Few other racers can rival comeback ability of Brewer

Bob Brewer hasn't enjoyed the type of showing at Rocky Mountain Raceways this summer he anticipated having as a defending champion.

Brewer, a racer in RMR's Ford Focus Midget Class and a co-host of a weekly racing show on 1320 KFNZ, is third in the overall points standings and has put together several top five finishes. But earning a victory or two has become more of a chore than he expected. Brewer did not even finish a couple of early races after part failures.

"Some years you have good years and some years you can't buy luck," Brewer said.

He may not be at his favored position in the points race, but few competitors rival Brewer's comeback ability.

Only a few months ago, Brewer looked poised to miss the racing season after suffering a serious car accident near Wichita, Kan., in January.

Brewer was transporting his race car when a vehicle behind him tried to change lanes at the same time. The other car slammed into the back end of the trailer and spun it and his truck down an icy embankment. Both the driver's side door and roof of the truck caved in from the force of impact.

Brewer's injuries were substantial. He shattered his left forearm and needed plates inserted on top and underneath it. His left shoulder was shattered in two places. Brewer also broke vertebrae in three places and fractured some ribs.

It took two days before doctors could stabilize him enough to operate on his arm. Between the pain and the heavy dose of morphine running through his system, Brewer grew alarmed at the idea of having plates bolted to the jumble of bones.

"To a racer, a bolt means it's got a head and it's got a nut," Brewer said. "I was kind of out of it, so I had this mental picture of looking like Frankenstein."

His doctors encouraged Brewer to miss the racing season, so he could fully heal. But as a defending champion, he did not consider sitting out a viable option.

Few of Brewer's fellow racers and car owners felt surprised to see him return to the oval at RMR so soon.

"He has an honest passion and desire for racing," said Dave Gunn, a close friend who owns cars which race in the sprint and midget classes at RMR. "It runs very deep in his blood and he just has a good competitive nature about him."

Brewer's background as a fighter pilot has fueled some of his love of racing. He spent 3 1/2 years in the Air Force Reserves and another eight years in active duty. When he finished his service, Brewer held the rank of captain and had logged over 2,200 hours of flight time.

It prepared him well to pursue his interest in auto racing.

"Obviously, flying a fighter and doing the race car — they take a lot of the same skills," Brewer said."A lot of hand/eye coordination. A lot of training. A lot of preparation."

Brewer's current challenge is keeping up with a slew of younger racers who joined the midget field this summer. As the rookies have acquired seat time, they have proven to be formidable competition.

"They're younger, have quicker reflexes and know no fear," Brewer said. "When you get to be my age, you know how bad the wall is going to hurt."

If it comes to crashes, though, Brewer already knows a thing or two about keeping them from stopping him.