The Most Battered Driver Award: RECKONING’S “SPEEDY” STEVE VOLLBRECHT
Matt Wilson’s mother might have an issue with this recipient of this award, but Reckoning’s “Speedy” Steve Vollbrecht (unfortunately) truly earned it.
As most people remember, Wilson was sawed out of his car and carted off to the hospital in the middle of the Damage Inc. vs. Orange Crush race Third Night. However, while Wilson was sore for the next couple of days, he was out of the hospital in a matter of a few hours. It would seem tough to beat this, but Vollbrecht was (unfortunately) up for the challenge.
First Night, Vollbrecht was obliterated by Bad Company’s Kyle Shearer as he crossed the finish line.
Third Night, Vollbrecht was driver’s doored by his own teammate, Steve Gursky Jr. and then, almost instantaneously smacked on the passenger side by Mean Green Machines’ Ryan Decker. In the span of five seconds, Vollbrecht’s car when from being 58 inches wide to 21 inches wide. And he was smushed in the middle. “I was trying to raise my hands to have them stop the race,” Vollbrecht relates, “But I couldn’t get my arms up above my head.”
Vollbrecht was so shaken up after that hit that he was forced to sit out Reckoning’s next race against Stranglehold in the finals.
At this point, you might be thinking, “This doesn’t seem thaaaaaaaaaat bad.”
But that’s because I haven’t gotten to Vollbrecht’s Fourth Night. That’s where he fractured a vertebrae, lascerated his kidney, had internal bleeding, ended up spending a couple of days in the hospital and, to add insult to many injuries, got into an argument with his attending physician about why he would race demos in a car that wasn’t equipped with a roll cage.
In spite of this all, Vollbrecht was at the track and racing again Fifth Night, fractured vertebrae be damned.