured but the same could not be said for his battle-worn Chevrolet Impala.

“We came there with the intention of trying some new things,” Creasy said. “I hit the gas, it spun around and hit the wall. Even to this point we don’t know what happened. Something got under our tire, we just cannot find anything from our car.”

Creasy said it was the hardest hit he’d ever taken in his career.

“I knew the chassis would need a front-half and the body was destroyed,” Creasy said.

Creasy’s kind-natured approach to his fellow competitors resulted in his phone ringing off the hook. The larger teams all wanted to help Creasy including Schumacher Racing.

“Todd Okuhara called me and made me a good deal, so we drove down there to pick the parts up,” said Creasy. “They’ve been wonderful, and come down to check on us all the time.”

Creasy said the chassis isn’t total loss and could be repaired by a major chassis shop.

“I do plan on that, and I also have a new Impala body we will mount on it,” Creasy revealed. “Time wise and money-wise this was the best option for us.”

Creasy missed show behind the wheel of the ex-Jack Beckman Dodge Charger when rain cut qualifying a session short.

For him, the experience for the seasoned driver was foreign considering he sat in the car for the first time on Thursday in Topeka.

“There’s a couple of things different,” Creasy pointed out. “The steering is further away. I had never sat in it with the body on. I figured if he could see out of the windshield, I could too. It’s going to be a better car for me because it is a slip-tube car.”

Underdog Creasy is, but a quitter he’s not.

“There was a thought of taking a break,” Creasy admitted. “I have match races this season and those are hard to come by. If I miss those, I might not get them back. I woke up Monday to go to work, and I thought to myself, ‘I gotta go fix my racecar. You can’t quit because I’ve been doing this so long, and it’s what I know to do.”