Wed, 30 Oct 2002, 12:53 PM Team Summit Racer John Lingenfelter Hospitalized Following Crash

Courtesy of Jennifer Hanna, Summit Racing Equipment Photo copyright 2002 BME Photography

TALLMADGE, Ohio --

John Lingenfelter

During the NHRA Summit Sport Compact World Finals in Pomona, CA, on Sunday, October 27, Team Summit racer John Lingenfelter lost control of his Pro class Chevy Cavalier.

The Cavalier got away from John at mid-track and took a hard right into the wall. It is Summit Racing Equipment’s understanding that the impact knocked John unconscious, because the car was still under power through the shutdown area and jumped the wall before coming to a stop upside down.

Safety personnel arrived on the scene and quickly removed John from the Cavalier. He was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment—he suffered injuries to his head, neck, and lung. Currently, John is in critical condition. The doctors have stabilized him and will perform surgery on his broken vertebrae.

The surgery, originally scheduled to last four hours, only required two and half-hour for doctors to fuse the vertebrae broken at the C-7 level.

"John's still sedated, but he's moving all of his limbs, he's opened his eyes, and he's ready to wake up as soon as he comes out of sedation," said team spokesperson Brent Malone. "The doctors were pleased with the way the operation went; they didn't find any surprises and there were no complications. Everything's normal - his breathing, his heart rate. We're looking at a real speedy recovery. It all looks really good. His condition is stable, but improving by the minute."

“On behalf of Summit Racing Equipment, I would like to thank the paramedics and track staff who responded to John’s needs on site” said Skooter Peaco, Motorsports Manager. “They made the best of a very bad situation and fortunately were able to get John the quick medical attention he needed.”

Summit Racing Equipment is closely monitoring John’s condition. An update was received Monday evening, and John has shown some signs of improvement since then—his blood pressure is getting back to normal, his collapsed lung is recovering, and he has shown some signs of movement in his fingers and toes. Updates will be given as soon as information is received—do not contact the hospital or John’s engine shop for more information.

John is in the thoughts and prayers of many people, and Summit Racing wishes him a safe and fast recovery. “John is part of our family and his accident is deeply saddening.” Peaco says. “We would like to thank John’s fellow racers, who have shown tremendous support for him, his wife Cindy, and his entire family.”

There are differing reports of the accident posted on various web sites, and in an effort to correct misconstrued information Summit Racing Equipment has offered these details. Please be advised that more information will be released as it is received.