Recovering from bad accident, Thorson eager to return to racing
Photo by Dave Olson
Tanner Thorson faces a long road back to racing.
While the path might be daunting to some, the 22-year-old Minden, Nevada, racer feels grateful to be alive.
On the way home to California from the World of Outlaws and NASCAR races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Thorson, 22, was involved in a multi-car wreck on State Route 99 in Modesto on March 4. He escaped through the sunroof of the pickup truck he was driving just moments before the vehicle was engulfed in flames.
“We were running with the World of Outlaws, and then I stayed to watch the NASCAR race,” Thorson told RacinBoys.com. “I was on my way home, it was about an eight-hour drive. I was trekking along, trying to get to Sacramento by 8:30 and then go to Redwood, California, to run the go-kart test.
“I was driving through Modesto and the traffic started to slow down. A milk truck actually dodged in front of me. By the time he got in front of me, everyone behind was locking the brakes up. There was really no time to slow down. Got in a wreck, and I’m just lucky to be here.”
Although some reports indicated Thorson was drowsy prior to the early morning accident, the driver insists that had he fallen asleep behind the wheel he wouldn't have been able to extract himself in time, as quickly as the truck went up in flames.
“I was conscious the whole time,” Thorson said. “I remember everything from getting out, walking away, going to the ambulance and going to the hospital. If I had fallen asleep, I don’t think I would be here.”
Thorson was transported to Sutter Health Memorial Medical Center where he was treated for a broken right foot, left arm and ribs, a punctured lung and cracked sternum. He was released on March 10th.
“They knew my arm was broke. They knew something was wrong with my foot. I think they could tell something was wrong with my lungs due to the shortness of breath. I finally got a CT Scan and found out that my arm was broke. I lost a little bit of the muscle in my left arm from the muscle sticking out from the break of the arm and getting dirty when I was getting out of the truck.
“They actually had to remove a little bit of muscle from my arm and then ended up plating my arm and then they put rods and plates in my foot to reconstruct my foot. I punctured both lungs and had one lung that was collapsed. I had a chest tube in my lung and they wanted me to stay close for about two weeks at the same elevation so I wouldn’t need to get another chest tube.”
Thorson is still at least a month away from starting his rehab work. But he's 22 and in relatively good health, and his doctors expect a quick recovery for the 2016 USAC Midget Champion.
“They said the healthier you are, the faster your bones are going to grow,” Thorson said. “I think that’s the big thing that’s helped me get better is just being healthy and fit. Being a race car driver, you’re more fit than a lot of people out there. I think that’s helping with the process of getting better.
“The doctor has me on a lot of vitamins. My doctor is vitamin freak, so that’s helped me as well.”
Last year, Thorson competed in 11 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series races with Young Motorsports last season. The rookie’s best run was 13th at Iowa Speedway. He currently drives the No. 3 Tri-C Machine midget for Clyde Lamar with crew chief Lee Lindgren. His last start was with the Outlaws at the Las Vegas Dirt Track.
Being on the sidelines has afforded Thorson quality time with his family out west. For the last six years, he’s lived in Indiana and traveled around the country running in open-wheel series and stock cars.
“I’m enjoy living back here, catching up,” Thorson said. “Obviously, they have to take care of me—as much as they can. Just kind of hanging around. Got to meet some friends from high school. It’s been good—and relaxing—keeping my mind off this stuff. But in the end, it’s kind of irritating.”
For a hands-on racer such as Thorson, that's understandable. Watching movies and playing Xbox can only entertain someone with his energy for so long. Dirtvision and other racing networks have kept him up to speed on his peers but it’s certainly no substitute for being behind the wheel.
“I’ve watched every single race they’ve had,” Thorson said. “It’s nice to have those connections and ways to watch racing, but it also sucks knowing I should be there. I should be racing. I watched the POWRi races from Oklahoma and it killed me not being there.
“But right now, my health is everything. I have a knee scooter. I have one arm and one leg and so I kind of make it work…I’m kind of waiting to find out where my Dad has been hiding the keys so I can get out and get by myself a little bit. But it’s been good. My family, my friends, I have a great support group behind me that have helped me get through this a lot easier. It’s not easy for me. I’ve done nothing else but worked on race cars and raced.”
The outpouring of support has been mind-blowing to Thorson. He’s been overwhelmed by the number of people who have reached out to him since the accident.
“The motorsports world—the racing world in general—is the best family you can have,” Thorson said. “It’s been unreal the amount of support I have seen, even from people in the racing world that post something or tweet well wishes. That’s a big thing in this racing world that helps people like me and people who have been hurt and are trying to get better come back.
“I’ll be back. There’s no two ways about that. I’m going to come back even harder. I have a fire underneath my butt right now that’s trying to get me up right now. Time will tell, and it will be better.”
For now, Thorson has August 1 circled on the calendar. He would love to return in a truck for the Eldora Dirt Derby at the Big E. Although he had a conflict last year, Thorson would like also like to race the 2019 BC39 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sept. 4-5.
“I don’t know if anyone can push me more than myself,” Thorson said. “This is probably pushing a little too much, but I told my doctors and everybody I have to race. This is how I make my living. But I’m looking at trying to get back for August, the Eldora truck race. I want to make that my comeback race. That’s the race I’m shooting for. If it happens before then, that’s great. If it happens a little bit after that, I’ll understand.
“Obviously, my health is a lot more important than getting back in a race car and getting hurt again. I have to make sure I’m 100 percent again before I can get back in the car.”
