43
Crash doesn’t deter racer
Photo
Boardman drag racer Tony Billet poses with his car, Sod Man III, which was destroyed recently in a fiery crash.
By JOHN BASSETTI
YOUNGSTOWN
An attractively landscaped area at the intersection of McGuffey Rd. and Albert St. greets motorists, courtesy of the Northeast Homeowners Association’s cleaner and greener project.
Similarly, neat lawns and shrubbery on several lots along lower Market St. are recognizable by the Community Corrections Association signs plopped in their midst.
The tranquil settings, however, don’t reflect the roaring and screeching signature sounds and delirious decibels of the hobby of the designer: Billet Landscaping of Boardman.
Owner Tony Billet not only grooms ground, but he may fly off the ground while flashing down a 1/4-mile drag strip on asphalt.
Such was the case recently when the 62-year-old lost control during a National Hot Rod Association Sportsman class event in Atco, N.J.
Billet was hospitalized three days with a concussion after crashing his top dragster at about 185 mph.
He’s recuperating in Las Vegas, where he has a home and another business.
“I lost control just before shutoff and hit the right wall, rolled over, hit the dragster in the other lane, then hit the left wall,” Billet said of the accident on May 2.
“I was unconscious when they took me out of the car. I’m still dizzy from it,” he said last week.
It was his first wreck in 25 years of competition.
At the time of the race, Billet had qualified 22nd out of 48 cars in the division I points meet.
“I usually run division III, but went to division I,” Tony said of his attempt to get grading points to run in national events.
His dragster had a 632-inch motor with two stages of nitrous oxide — a fuel additive to boost the horsepower.
Although the car was destroyed, a bent front end was the most damage done to the chassis.
“I had a new helmet, a 15-layer fire suit, a neck collar, safety belts and I was strapped in tight,” said Billet. “The pod I was sitting in wasn’t bent.”
Billet ordered a new car, but it probably won’t arrive until August.
“I guess I’m out of the points this year, but hey, I’m lucky to be alive, thanks to NHRA safety,” he said.
He was amazed that there wasn’t fire.
“I was surprising because the fuel tank was right behind my seat and had 5 gallons of synthetic racing fuel,” he said.
After losing control, everything was in slow motion.
“I think the brain slows everything down when you’re crashing,” said Billet, who believes that physical conditioning helped him, too.
“I run 2 miles in the morning and work out. You have to stay in good shape if you want to run top dragsters,” he said.
Billet’s two previous cars — nicknamed Sod Man I and Sod Man II — were a 1972 Chevy Nova and a ’27 Chevy roadster.
He sold the Nova to a Tennesseean, who still runs it. The roadster was stolen about four years ago in Las Vegas, where Billet spends half of his time.
“It was a fiberglas replica which used 116 octane racing fuel and ran about 150 mph,” he said.
The new top dragster will be Sodman IV.
In the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, drivers — including those in Top Sportsman and Top Dragster classes — earn points leading to divisional and national championships. His best finish was seventh in division I in the ’27 Chevy in 2005 in the International Hot Rod Association, another sanctioning body.
Besides Billet’s own company, sponsors of his cars include Mullenax Industries of Boardman, Perry’s Auto Polish of Boardman and the Las Vegas Hot Rod Girls.
“They supply models for different shows and casinos and clubs,” said Billet, who splits his time between Boardman and his home in Henderson, Nev., where he also has Billet Landscaping Maintenance.
After recuperating, Billet will return to Youngstown for a busy summer.
His 41-year-old business’ other clients are the federal courthouse and Court of Appeals downtown.
“We’re going to start in the Idora Park neighborhood,” Billet said. “We’re almost booked for the year. It’s a good success story in Youngstown.”