Local drag racer overcomes serious injury to compete

MUSCLE SHOALS - Tim Owens is a humble man who loves racing and chases his dream on the weekends. That puts him in the same group as many weekend racers across America who run for the love of the sport far from the spotlight of NASCAR, the IRL or NHRA.

Owens has a special story, however, one his co-workers at Performance Torque Converters in Muscle Shoals are quick to share.

"Tim is amazing," said LaGail Ford, wife of PTC owner Kenny Ford, said. "I wish everyone could get to know Tim like we do. His story is incredible."

Owens, 44, of Muscle Shoals, competes on the B&M Series, which is a drag racing touring series sponsored by the National Hot Rod Association - the largest drag racing series in the United States.

Owens has won numerous track championships. He's not sure how many times he's claimed first place in his career.

Actually, Owens isn't even exactly sure how many times he's won this season at Huntsville Dragway.

"I guess I've won about eight," Owens said. "I really don't keep up with it."

Owens competes in the footbrake division, which is what make him exceptional.

When Owens was 18 years old, just months after graduating from Deshler High School, his life changed in the blink of an eye.

Owens ran out of gas on top of a hill in east Florence and pulled his blue 1968 MG off the road.

"It had just happened," Owens said. "I had just pulled over when I saw headlights coming up behind me. I remember thinking, 'Surely that guy sees me.' He didn't."

The driver of the other car was drunk and plowed into the back of Owens car.

Owens said he never lost consciousness, but as he sat in his car waiting for help to arrive, he began to feel a strange sensation.

"I started to realize something was wrong," Owens said. "I felt like I had ants crawling on my chest and on my left side."

Owens was rushed to the hospital, and the news was not good.

Owens had suffered broken vertebrae in his neck, and doctors initially told him he had total damage to his spinal cord.

"They told me I might be able to feed myself one day, but that I would never walk again," Owens said.

Owens was taken to Birmingham, where a fragment of bone was taken from his right hip to fuse the damaged bones in his neck.

"They had already ordered one of those electric wheelchairs for me," Owens said.

Even through his ordeal, Owens never believed the doctor's grim prognosis.

"I told them that I would walk out of there," Owens said. "They told me that wasn't going happen. I know it's the doctors' job to keep people from getting their hopes up and to be realistic, but I knew I would walk again."

Owens remained in Birmingham, undergoing long days of physical therapy. Six months after his injury, Owens returned home for a break from his therapy.

That's when it happened.

"I could wiggle my toes on my left side," Owens said. "I was supposed to be home for two weeks, but they told me to come back immediately and restart my rehabbing."

The work has paid off. Owens indeed

walked again, eight months after his accident.

"There were times I got depressed, but it was my mother (Jelia Owens) who kept me going. I owe her so much."

Owens made steady progress once he regained some feeling in his leg.

"At first I had a walker, and then I went to one of those quadcanes," Owens said. "I got to where I could get around better and better. I started losing canes because I would leave them places. I took that to mean I didn't need one anymore."

As it turns out, Owens did not do complete damage to his spinal cord. He had severely bruised it, and as the trauma healed, he regained some feeling.

Owens now has limited mobility on his left side and walks with a noticeable limp. He wears a brace on his left ankle.

"Most people think I have had a stroke," Owens said. "That's kind of the way I move around.

I can tie my shoes with my left hand, but I can't really work with anything small."

Owens had always enjoyed watching racing. After he began to walk again, he and his friends began going to local drag strips to watch the races.

After his injury, Owens bought a 1975 Camaro.

"It was just stock at the time," Owens said. "My father, Vernon, and my friends helped me work on it. They helped me do things I could not do."

Soon, Owens wasn't just watching the show; he was in the show.

Today, his Camaro is anything but stock. In addition to painting it blue - the same blue of his MG which was totaled in his accident - Owens has made many other modifications over the years.

"It has a 406 Chevy small-stock engine in it with aluminum heads," Owens said. "I just drive it to the track now."

It's my baby, and I'll never part with it. My dad helped me build it, and he passed away in 1987. People have offered to buy it, but I can't part with it."

Owens had never raced prior to his accident, which has served as an advantage to him.

"People ask me if the accident changed the way I race," Owens said. "The way I race now is the only way I know how."

Owens competes in the footbraking division, which means that drivers must manually stop their cars with brakes.

Despite limited use of his left leg, Owens is able to do it - and do it well.

"My friends tell me that I have an advantage - like that kicker that only had half of his foot (Tom Dempsey, who shares the NFL record for the longest field goal, 63 yards) but I don't know about that," Owens said.

Owens has had to work out a system to be able to brake his car, and he has found one that works.

"When the light changes, I kick my leg off the pedal and accelerate," Owens explained. "Then, I have to take my right hand and put it under my leg and put it back on the pedal. My leg is plenty strong pressing down. I just have trouble moving it side-to-side."

One can't argue with results. Owens is currently leading the footbrake point standings, and won the track championship for May, qualifying him for this Saturday's track championship, in which each of the monthly winners compete for the track title.

"I like the way it works," Owens said. "I like having the top eight drivers against each other."

Time trial begin at Huntsville Dragway at 5:30 p.m., with the actual event beginning sometime around 8 p.m.

"Drag racing is not just about speed - it's consistency that matters," Owens said. "My car runs the eighth-mile in about 7.5 seconds, which is about 92 miles per hour. There are some that are faster and some that are slower, but we can usually match our time pretty well."

In addition to this weekend's run at Hunstville, Owens will also be competing in a footbraking all-star event in Memphis later this month.

Owens works as a salesman for PTC, and races one or two nights per week. Despite the lingering effects of his injury, which include aching on his left side, Owens would not change a thing.

"I don't think I would go back and change it," Owens said. "Had it not been for my accident, I wouldn't have met my racing buddies. They call us "The Amigos," and we go from track to track and usually do pretty well."

I think I have adapted."

Matthew Gruber can be reached at 740-5748 or matthew.gruber@timesdaily.com.