Behind the Scenes: Steve Fried

Usually when one thinks of Indy racing, the drivers or team owners come to mind, but there are more personalities than just these involved with the Indy Northern Lights Racing Series. Lets turn the clock back one year and look at one of those people behind the scenes and his story. If you're like me, I'm sure you'll be amazed.

Stephen Lazarus Fried is a former SCCA champion driver and was the Chief Mechanic for Robbie McGehee's team in the 1999 Indy 500. As a driver, he holds several SCCA records in multiple classes. One of his most amazing accomplishments came in SCCA Class C Sports, when he competed in six divisional races, earned six poles, set six track records and won all six races. The closest second place finisher the entire season was over 50 seconds behind him.

At last years Indy 500, as he was directing his car out of the pits, he was struck and seriously injured. So seriously in fact, that at one point he was clinically dead. As luck would have it, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has one of the finest medical facilities in the United States located within its boundaries, and the quick work of the IMS medical team and the close proximity to Methodist Hospital brought Steve back from the brink of death.

While most people would have given up, Steve's positive attitude and work ethic enabled him to recover much faster than most, and within three months, he was back at the track. Not as a mechanic, but as a spectator, however, he lent moral support to those competing in the Pikes Peak IRL race. Steve attributes a lot of his recovery to the cards, letters and prayers that he received from fans and IRL folks alike. "I would not have considered myself a religious man before the accident but the strength and faith gained from others has stuck with me", he said. Their thoughts and encouragement have allowed his recovery to continue at almost a record pace, however now he is faced with another challenge.

Indy racing goes on, despite the absence of Steve Fried in the pits. Someone has to oversee the mechanical aspects of an Indy Car team, and so Steve now finds himself unemployed. With his proven track record and superior mechanical skills, it is a given that Steve Fried will be back in the pits soon, making sure that his driver and team is ready to face the challenges that lie ahead in any race. After all, he's already faced and conquered the biggest challenge of them all, life itself.

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