Thu, 12 May 2005, 07:19 PM Robert Burgin, A Racer And An Inspiration

By Bob Frey Photo copyright 2005 Auto Imagery, Inc.

Robert Burgin

Historically, racers like to keep things secret. They don't like to share their speed secrets, their keys to success and the things that give them that little edge over the competition. Robert Burgin is a racer and he had a secret that he kept to himself for a long while. But Robert's secret had nothing to do with his race car. Robert kept a secret that had to do with life and death, literally. "I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1994 and I didn't tell anyone about it for a long while," he said. That "long while" spanned seven years and during that time the only one who really knew about Robert's condition was his wife, Nancy. "In 1994 I thought I had a stroke. We went to the University of Alabama hospital in Birmingham for a series of tests and the results indicated that I had multiple sclerosis. It was quite a shock," he said. Robert and Nancy agreed to keep the diagnosis a secret and for the next seven years they kept it to themselves. "I didn't know how people would treat me or how they would react to the diagnosis of a chronic illness. I had businesses to run and I thought that was the most important thing in my life at the time." Now, after dealing with this debilitating disease for over a decade, Robert knows what's truly important and it's changed his life and the life of a lot of people with whom he comes in contact.

Burgin launches hard.

Before his illness Robert was involved with running several businesses, most of which had something to do with the lumber or logging industry. "We are in the forest products business. We own and manage a large land base used to grow trees and for many years we operated a large pine saw mill, too." In 2001 Robert began experiencing a number of relapses related to MS and those relapses continued to create additional physical disabilities. At that time his doctor told him that a lot of his health problems had to do with stress and the excessive stress seemed to be triggering the relapses. "He told me to make some decisions about reducing the stress in my life. The first thing I did was make a plan to liquidate the saw mill. By that time my physical disability had become evident and I knew it was time to tell my family and friends that I had MS." After that announcement, Robert began a rigorous program of drug therapy and physical therapy. Today he says that he has actually moved back down the disability status scale. He also says that the drug therapy and physical therapy are only part of the story, the rest is his drag racing. "It's hard to explain, in fact the doctors can't even figure it out, but every time I race I return home feeling and looking better than I did before leaving for the race. The doctors tell me that drag racing is one of the best therapies I have." And that's a good thing because Robert loves drag racing.

If you look at Robert Burgin when he's at the race track you normally wouldn't have any indication that he has been afflicted with a disease for which there is no known cure. "If you caught me at the end of the day you may notice that I walk with a little limp but that's because this disease attacks the protective covering around the spinal cord and in some cases, the brain, causing the electrical signal to get lost between the brain and other body parts. Fatigue and heat can compound the problem, too. But really, other than that, you would have no outward clue that I was sick." You may, however, begin to see that something is different about Robert if you followed his normal routine when he's getting ready to run. "I get in the car in the pits so I can stay seated and not have to walk around in the staging lanes. Plus, I have an FM radio in the car so I can hear the announcements and keep up with what the other drivers are doing. I have a two way radio in the car so I can talk to my crew chief, Charles Lackey, and a digital camera that records every run." And you may also notice a "cool suit" that Robert uses in the car and the sponsor on his car, both of which are a little out of the usual. "A company called Fresh Air Systems Technologies has built this cool suit for us. It's used in a lot of forms of racing, but not much in drag racing," Robert said. "It works so well that I could sit in my car with the windows up on a ninety degree day and not even break a sweat. It really is great, especially for someone in my condition." The sponsor on his car is not the normal automotive related sponsor, either. Avonex, the drug that Robert takes to control his MS, is made by a company called Biogen Idec. This is not only an unusual sponsor it's a very unusual sponsor relationship. "I had taken the drug for about eighteen months and had experienced results good enough to allow me to return to racing. The company learned about my racing and asked if I would speak to other patients about my experiences with Avonex. The message has been very popular at patient conferences and now I travel all over the country speaking about my experiences as an MS patient and a drag racer. We use video from on board cameras during the program with footage from our own cameras and some footage supplied by Broadcast Sports and ESPN. The patients feel like they're actually taking a ride in my car, complete with wheel stands and enhanced by four channel surround sound audio." Robert has become so passionate when talking about his racing experiences that one of the company's representatives told him that he should become a Baptist minister. "The only thing wrong with that is that I'm a Methodist," Robert said with a smile.

As he prepares for this week's race in Atlanta, Robert is mindful of the many obstacles that he faces in an effort to win a national event. Still, like so many others who have come face to face with a life threatening situation, he approaches the task head on. "I spoke with Jack Beckman, a very talented racer who has battled cancer in the past year. Jack was my instructor at the Frank Hawley School and we've become pretty good friends. Jack and I both have the same thoughts about our medical conditions, and that is, that the mental and emotional aspect of what we're going through is so important. You can't let this thing beat you." Robert also takes that approach to his racing. When his brother-in-law passed away at a very early age, Robert decided to try his hand at drag racing. "Richard was in great shape, worked as an airline pilot and was a former top gun in his squadron in the Air Force. It was a real wake up call when we lost him at the age of thirty-seven," he said. "I decided right then that I didn't want to die without doing what I had dreamed about all my life and that was to go drag racing." Right after that Robert called famed race car builder, Mike Pustelny. He told Mike that he wanted to buy a car and compete in Super Stock eliminator. "Mike was so helpful, he taught me a million things over the three years that we raced together as a team and we're still great friends. We carry Mike's MPR Race Cars logo on our car, uniforms, fire suit and awning. He has our new Cobalt under construction at his shop right now and I can't wait until it gets finished." While he's waiting for his latest ride, Robert will compete in GT/CA with his trusty 2002 Pontiac Firebird, a car that was also built by Mike Pustelny and a car that he has raced for several years. After the Atlanta race he'll race at the divisional race at South Georgia Motorsports Park (which he won last year) and then at the national event in Englishtown, New Jersey. "On the way to Englishtown we will make some presentations for our sponsor in Baltimore and at several locations in New York City. They'll keep me pretty busy." Then later in the year he plans to race at Indy, Columbus and Chicago then head west for more racing and more speaking engagements. He hopes to be able to finish the season by competing at the Division 7 race in Las Vegas and the final national event in Pomona. "The folks from Avonex want me to take my message to other parts of the country. They seem to be very pleased with our presentations and I thoroughly enjoy doing them. The MS patients who attend the programs have a lot of fun and they get to experience drag racing from the driver's seat. We try to show them that they can still lead a productive life even with a chronic illness."

Charles Lackey adjust the carburetor.

As Robert Burgin continues to run his business, race his car and share time with his wife and daughter, Sarah, he knows that he is one of the lucky ones. "My family has been very supportive of my racing and all the travel it requires. They can see that racing is a huge benefit for me both mentally and physically. There is no cure for this disease so I have to make the best of the situation." He admits that Bill Holt, the division director in his home division, knows all about his condition and monitors it all the time. "We have a good relationship and he knows that I'll always be honest with him about my health. That means that I would never get in the car if I had even the slightest doubt about my ability to handle it," he said. For a guy who was soon to be wheelchair bound just a few years ago, Robert has made remarkable progress and he is a true credit to our sport, his family and his sponsors. It's no secret any more that Robert Burgin is one of the more courageous people in our sport and to watch him race truly is an inspiration to all of us.

To read more about Robert and his speaking engagements or to learn more about MS go to http://www.msactivesource.com. Then click on the "community events" and "celebrity corner."

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