BOB FELMLEE LOOKS TO FUTURE SUCCESS
by Brian Spaid

May 4, 2007

   For the last couple of years, Super Sprint star Bob Felmlee was under intense scrutiny. In 1999, his racing career ended with a broken neck following a vicious crash at Tri-City Speedway. The Franklin driver was on the sprint car sidelines until 2005, when he decided to climb back behind the wheel.

   By the end of 2006, Felmlee was back to his winning ways. He collected six feature wins and the track title at Tri-City. He added three feature wins and the track title at Mercer Raceway Park. He even collected his first-ever win at Sharon Speedway.

   Yes, indeed, Felmlee came back. Now, it’s time to stop talking about his recovery and to start thinking about future success.

   “I want to be measured by the success of my career, not my accident,” said Felmlee. “If I came back and didn’t do well, I’d be disappointed. I’m so thrilled with all of the fan support, and with my entire race team. It couldn’t have turned out better.”

   When he was first injured, Felmlee was told he could never race again, and he promptly retired. The owner of World of Wheels in Seneca went motocross racing for a period of time. In the interim, the death of NASCAR Nextel Cup star Dale Earnhardt in 2001 changed the racing world forever. More safety innovations were developed that transcended to sprint car racing.

   “When I left the sport, I didn’t have all of the additional safety equipment we have today,” recalled Felmlee. “Now, I have a specially designed seat and head and neck restraints. These innovations made it possible for a guy like me with my injuries to get back into sprint car racing.”

   Despite the safeguards, compared to the height of his pre-injury career, Felmlee, 45, sees himself as a different driver.

   “I was way more aggressive back then. My driving style and demeanor are different. I don’t take as many chances as I used to. I want to make a calculated pass, rather than a bonsai move. I’m not scared. I think I’ve just matured as a driver.”

   That maturity bred success and has made Felmlee a more prolific force on the race track than he was before.  Already in 2007, he has wins at Sharon and Lernerville Speedway. Last Sunday at Tri-City’s opener, a broken front wheel hub, engine woes and tire issues hampered Felmlee’s chances. He still wound up third behind race winner Rod George and Todd Bauer of Clarion.

   “I get disappointed when we have a bad night and don’t win. I think we’ve done well so far. We’re competitive with the fast guys like Ed Lynch Jr. and George. Some of these other guys are getting just as fast too.”

   This season, joining a number of other tracks around the nation in an effort to reduce costs for sprint car teams, local speedways like Tri-City have adopted a uniform tire rule that requires racers to utilize a right rear Hoosier tire. Felmlee sees it as a step in the right direction.

   “Our class is hurting,” said Felmlee about the Super Sprints. “I want to race against 20 to 25 guys each night, not nine or ten. The costs of racing increase, but the purses cannot keep up. We have to look somewhere to cut costs. I’ve raced the new tire this season. It didn’t run well on Sunday night, but I want to get a jump start on the other teams to learn how it works before it’s mandated, which starts this week.”

   This season, Felmlee will race primarily at Tri-City. He will also spend the majority of his time at Sharon on Saturday nights with occasional visits to Mercer. It will be hit and miss at Lernerville due to his work commitments.

   “We don’t intend to race for point titles this season,” noted Femlee. “You really don’t start out that way, but if you win and get consistent finishes, then you start to chase points. To be honest, I’ve got rooms reserved for the Knoxville Nationals in Iowa in August. I’d really like to get back there.”

   Perhaps the most enjoyable thing about his return to sprint cars is Felmlee’s son, Robert. He was too young to remember his father’s crash. Growing up around motocross, racing has always been part of Robert’s life. When Felmlee won his first race at Tri-City in 2005, six years after his injury, the crowd was crying and cheering at the same time. Robert was smiling from ear to ear. A son finally saw his dad in victory lane at Tri-City.

   That night, Felmlee took a victory lap speeding his car past the scene of his accident by the third turn wall in an obvious statement to the racing world that he had conquered the track that nearly took his life.

   “I’ve been dreaming about this for six years,” said Felmlee, after stepping from his car in victory lane with tears in his eyes to a standing ovation and hugs from family and friends. “I got what I wanted. We beat this track. I’m home.”

   Indeed he is. The past is a chapter now ended. It’s time to look to the future for more success in a great career. For Bob Felmlee, the future is now.

   Sponsors on the side of Felmlee’s Maxim No. 6 include his business, World of Wheels in Seneca, Pennewell Sanblasting & Painting in Oil City, Fox’s Pizza Den in Franklin, Hager Paving in Oil City, Vinyl Graphics Unlimited in Shippenville, and Lutz Auto Body in Cranberry. In addition, Felmlee maintains product sponsorships and endorsements with AGIP Oils, Pro Shocks and Hoosier Tires. The engine in Felmlee’s car in built my master engine craftsman, Charlie Fisher of Fisher Engines near Columbus, Ohio.