Travis Rutz Article

This is the unedited article featured in the June 2010 issue of Flat Out Magazine. I don't think there could have been anything else on the planet I would have been more honored to write about. BTP Trav. :)

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BTP. It’s his motto. It was fixed to the side of his car in place of his name. Give him a crappy track surface. Start him in last position. Tell him he doesn’t have a chance to win. None of it mattered. ‘Cause every night was a BRING THE PAIN night; and the haters, non-believers and small dreamers were the first on his list to feel the burn.

I’d imagine the Powers of the Universe must have looked down upon Travis Rutz and smiled. “Trivial things like multiple championships and record breaking stats aren’t going to mean a thing to this kid,” It must have thought. “Why settle for merely conquering a sport, when you are one of the select few who can conquer the human spirit?” And so for whatever reason, on September 27, 2009, at Terre Haute Speedway…

CRASH.

Immediately following the accident, Trav was standing at Death’s door. Trav knocked, Death opened the door, and anyone who knows Trav well can tell you exactly what he said with those piercing eyes of determination before turning on Death, never looking back. “Bring the pain MoFo. Bring the pain.”

In September the artery behind Trav’s left eye was repaired and he was put into an induced coma. October brought slight movement in the form of trying to open his eyes and tiny squeezes of the hand (squeezers). There was even a glimpse of a brief smile one day. Probably because he must have known he’d be flying back to his home in British Columbia that same month. In November Trav moved out of the critical care unit. His eyes were wide open for short periods, his breathing tubes were removed, and he laughed for the first time. December is the month he attempted to speak. By January Trav started his hyperbaric and acupuncture treatments. Through these treatments it became clear his legs were still attached to his brain. In February his arms and legs showed much more movement. A rehab bike is added to his growing list of therapies. By March, Trav returned home for good and finds an engine puller mounted to the ceiling in his room to assist with the task of getting him in and out of bed. And in April (when this article was written), Trav was finally put on the waiting list to get into the Halvar Jonson Centre for Brain Injury in Ponoka, Alberta.

Trav has come a long way since standing at Death’s door, although the road ahead of him is still exhaustingly long. But he’ll do it. There is no one else on the planet I would have more faith in than Trav to transcend beyond what hopefuls think is possible or defy what experts think is logical. He’s bigger than possibilities and logic. He always has been. In fact, he’s bigger than himself. Since his fight began, he’s inspired haters to rebuild community. He’s instilled hope in the lives on non-believers. He’s opened doors of endless possibilities to small dreamers. Some people have become so inspired, they’ve had BTP permanently tattooed to their bodies. Everyone from weekend warriors to the World of Outlaws have BTP and Travis Rutz stickers plastered to the sides of their cars. The ASCS Northwest’s hard charger award now fittingly bears his name. It’s infectious! It’s also called conquering the human spirit. A feat so timeless and impressionable, it’ll literally change the course of people’s lives forever.

Bring the pain MoFos, bring the pain.

For the latest updates on Trav’s condition and what you can do to help with his recovery, go to www.TravisRutz.com.