Interview
Ron DeHays

This unpublished "extra" is available exclusively online. All ideas expressed via RACQUETBALL Online [www.racqmag.com] are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the USRA.

I always belonged to a race team; in fact I had my own race team when this happened. We were in Florida racing and uh, after the race was over at night we were coming home. We used to have a dually with a 36-foot trailer on the back that held two racecars. Anyway, we were coming back from Florida and I wasn't driving. Another guy was driving; I was actually sleeping because it was the middle of the night on the interstate turnpike. We hit a parked truck that was illegally parked on the side of the road. And of course it was, it was pretty nasty. The truck all burned up and everything. My son was with me and there were four of us in the truck because it was a dually, you know it had four doors. And my uh, my middle son was killed in the thing and I wasn't supposed to live. I ended up with legs broken and a bunch of bones broken and it crushed my chest. What did, who knows, but my chest was crushed. I don't know, it's tough to talk about.

Anyway, in recovery, I woke up five days later. They said that the doctor asked my brother what I did because he said that I had the heart of a 19-year-old kid. And he (my brother) said that I played a lot of racquetball. The doctor said well that's the reason he's still here. So the doctor said, "Whatever he does he better not quit because that's what saved his life."

It was probably a year before I played racquetball again. I think it was the first tournament I played after that was the state (doubles) tournament. A guy asked me to play that was my age and we won the states. That (the accident) happened in 1988 so in 1989 we won the states and I think that was the first tournament I played after the accident. It was an uphill battle but that's kind of my story.

RACQUETBALL Magazine: When, exactly was the accident?

DeHays: November 8, 1988

RACQUETBALL Magazine: Where did it happen?

DeHays: In Florida on 95. There's a section on the highway where there is 40 miles between exits and it happened right in the middle of that which made it tough to get to. They had to close the interstate for like a day and a half. We had 180 gallons of fuel, we just topped off so we had a 180 gallons of fuel. In the bed of the truck we had a big stainless steel fuel tank and we could drive 600 or 700 miles without stopping and we had just filled that thing. And when we hit that truck the trailer went right into that fuel tank. Of course it just went up and everything was lost it just melted everything. I don't remember any of it because I was asleep. Maybe that was a good thing, I don't know. I was asleep in the right front and that's where it hit and the duels from this big truck just went right into the cab. I didn't have a seatbelt on believe it or not. A lot of the state patrols that were there said 'You were lucky you didn't or you probably wouldn't be here today'. It just pushed me through the front seat into the back seat.

RACQUETBALL Magazine: You said that you lost your middle son in the accident. What was his name?

DeHays: Yeah, he was 30 years old. (voice cracks) Donnie was his name. (pauses)

You know, I think it was a tribute to being in shape is why I am here. I think it is a good thing for racquetball. It shows that it can keep you in that kind of shape.

RACQUETBALL Magazine: When did you start to play racquetball?

DeHays: The early 80's I think. I am sure that they can tell at the club because my membership number is like #1. I think it was like 1980 or 1981, I can look that up because I have only belonged to one club and I have been there for 20 years so that would make it around then.

RACQUETBALL Magazine: What kind of racecars did you own then?

DeHays: That's what they call the Indy Lights cars, which was the "B" series that CART started. I actually built the first 20 cars in my shop. I have a machine shop in Dayton and I built the first 20 racecars of that series when they started it. I think that was in 1985. So of course I had to go to every race and I ended up owning two of the cars out of the 20. The first year they only built 20 the second year and after they built more and more and more. So that series actually started in my machine shop. The cars were brought over here from Europe. They shipped everything over here in boxes. They shipped the chassis and then we put them together and put motors in them and made rollers out of them. So that's how I got started in them (Indy Lights). After the accident my team was wiped out so I just started freelancing, working for everyone else.

RACQUETBALL Magazine: What was the name of your team?

DeHays: It was called R&K Racing. I had a partner, his name was Karl so that's where the "K" came from. It was for Ron and Karl and we had a nice team. We started that in 1985.

RACQUETBALL Magazine: How long did the wreck keep you out of racing?

DeHays: Well pretty much for a year. I was in rehab for a year.

RACQUETBALL Magazine: How long have you been with Team Extreme?

DeHays: I have been with Team Extreme for three years.

RACQUETBALL Magazine: Who are some of the other people that you have worked for?

DeHays: Well, just about everybody. I did a short stint with A.J. (Foyt) and I've worked with Rick Mears, McCormick Racing, Dick Simon Racing, it's hard to think of all of the ones that I have worked for.

RACQUETBALL Magazine: What is the biggest race that one of your teams has ever won? Have you ever won the Indy 500?

DeHays: With Al (Unser) Sr. I suppose. We finished second at Indy. But I have worked with Scott Brayton for a number of years and we qualified second at Indy. I have been in the front row three times. The top three qualifiers are what they consider the front row. We qualified second twice and third once. So I have never won it but I have been close, like I said, we finished second with Al Sr. one year.

RACQUETBALL Magazine: Is that something that you see as a goal?

DeHays: Yes! Oh yes, we had a good shot at it this year and we finished 8th. Last year we were running second with 22 laps to go and we had a really good shot at winning but we blew a motor. We had made our last pit stop and we were good to go. We thought that we would win that one but it got away from us. That's just the way it happens.

RACQUETBALL Magazine: Do you think you have a good shot at winning it with your current team?

DeHays: Oh yeah, we have a very good driver. We were one of the quickest teams this week. We definitely have the team to do it. That's really the only reason that I am still here (working). Of course I am the oldest man over the wall so maybe I feel like I have something to prove.

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