Jimmy Weller III - Comeback Story (Wrote in 2013)

Three years ago, I had the honor of writing a story about Jimmy Weller III about his journey in racing. He came back from a devastating accident to winning races and even having the opportunity to race with some of the best in the NASCAR Truck Series and more.   I just wanted to take the moment to share this amazing story with everyone again, it's a little outdated now but this is the story that was published in Area Auto Racing News and Point Park News Service. 

Race car driver Jimmy Weller III, was challenging for the lead in a heat at Charlotte’s Dirt Track at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, when his car caught a rut in the race track and crashed into the wall, causing his head to strike a pole, leaving him in a coma for weeks.

Eight years later, Weller has not only regained his heath, but also returned to racing, in a big way, rising to NASCAR Camping World Truck Racing fame, with hopes that he can keep rising in the racing world.

“A lot of hard work, not just on my end but every one around me, has gone into this and its all finally coming together. There is still a long ways to go, but it’s an awesome feeling finally getting to this level. I thank God every morning I wake up for this awesome opportunity,” said Jimmy Weller.

Weller grew up spending every weekend at the racetrack watching his dad, Jim Weller Jr. race.  He would compete in the bike races for the kids on the night of the races. One night after a bike race, his hero – hall of fame racecar driver, Lou Blaney, asked him how it went.  Jimmy proudly told him that he finished second and Lou replied, “you lost.”  Ever since this moment, those words from Lou stuck in Jimmy’s head.

In 2001, when Jimmy was only 15 years old, he jumped in a Big Block Modified, a type of modified stock car, to race. He raced Big Block Modified for 2 and half years and received awards for being Rookie of The Year for Western Pennsylvania for Dirt and for Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa in 2002. 

Weller’s goal in 2002 was to run as well as possible and to be in contention to win Rookie of the Year awards. He’s only a rookie in these cars once so he felt it was an honor to receive the awards over all of the other rookie drivers in the area.

In 2004, Weller started racing Sprint Cars, high-powered racecars that race on dirt oval and circle tracks. He won the points championship for Green Flag Sprint Cars at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio.  He was also voted as the Top 25 under 25 in the country by the Sprint Car and Midget Magazine and was awarded the Milestone Award at Lernerville Speedway for father and son winning features in the same night.

Winning the same night as his father was something that Jimmy had always wanted to do.  It’s something that rarely happens and only a few teams have done that before the Weller team.  Jimmy was also excited about getting notoriety in his rookie year by being in the Sprint Car and Midget Magazine for the Top 25 under 25 drivers.

Weller’s favorite win was when he beat the all-time feature winner at Lernerville Speedway, Ed Lynch Jr., with a couple late race restarts.  He remembers sitting on the racetrack during a caution thinking about how he was going to beat Ed Lynch Jr.  He knew the top groove of the track was going to be the place to run the last couple laps, so if Weller made a mistake he would lose the race.  Weller remembers this win because of beating such a well-known person in the racing world.

On October 13^th, 2004, Weller was racing his first United States Auto Club race at the Dirt Track at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina.  He was racing a non-winged sprint car and was going for the lead in the heat race and caught a rut in the racetrack, which sent him head on into the wall, causing him to flip into the fence 7 times. During one of the initial flips the top of the roll cage on the racecar was ripped off of the car, which protects racers during wrecks, and Weller’s head struck one of the cement poles in the catch fence.

The safety crew spent 45 minutes getting Weller out of the car.  His car was stuck in the fence so two tow trucks were used to lower it down, while a paramedic was holding Weller’s head straight. Weller’s lungs were also pumped while on the track.

Weller was taken by life flight to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. Weller suffered a compressed C1 vertebrae in his neck and three in his back, both lungs were compressed, fractured both cheek bones, and had the worst kind of brain damage, Phase 3, sending him into a coma for 2 weeks.  His estimated time in the hospital was to be at least 6 months but after 7 weeks of being in ICU and rehab, he left the hospital with a screw in his neck, 2 bars and 8 screws in his back.

When he first started talking again in the hospital with all of the wires and tubes attached, he whispered to his mom that he couldn’t stay there because he was to race the next weekend.

“I never wanted to see him in another racecar but after praying and talking with all the different doctors, I have complete confidence that this is God’s will and I am very happy for him,” said Jimmy’s mother, Ronnie Weller.

