Pit Stop Radio News

The last time we sent out a newsletter it was to announce the Bowling Fundraiser for CARS Racin’ For A Dream on September 30th. Well, I’m here to tell you, the fundraiser was a success and a hit, but Dylan took a big hit that day too. Dylan was on his way to the bowling fundraiser on that Sunday afternoon when he was hit by a car. He was driving a motorcycle and yes he was wearing his helmet and safety gear. Many of you may already be aware of the horrific accident it was, while others may not have heard. I’m here to tell you, Dylan is alive and well and a true miracle. It has been a grueling 5 weeks for Dylan, his family and all those who love him. Dylan wasn’t expected to make it to the hospital. His father and brother where working in Arizona and his sister lives in Illinois. They all had to fly back immediately.

The surgeons took Dylan into surgery that night and worked on his right leg for more than 6 hours. He would have several other surgeries to go but all the orthopedic attention was put on hold when the neurosurgeon had to tell the family that there was little hope and his prognosis didn’t look good. Dylan had slipped into a deep coma. The rest of the family was called in as was a nation of prayer warriors. Tests were ran and procedures were done and all showed no explanation as to why Dylan was not waking up. A couple painful days later, Dylan opened his eyes, It was a truly joyous day. His dad compared it to when you see your children born, a feeling like none other. If you know Dylan, you know he treasures his sleep and looking back, Dylan said he was just tired and needed sleep. Mind you, he had a long road ahead still. Orthopedics began to schedule his other surgeries. He had both wrists operated on by two different surgeons at the same time to minimize the length of time Dylan would be under anesthesia. He had his right ankle repaired during another surgery. Dylan spent 11 days in the Trauma ICU unit. He was then downgraded to the ICU unit for a few more days. Dylan was defying all the doctors’ anticipated recovery timeline.

The day before Dylan’s 21st birthday he was discharged from the hospital and admitted into a rehabilitation facility for in-patient rehab. Dylan, his family and friends (21 of them) all celebrated Dylan’s 21st birthday in the rehab unit. It was truly a birthday to celebrate!!! Again, Dylan still defied their plans and he was discharged to go home 25 days after the accident that was supposed to take him from us. Dylan has received an enormous amount of support and prayers. The outpouring of support for Dylan was unimaginable. His room was flooded with cards, balloons, bears and gifts. Every time a new nurse would come in, they would gasp at the amount of love and support that had been shown to him. It has been humbling to be a part of that. This write up doesn’t begin to share the extent of this miracle. His dad journaled each day of this journey on his Facebook and we shared those entries on Dylan’s racing Facebook page. To see each day please visit Dylan Martin Racing LLC

Every day is Better Than Yesterday

On November 3rd, Dylan’s brother, Brandon, raced in his first Pro-Truck race at Auburndale Speedway in Auburndale, FL. Dylan was able to join him for his debut in Black Betty (Dylan’s #7 Pro Truck from the years past). It was a great evening at the track. It felt like home and Dylan was able to see many that had been praying for him countless hours. It won’t be long before Dylan joins him on the track and what a glorious day that will be for all of us.

We can’t thank you all enough for the enormous amount of support. Dylan’s family, friends and fans adopted #DYLANSTRONG to support the strength he was exhibiting to survive and the strength he is going to need for recovery. It began to pop up on racecars all over the country, including his past teammate with Empire Racing Group/Grumpy’s, Inc. Thad Moffitt’s ARCA car at Indianapolis along with many other ARCA cars. It has truly been a journey that has shown us what the ‘racing family’ is made of…..sincere caring, strength and support. #DYLANSTRONG