Tanner Thorson faces a long road back to racing.
While the path might be daunting to some, the 22-year-old Minden, Nevada, racer feels grateful to be alive.
On the way home to California from the World of Outlaws and NASCAR races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Thorson, 22, was involved in a multi-car wreck on State Route 99 in Modesto on March 4. He escaped through the sunroof of the truck he was driving just moments before the vehicle was engulfed in flames.
“We were running with the World of Outlaws, and then I stayed to watch the NASCAR race,” Thorson told RacinBoys.com. “I was on my way home, it was about an eight-hour drive. I was trekking along, trying to get to Sacramento by 8:30 and then go to Redwood, California, to run the go-kart test.
“I was driving through Modesto and the traffic started to slow down. A milk truck actually dodged in front of me. By the time he got in front of me, everyone behind was locking the brakes up. There was really no time to slow down. Got in a wreck, and I’m just lucky to be here.”
Although some reports indicated Thorson was drowsy prior to the early morning accident, the driver insists that had he fallen asleep behind the wheel he wouldn't have been able to extract himself in time, as quickly as the truck went up in flames.
“I was conscious the whole time,” Thorson said. “I remember everything from getting out, walking away, going to the ambulance and going to the hospital. If I had fallen asleep, I don’t think I would be here.”
Thorson was transported to Sutter Health Memorial Medical Center where he was treated for a broken right foot, left arm and ribs, a punctured lung and cracked sternum. He was released on March 10th.
“They knew my arm was broke. They knew something was wrong with my foot. I think they could tell something was wrong with my lungs due to the shortness of breath. I finally got a CT Scan and found out that my arm was broke. I lost a little bit of the muscle in my left arm from the muscle sticking out from the break of the arm and getting dirty when I was getting out of the truck.
“They actually had to remove a little bit of muscle from my arm and then ended up plating my arm and then they put rods and plates in my foot to reconstruct my foot. I punctured both lungs and had one lung that was collapsed. I had a chest tube in my lung and they wanted me to stay close for about two weeks at the same elevation so I wouldn’t need to get another chest tube.”
Thorson is still at least a month away from starting his rehab work. But he's 22 and in relatively good health, and his doctors expect a quick recovery for the 2016 USAC Midget Champion.
“They said the healthier you are, the faster your bones are going to grow,” Thorson said. “I think that’s the big thing that’s helped me get better is just being healthy and fit. Being a race car driver, you’re more fit than a lot of people out there. I think that’s helping with the process of getting better.
“The doctor has me on a lot of vitamins. My doctor is vitamin freak, so that’s helped me as well.”
Last year, Thorson competed in 11 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series races with Young Motorsports last season. The rookie’s best run was 13th at Iowa Speedway. He currently drives the No. 3 Tri-C Machine midget for Clyde Lamar with crew chief Lee Lindgren. His last start was with the Outlaws at the Las Vegas Dirt Track.
Being on the sidelines has afforded Thorson quality time with his family out west. For the last six years, he’s lived in Indiana and traveled around the country running in open-wheel series and stock cars.
“I’m enjoy living back here, catching up,” Thorson said. “Obviously, they have to take care of me—as much as they can. Just kind of hanging around. Got to meet some friends from high school. It’s been good—and relaxing—keeping my mind off this stuff. But in the end, it’s kind of irritating.”
For a hands-on racer such as Thorson, that's understandable. Watching movies and playing Xbox can only entertain someone with his energy for so long. Dirtvision and other racing networks have kept him up to speed on his peers but it’s certainly no substitute for being behind the wheel.
“I’ve watched every single race they’ve had,” Thorson said. “It’s nice to have those connections and ways to watch racing, but it also sucks knowing I should be there. I should be racing. I watched the POWRi races from Oklahoma and it killed me not being there.
“But right now, my health is everything. I have a knee scooter. I have one arm and one leg and so I kind of make it work…I’m kind of waiting to find out where my Dad has been hiding the keys so I can get out and get by myself a little bit. But it’s been good. My family, my friends, I have a great support group behind me that have helped me get through this a lot easier. It’s not easy for me. I’ve done nothing else but worked on race cars and raced.”
The outpouring of support has been mind-blowing to Thorson. He’s been overwhelmed by the number of people who have reached out to him since the accident.
“The motorsports world—the racing world in general—is the best family you can have,” Thorson said. “It’s been unreal the amount of support I have seen, even from people in the racing world that post something or tweet well wishes. That’s a big thing in this racing world that helps people like me and people who have been hurt and are trying to get better come back.
“I’ll be back. There’s no two ways about that. I’m going to come back even harder. I have a fire underneath my butt right now that’s trying to get me up right now. Time will tell, and it will be better.”
For now, Thorson has August 1 circled on the calendar. He would love to return in a truck for the Eldora Dirt Derby at the Big E. Although he had a conflict last year, Thorson would like also like to race the 2019 BC39 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sept. 4-5.
“I don’t know if anyone can push me more than myself,” Thorson said. “This is probably pushing a little too much, but I told my doctors and everybody I have to race. This is how I make my living. But I’m looking at trying to get back for August, the Eldora truck race. I want to make that my comeback race. That’s the race I’m shooting for. If it happens before then, that’s great. If it happens a little bit after that, I’ll understand.
“Obviously, my health is a lot more important than getting back in a race car and getting hurt again. I have to make sure I’m 100 percent again before I can get back in the car.”
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