Ron Fassl figures two more weeks is long enough to wait before getting back behind the wheel after a recent brush with death.
Fassl, a drag racer who suffered a head injury at Bandimere Speedway that left him in critical condition, was released from St. Anthony Central Hospital on Thursday and hopes to be back in his fuel-altered funny car by midmonth.
“It’s just something that I have to do,” said Fassl, 62, of Scottsdale, Ariz.
Although he appeared somewhat groggy and short on words, Fassl said he feels good and counts himself lucky to be able to leave the hospital so soon.
It was a scary scene the night of May 21, when Fassl’s dragster failed to stop after he crossed the finish line as part of Bandimere’s “Night of Fire and Thunder.”
The parachute on his dragster did not deploy after a quarter-mile run in which he set a world record of 5.317 seconds at 286.07 mph in the unsanctioned nitro-burning funny car class.
The car then skidded into several sandy speed traps and catching nets. The Buffalo, N.Y., native hit his head hard on the steering wheel and lost consciousness. He was taken to St. Anthony via helicopter, and put into a drug-induced coma by doctors. He suffered a severe concussion, but no broken bones or internal injuries.
“I really don’t remember anything that happened,” said Fassel, a father of two.
Asked what it was like when he emerged from his coma, Fassl said, “Fuzzy.”
Fassl said accidents like his are “just part of the deal.” He was hospitalized briefly after a 2002 accident and said he has had his fair share of other accidents.
Fassl’s assistant crew chief, Chad Crawford, said the damaged dragster will get a top-to-bottom inspection to learn what went wrong.
“It was a scary deal,” Crawford said. “You go from one extreme high to the most extreme low you could ever experience in your life. We’re just thankful he’s OK. He’s a tough customer.”
Adrian Dater can be reached at 303-820-5454 or adater@denverpost.com.
