May 30, 2016
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Racing driver and Mecum Auction co-host Stephen Cox will return to auto racing on June 4th after being sidelined for three months with burns suffered in a racing incident. Cox's comeback takes place when the Super Cup touring stock car series comes calling at Ohio's Midvale Speedway for the Frontier Tool & Equipment 75 Presented by Performance Fiberglass.
The team will test on Friday evening with qualifying set for Saturday afternoon. The race is slated for Saturday night at Midvale Speedway, 45 minutes south of Canton, Ohio.
Cox's injuries were fire related. He was flown to the Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio on February 13th after his team's Porsche 944 caught fire in a sports car event at Circuit of the Americas. He was running well and seeking his fourth consecutive victory when a fuel problem caused the car to burst into flames. First, second and third degree burns covered 7% of his body, with the worst injuries affecting his face and hands.
His nine-day hospital stay included three days in intensive care, followed by thirteen weeks of burn treatments that still continue. “The doctors tell me that patience is key and a full recovery is expected,” Cox said. “In the meantime, I'm back in the gym and working hard to be ready for the Midvale race.”
Best known as a sports car racer with 14 road racing wins and two championship titles, Cox faces a number of challenges in his comeback event. He was signed by Codie Rohrbaugh Racing to fill the empty Super Cup seat left when Rohrbaugh set his sights on the NASCAR Camping World truck series, so his partnership with the team is brand new.
Cox has not run an oval since early 2014 and the Midvale event will be his first-ever race at that facility. Those factors, combined with his continuing burn treatments and ongoing recovery, make the Midvale race a daunting prospect.
“I want to thank everyone for their prayers and support and assure them that I'm coming to win,” Cox said. “I'm in good physical condition and ready to go the distance. I'm driving for the best team in the series. I'm anxious to get back in a car and put the injury behind me."
His Codie Rohrbaugh Racing entry is supported by McGunegill Engine Performance, Boschett Timepieces and Impact Race Products.
THE COMEBACK: Stephen Cox Returns to Racing After Injury
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Stephen Dale, Olivia Pritchett, Sopwith Motorsports
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