By Scott Daloisio
(Yucca Valley, CA, July 14, 2024) Veteran Southern California sprint car driver Jeff Dyer is currently in the hospital waiting for surgery after a crash in Saturday’s Avanti Windows and Doors USAC/CRA Series main event at Perris Auto Speedway. The popular driver suffered a broken right humorous bone in the grinding pile-up that occurred on lap 25 of the main event. In addition to the broken bone, he also suffered a concussion and will be confined to the hospital for a week.
The incident happened when another driver’s steering box malfunctioned, and his car pounded the turn one crash wall. When he came off the wall, the driver began to flip down the track. Dyer, with nowhere to go, got clobbered by the flipping car, and they hit cage to cage.
“I just saw him jumping the cushion in turn one,” Dyer said from his bed at the Riverside University Hospital. “I tried to turn down, but he started to flip. I do not remember anything after that. When I hit him, we hit cage to cage. Our cage got pushed in pretty good. We think that is when I broke my arm as my seat got hit really hard. When that happened, it knocked me out and it knocked the wind out of me. We think my foot stayed on the throttle.”
What happened next was something Dyer is probably glad he cannot remember. His 900-horsepower car blasted head-on into the turn-two crash wall and then into one of the track’s sponsor billboards before tumbling back down to earth. Safety crews were on the scene in a flash, and he quickly regained consciousness. He remembers the safety crew telling him to “shut the fuel off.” At that point, he did not realize he was hurt until he tried to get out of the car, and his “arm was not working.” He then remained in the car for quite some time as the EMTs wanted to ensure his arm was stabilized before they removed him for the trip to the hospital.
“I did not even know that happened until someone told me,” he said when reminded he clobbered the crashwall and the billboard. “I just thought I hit Logan and came to a stop. I did not know all of that other $#@? happened until afterward.”
Dyer, a Yucca Valley, California resident, is resting kind of uncomfortably as he waits for Monday’s surgery.
“I am pretty sore,” he said. “Of course my arm hurts really bad. It was a clean break all the way through. So they are going to put some rods and pins in it and put me back together like Humpty Dumpty.”
Another injury in the crash is the car. Dyer’s teenage racing son Seth reported that he thinks the car is junk. However, the engine is fine, as it did not get over-revved in the crash.
There has been a big outpouring of best wishes and prayers for Dyer on the Internet, and he appreciates that.
“That is really cool, man,” he said from the hospital. “I appreciate that and thank them very much. I heard a lot of people came down to the pit afterward and helped everyone load everything up. So, that was pretty cool, too. Thanks to those people as well.”
While his arm is broken and needs fixing, one thing that has remained intact is Dyer’s tremendous sense of humor.
“I am glad I could make the 9.8 scale,” he laughed when told that’s what judges would have scored the crash. “That is nice. As long as I entertained, that is what we are there to do.”
In 2024, the following marketing partners will help keep the Dyers on track. Dependable Machine Inc., Haircuts By Susie, Jobu Racing, LBA Investigations, Straight Time Stirrups, Justice Brothers, Fonseca Racing, Specialty Fasteners, and Blud Racing Lubricants. If you would like to be a part of Dyer Motorsports in 2024, call (760) 550-7237 or send an email to mailto:dyermotorsports4@gmail.com.
Jeff is racing in memory of his grandparents, Glenn, and Beverly Sels, throughout the 2024 season.