Mark awoke on Thursday of the same week to learn of his injuries. He was left with 6 broken ribs on his right side, a punctured lung, a T-11 burst fracture of his vertebrae and a severed spinal cord. He was very lucky to survive this accident. He had lost 3 1/2 pints of blood and was breathing with the help of a tube that was entered into his lungs. The doctors came into the room and informed Mark that he would never walk again. His injury is listed as a T-11 "Complete". This means that he is paralyzed from the waist down.

Mark accepted the fact that he would never walk again, all though not without some difficulty. HOWEVER, Mark did not accept the fact that he would never race again. Mark had worked to become a fairly successful regional dirt track racer in the Great Lakes region of Michigan, Indiana & Ohio. Winning numerous races in the IMCA & UMP modified division during the 90's. Then switching to the Late Model division in 1999 Mark continued to win. But Mark was very proud of the fact that he was not a "One track" racer. He would travel from track to track every weekend and hone his skill. From week to week you may catch him in Michigan or Alabama, or any track in between. Mark has competed at around 112 race tracks thru out the Midwest and the south.

So when Mark was released from the hospital, (six weeks later), he finished his move to Northwest Alabama, (a move that had been planned before his accident). From his shop at his home near Waterloo Alabama, Mark began work on a way to continue to race. With the help of his friend of many years, Dennis Brewer, and after several failed attempts. Mark & Dennis came up with a steering wheel that will allow him to control the throttle, Brake and steering, all without ever lifting a hand from the wheel. The 2009 race season was to be a test & tune for Mark and Dennis. However after about 2 months Mark became very competitive in their new Warrior race chassis.

So that brings us to today. Mark is continuing his pursuit as a dirt late model driver. Dennis is his crew chief, and they are a great team. Mark is the country's FIRST EVER paralyzed Dirt Late Model driver. So keep checking in here at Dowdyracing.com and click on the "News & Updates" button. And find out what is the newest development with Dowdy Racing. We will keep our race results posted their weekly as well as any other interesting stories as they happen...