After an on-track testing accident that nearly cost him his life, Geoff Turk’s NHRA Factory Experimental (FX) racing endeavors will take on a new look, as veteran racer and 2012 NHRA Pro Stock world champion Allen Johnson has come out of retirement to pilot Turk’s “BlackbirdX” Mopar machine.
Turk, the first to join the prestigious Holley EFI 7-Second Club for NMCA Factory Super Cars when he cracked the barrier in 2018 with his Gen III HEMI-powered “Blackbird” 2015 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak, was testing his new “BlackbirdX” FX Dodge Challenger Drag Pak in April of 2023 at Beech Bend Raceway Park in Kentucky when things went south in a hurry.
On what was one of the first shakedown passes on the menacing, matte black Dodge, Turk clicked off a 7.24-second run at 194.88 mph. It seemed like a reason to celebrate at first, but a split-second after crossing the stripe, the BlackbirdX made a hard left and slammed violently into the retaining wall.
“These things start lifting off between 180-200 mph and, with no weight on the front end, the then-mandatory carbon-fiber front brakes locked up on the left. The car flipped over on top of the wall and slid down the track,” recalled Turk, who exited the car under his own power but has no memory whatsoever of anything prior to the start of the run. That may be a blessing in disguise, given the intensity of the incident. “The surprising part, given the severity of the accident, was that the EMTs said I only had a concussion.”
To have an accomplished legend like Allen in the BlackbirdX Dodge, and to have his father involved, too, is just awesome and I’m looking forward to working with both of them. – Geoff Turk
Thinking he had escaped major harm, Turk went about his life as usual and brought the BlackbirdX back to his Kentucky-based “Horsepower Haven” home. After being stripped and disassembled, the Dodge began its healing journey with Turk’s great friend, chassis builder, clutch expert, and crewman Dave Zientara of ET Tuning/ET Extreme quarterbacking the rapid repair. A few weeks later, though, Turk noticed things weren’t quite right with his human chassis.
“I was in Indy picking up a set of wheels I had anodized to put the car back together, and when I went to sign the paperwork, I couldn’t remember how to write my name,” shared Turk, who had also noticed a strange, scary numbness in one arm. “I realized I also had been struggling with intermittent memory loss doing simple tasks, like texting on my iPhone. I knew something was wrong.”
After speaking with his wife, Jena, Turk headed to the emergency room but expected the diagnosis to be something minor. Ten minutes after being admitted, a life flight helicopter was en route to airlift him from Bowling Green to Nashville, Tennessee.
“I had a fairly severe left- and right-side brain bleed. They put me in the neuro ICU, and generally people go downhill and die but I made it to surgery, thankfully,” Turk continued of the terrifying time. “I had about a 1 in 10 chance of making it through what transpired without permanent, long-lasting disability or death.”
Ultimately, Turk’s prognosis was a bittersweet one – he would be able to live a full and healthy life, but his condition meant an unplanned, forced retirement from driving the high-horsepower, 6- and 7-second capable racecars that he had come to love.
“As we have often all experienced, a highly unexpected hard turn, metaphorically or in this case, in reality, alters our path in ways we didn’t expect or hope for, but as I’ve also learned, whether the path is what we thought we wanted or what we supposed should happen or not, it’s what God intends,” Turk stated eloquently in regards to the circumstances that had been forced upon him. “On the other side are often some things greater than we imagined.”
Knowing he couldn’t step away from drag racing as it had been a part of the fabric of his life for more than four decades, Turk decided to continue repairing and rebuilding his BlackbirdX car.
Thanks to the help from some incredible sponsors and supporters such as Holley, Mickey Thompson, BES Racing Engines, Whipple, Liberty Gears, RAM Clutches, Santhuff’s, Aeromotive, RC Components, Jerry Ray Davis Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Owensboro, Kentucky, parts finding hero Jeff Matthews, and many others who went above and beyond with “Turk Crash Discounts” to help him get new replacement parts or to freshen up existing ones, Turk knew his modern Mopar would be free and clear to fly again. Especially as it had been looked over by Lonnie Grim and other NHRA safety officials. The only question was…who would be its pilot?
After coming to terms with the vision of his new future, Turk took his time perusing a list of options before narrowing it down to a few select individuals. He had struck up a friendship with Allen Johnson and his father, renowned engine builder and drag racing hall-of-famer, Roy Johnson, back in 2018, and when Turk made the connection in his mind, it was a lightbulb moment.
With Johnson’s lengthy history of wheeling winning Mopars in both NHRA Pro Stock as well as NHRA Factory Stock Showdown in more recent years, and with Turk’s longstanding love for the same brand of muscle, it made sense for the two to collaborate.
I’ve always been a Mopar man and would have been disappointed to drive anything else, if even for two or three races. – Allen Johnson
“To have an accomplished legend like Allen in the BlackbirdX Dodge, and to have his father involved, too, is just awesome and I’m looking forward to working with both of them,” Turk said of the plot twist in the story he had hoped to pen. “The class is relatable with real cars and real engines and it has the performance potential of NHRA Pro Stock when they’re uncorked.”
For Johnson, having the opportunity to come out of retirement and go all-in on “the new Pro Stock” class – especially with his father along for the journey – has been nothing short of a blessing, and he’s incredibly grateful to Turk for giving him the chance to do so.
“When this Factory X class came out, I got excited and thought about putting together a deal with someone for a few races a year, but Geoff called and everything just fell into place,” added Johnson, who is thrilled to have what is at this time the only Mopar in a field of Fords and Chevys. “I’ve always been a Mopar man and would have been disappointed to drive anything else, if even for two or three races.”
Turk partnering with the Johnson men, each an outstanding contributor to the sport of drag racing in their own right, has created a perfect storm in which the BlackbirdX can soar. With three different but equally talented perspectives coming together, three different lifetimes of knowledge, and three different ways of relentlessly problem-solving, the NHRA Factory X class is about to see what can happen when determination and dedication converge with a Dodge.
Although it diverged from his original plan, Turk’s new chapter is still on track for the same general direction. “We intend to test and then field the BlackbirdX in the full five races of the inaugural NHRA Factory X season and be very competitive, carrying the Mopar and Dodge banners high with a very capable and proven driver,” clarified Turk, who expects his Hemi-powered, five-speed BlackbirdX to be up and running by the end of July.
“I’ve learned that you never have enough time in life, that the only thing that matters is who you love and who loves you back, and that you’re not truly in control of anything,” concluded Turk, who has chosen to turn his life’s setbacks into inspiration and opportunities instead. “Forget that you lost something and remember just how blessed you are to be here, to have the people and the possibilities that stand in front of you, and it might even further bolster your faith that the best is yet to come.”
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July 07, 2023 at 12:30AM
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EXCLUSIVE: Geoff Turk & Allen Johnson Team Up To Campaign NHRA Factory X With "BlackbirdX" Dodge - Dragzine.com
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