Scott Douglas Injures Leg in Practice – Chad Hord Gets Behind the Wheel

El Cajon, CA (September 16, 2008) – After a horrific, end over end practice crash, Chad Hord got behind the wheel of the team’s backup truck, looking to garner as many points as possible for the #7 AMSOIL Kumho Tire Sycuan Casino Ford F-150. Coming into this weekend of racing, Scott Douglas had a nine point lead in the PRO-4 championship chase.

Friday afternoon, during a practice session for CORR Rounds 11 and 12, Scott Douglas went end over end as he drove over the start finish line table top jump. The ensuing incident left Scott Douglas with a trip to the hospital, and a totaled race truck.

The injury sustained to his left leg, will prevent Scott from racing this weekend. Chad Hord, champion PRO-Lite driver, was tabbed to fill the seat, in the Douglas Motorsports back-up race truck, for the weekend events in Chula Vista.

After the doctors examined Scott’s left leg, they found a broken tibia, fibula, and ankle, as well as a dislocated knee.

Quickly, Douglas Motorsports went to work prepping the backup truck for Saturday. Later in the evening, Bill Smith and Jason Schampers went looking to find a competent driver that would go out and take care of the equipment without trying to prove something. Chad Hord was the ideal candidate.

Chad Hord agreed to get in the AMSOIL Kumho Tire Sycuan Casino Ford F-150 backup truck. The crew put the final touches on the truck as Chad took the time to familiarize himself with the cockpit of the Pro-Fab built machine.

Saturday morning, Scott was back at the track, watching his team, and talked about the incident.

“On our off time, Bill Smith tried some new suspension changes, with our Fox Shox that really worked. We went out in practice, with a damp track and the Kumho Tires really hooked up. My confidence with the truck was at an all time high. On that lap we came through the quads, cleanly cleared the triple, and headed for the table top. For that brief moment I felt invincible, but then I found out that I wasn’t.”
 

After a discussion that CORR officials had with the rest of the PRO-4 drivers, Chad Hord was allowed to start both races, one lap down, without having to attempt a driver change on the first lap. (The usual driver change typically takes about one lap’s worth of time.) This will allow Douglas Motorsports to continue its quest for the PRO-4 championship without endangering anyone during the driver change.

The team had the backup truck ready for Saturday morning practice. Chad Hord, had only a few laps to get acquainted with the all wheel drive, 900 horsepower AMSOIL Kumho Super Truck. Chad got up to speed as best has he could, and was anxious for his first PRO-4 race to begin.

Saturday Round 11
The AMSOIL Kumho Tire Sycuan Casino Ford F-150 started last, in fifteenth position. The race was more like fifteen laps of on the job training than an actual CORR points race. Chad stayed out of trouble and came across the finish line in eleventh place, the first truck one lap down. If it weren’t for the one lap handicap, Chad Hord would have finished in the eighth position.

Sunday Round 12
Sunday morning Chad went out for qualifying, stopping the clocks, tenth fastest out of the fifteen PRO-4 trucks. The AMSOIL Kumho Sycuan Ford still had to start at the tail end of the field due to the one lap handicap instituted by CORR.

Chad Hord climbed back into the #7 AMSOIL Kumho Tire Sycuan Casino Ford F-150 for Round 12 and finished with a repeat performance. The Upper Michigan native stayed out of trouble and crossed the finish in twelfth place the first truck one lap down.

The events of this weekend dropped Scott Douglas out of first place in the standings, but thanks to the great Douglas Motorsports crew, headed by Bill Smith, and the driving of Chad Hord; the team’s championship hopes are still alive.

Scott Douglas went back to the hospital and was preparing for Monday morning surgery. The “08” truck is headed to Bill Smith’s Pro-Fab Motorsports to get the chassis ready for Primm.

Before heading back to the hospital Scott Douglas commented;
 

“I just want to thank Bill Smith and my crew for keeping our race program going this weekend. The crew put in a lot work getting the backup truck ready. Thanks go to Chad Hord for filling in for me in a moments notice. Chad did a great job out on the track. A special thanks goes to Bill Smith for designing a building a very strong chassis. That was the hardest hit I’ve ever taken and the driver’s compartment withstood the impact and really saved me from a serious injury.”
 

Chad Hord looked back on the weekend as well.
 

“Scott took a really hard hit and I was honored when they came over to ask if I could drive their truck. Heck, I had never driven a PRO-4 before, and if Scott and Bill had the confidence in me to do it, I said “you bet.” Bill put together a game plan, got me comfortable in truck, and was a big help on the radio while I was on the track. Thanks to everyone involved getting this weekend put together. I expect to see Scott back behind the wheel in Primm.”
 

Scott Douglas is currently in third place in the 2008 CORR PRO-4 Championship standings.

Chad Hord driving his usual #9 Boss Snowplow AMSOIL Kumho Tire Mazda B-Series PRO-Lite finished third in Round 11 and fifth in Round 12. Currently, Chad Hord is in fifth place in the 2008 CORR PRO-Lite standings.

The next race on the CORR schedule for Douglas Motorsports is October 25-26 in Primm, Nevada.