Saying time trials didn’t go well for Jeff Huber last Saturday may be an understatement. Instead of competiting to break a track record, he wound up breaking his back, putting him out of commission for 6 to 8 weeks.
The wreck occurred during the SCDRA Northeast race at Winchester Speedway in Virginia.
“I’m still not sure what happened,” Huber, of Langville, Pennsylvania, said. “I went into the corner and started turning, then my car shot up into the wall. I saw the wall coming, so I stood on the brake. My car hit right front first and it was an incredible impact.”
Unbeknownst to Huber, he had fractured his L2 vertebra, located in his lower back.
“The track crew first asked me if I was okay,” Huber said. “I told them I wasn’t, I was hurting. I got out on my own power — the track crew helped me. Instantly, I knew I was hurt pretty badly.”
Huber’s wife, Stephanie, drove him to the hospital in Winchester. There he learned the extent of his injuries. Doctors gave him a prescription to help with the constant pain Huber is experiencing. Thankfully, the pain is the worst of his injuries.
As far as safety equipment, he sat in a Kirkey full-containment seat with an RJS Racing Equipment five-point harness. Huber wore a Zamp helmet paired with a Simpson Hybrid head-and-neck restraint.
“All my safety equipment was in date, installed and worn properly,” Huber said. “I feel the Simpson Hybrid head-and-neck restraint prevented a broken neck and saved my life.”
Huber owns an automotive repair business, where he’s the only employee. His doctors estimated he’ll be out of work for 6 to 8 weeks. While Huber has health insurance, it remains to be seen how much of his medical costs will be covered.
If you’d like to help Jeff Huber, you may do so via Venmo or via Cash App (@shuber90). The SCDRA Northeast will also be taking donations at Selinsgrove Speedway on May 1.
“Will I be back? I hope so,” Huber said. “It’s really up to Stephanie, if she lets me. Right now, she’s still pretty rattled.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