Weller has some residual affects from his accident in 2004.  His memory was not very good after the accident but has slowly gotten better along with his confidence.  Some of his coordination has been lost. Weller has to visit the gym regularly to keep his back strong to withstand all of the stresses that come along with racing.

Weller always wanted to be in a racecar no matter what, he never had any doubts about getting back in the drivers seat. His father is a very large part in his life with growing up and watching him and learning from him.

“I never had any doubts about him racing again. Of course with your son doing this type of stuff, there is always a concern for his safety but I never doubted whether he could do it or not,” said Jimmy’s father, Jim Weller Jr.

In 2005, Weller decided he wanted to be back in the seat and met with NASCAR and Indy car Doctors that cleared him to race in 2006. Weller started the first half of the year racing Big Block Modified on dirt tracks and then switched to pavement Late Models.

“Having experienced not being able to race for a year and the uncertainty of maybe never getting to do it again, it makes you appreciate and enjoy everything so much more. It makes the good nights that much better and the bad nights seem not as bad,” said Jimmy Weller.

“With racing, you always know something like that can happen. You just pray it doesn’t, but it happened. It was on my mind the night I practiced again for the first time but when I pulled out onto the track, it all went away,” said Jimmy Weller.

After Weller’s return, he started racing Asphalt Late Models, a type of stock car on pavement. He recorded a win at Lake Erie Speedway in 2007 during his first full season back.  In 2009, Weller moved to North Carolina to race with the P.A.S.S. Late Model South Series, a professional pavement stock car sanction, and ended up making two starts in the NASCAR K&N East Series in 2011.  In 2012, Weller finished 11^thin the overall point standing for the NASCAR K&N East Series and was 3^rd in Rookie of The Year points and recorded 2 Top 10’s. 

“I never want to look back at a race, or anything really, and know I didn’t do my best. I want to be the best driver I can be and the best person I can be off the track,” said Jimmy Weller.

The 28 year old enjoys golfing and skiing during his off time. He works for Liberty Steel Products as a steel salesman. He currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina but makes it back often to his hometown Liberty, Ohio.

This year, in 2013, Weller began the race season in the NASCAR K&N Series for Zip Motorsports, before making a handful of race starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for the S.S Greenlight Racing team. 

The first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race for Weller took a little bit to set in. People called him and discussed how great it was to watch someone they knew on the TV.  Weller believes there is still a long way to go in this series but loves the feeling he gets to see everyone’s hard work come together.

The typical race day for Weller normally starts before the sun comes up.  He attends meetings, car tech, practice, autograph sessions, qualifying, and then the race later that night.  Jimmy likes to spend the down time during the day talking with fans or other drivers.

“Racing has become such a big marketing sport that fans play a big deal in it as well. You always have to make time to talk with them. It works out for me because I really enjoy doing that,” said Jimmy Weller.

Weller remembers a night when they were racing at Lernerville Speedway and there was a long rain delay.  He decided to go find some kids to hang out with a make the time go faster for the delay by sliding across the wet bleachers.   A few years later, the father of the one kid came up to him and told him how his son still talks about that night.  Fans are a big part of racing whether it is sliding across the bleachers or just signing autographs for them.

One person that Weller looked up to growing up was Dave Blaney, veteran NASCAR Sprint Cup driver and World of Outlaws Sprint Car Champion.  He helped Jimmy a lot with Sprint Cars in the past, spotting for him with the NASCAR K&N Series, and much more.  Dave Blaney is the person that Weller goes to for every decision that he makes for racing.

“What Jimmy has done has been incredible.  No one would think someone could come back from an accident like that. I’m always here to help him in any way I can,” said NASCAR Sprint Cup driver and World of Outlaws Sprint Car Champion, Dave Blaney.

Jimmy’s main goal in racing is to be able to race for a living, no matter what it is. Whether it is racing for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series or coming home to Ohio to race Big Block Modifieds. Without his family, he would not be able to complete this goal. 

“My family members are my biggest supporters. From being at all the races, helping me keep my head up no matter how bad the night was, working hard to get me to where I am today. My grandparents have also always been there for me through everything. It sounds cliché, but you're only as good as the people around you. I have been blessed to have awesome people helping me in every step of my career,” said Jimmy Weller.