Second-Place Finish A Win For Kyle Armstrong After Off-Track Car Accident
Column By: RYAN HILL / RPW – NEW MILFORD, CT – Racers will often go without to race, they will skip paying bills that probably should be payed to buy the right rear tire they need for Saturday night. Racing is often the priority in a racers family. Sitting out a week is a fear many racers don’t want to face.
On July 15th Lebanon Valley Speedway Big Block Modified driver Kyle Armstrong was in a head on collision that would find the Newtown Pools 11A Teo Pro Car sidelined for the week. Kyle was able to rebound with a second place finish this past Saturday, and I spoke with Kyle about the accident and the following 2nd place finish.
Kyle was driving home after work on Friday and running errands, when about a half-mile from his house a young driver came flying around the turn, and lost control.
“He slid two tires off the road and when he came back on the road he came across his lane hitting me head on” Armstrong said. “It all happened so fast, all I had time to do was get on the breaks and go over as far as I could.”
After the cars collided Kyle was dazed, and when he went to call the police he was very dazed and confused. At first he was having trouble even working his phone for the first minute or two following the collision.
“Once the ambulance and police arrived they decided to transport me to the hospital to get my head checked out due to the large lumps and bruises on my head. “
While at the hospital Kyle would undergo chest X-Rays and a CT scan, but beyond a broken nose, black eye and air bag burns on his head there were not any major issues. “Thankfully my wife Heather and my son Kaleb were not in the car” Armstrong added.
The next day was race day for the 11A team, and they headed to Lebanon Valley as always. By the time they arrived at the track the decision had been made, they were going to take the night off.
“Sitting out is not what I would ever want to do, racing on Saturday’s is what I look forward to, but it was the best decision. I was having back and neck pain, and the impact from the air bag left me having a lot of pain moving my eye. I was having some trouble remembering certain things; I’m assuming it was a concussion.”
While the team was preparing the car to start and park for the night they learned of a rule that could have had them pit, switch drivers and the driver starting the race could receive the points of where the relief driver had finished. The 11A team asked sportsman driver Jeff Watson if he would fill in for Kyle in the event the rule would stand.
“Jeff was happy to fill in, so I took the green, and there happened to be a caution right away so I pulled in and we got Jeff in the car before they went green again, but the track did not allow it, and after talking to DIRT multiple times it seems like it was a rule, but a rule that had been left out of the rule book accidentally.”
This past Saturday Kyle was excited to get back in his race car after being rained out twice, as well as the week off to recoup from the car accident.
“My neck and back are still bothering me from time to time, but it felt great to get back in the car. The night started off with the team feeling like they were a little too tight, Kyle made a shock and tire change and they were ready to go for the feature.
“The car was much better in the feature” Kyle said. “We were behind Mike Keeler for a while and we were both running the same line. I could stick with Mike but couldn’t really do anything. I tried a lower line and ended up having a good side by side battle with him for a few laps, before finally making it by him.”
As the laps wore down with Kyle leading the ground pounders around the valley of speed he knew that there would always be someone fast coming and was hoping the yellow flag wouldn’t be thrown re racking the field.
“Even without any cautions, Keith Flach ran us down, and got around us on the high side. Keith has been very strong this year, and in the last few weeks he has had the 43 car on rails on the high side. Of course we would have loved to get a win but with all that has happened in the last few weeks a second place finish felt great. We just need to keep digging and working to get faster.”
Kyle looks forward to trying to fight his way up in the Lebanon Valley point’s chase, as well really wanting to get a win this year.
