Spinal Cord Injured Racecar Driver competes in SCCA’s National Championship
Jackson Heights, NY––United Spinal Association member, Bill Tucker, from Blue Springs Missouri, will be competing in the Sports Car Club of America’s 2006 National Championship Runoffs® on October 14 at Heartland Park in Topeka, Kansas. October is Disability Awareness Month and Tucker is actively raising understanding and awareness about spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D) by displaying United Spinal’s Motorsports emblem on his racecar.
Tucker, who sustained a spinal cord injury and subsequent paraplegia after falling from a ladder in 1995, will be racing his 1986 Chevrolet Camaro in the American Sedan Class this Saturday at 3:20 pm, Central Standard Time. “The first time I was strapped into a harness and drove around the raceway I felt free,” said Tucker. “I didn’t have to hold myself up. For the first time since I was injured, I felt like I had the use of my abdominal muscles. It was by far one of the most fun experiences I have had since well before I got hurt, and I never expected to ever have that much fun again.”
Tucker, who is a member of United Spinal Association’s Motorsports Team added, “Racing is great mental therapy. It’s been a Godsend to me to be involved in this sport and getting the word out there to other people with disabilities, who might not otherwise even consider racing as a sport they can get involved in, is important. Being able to watch someone with a disability on TV racing around a track would trigger a level of curiosity in people that would make them want to get involved.”
More than 700 drivers are expected to compete in the SCCA 2006 National Championship Runoffs, which marks the culmination of SCCA’s racing season. The annual event, which is commonly referred to as “the Super Bowl of amateur road racing,” draws thousands of drivers, spectators, and sponsors from across the country.
Bill Tucker and representatives of United Spinal will be available at the Sports Car Club of America booth at 12 noon on October 14th. SCCA is an official United Spinal Association Motorsports Partner. To learn more about United Spinal Association’s Motorsports Program, please email motorsports@unitedspinal.org or visit www.unitedspinal.org.