Davenport man, 28, dies during McCool Junction speedway race 41 Print Email 23 hours ago • By EMILY NITCHER / Lincoln Journal Star(2) Comments Brent Drohman stands with his son, Colt, 4, and daughter, Addilyn, 8. Enlarge Photo Related Links Find us on Facebook Follow the Journal Star on Twitter The racing continued as planned Sunday at Junction Motor Speedway, but a memorial for one had unexpectedly -- tragically -- become a tribute for two. A day earlier, 28-year-old Brent Drohman of Davenport suffered a massive heart attack and hit a wall while racing a B-mod at the McCool Junction track, his family said. The Sunday show originally was billed as a memorial for Barb Nunnenkamp, the speedways first track manager, who died of cancer six years ago. But Drohman’s brother Jeff waved the green and checkered flags to start and finish the days B-mod race. And cars lined up in the Missing Man formation during the B-mod parade lap. Drivers had signed over their winnings to Drohmans wife and kids. Those whod grown up with Drohman or teamed up with him for racing passed their helmets through the crowd to raise money for the family. “Brent would want all of us to pick up and keep on racing, so that’s what we’re doing,” track manager Mandi Oswald said. “We’re going to give him a good show while he’s looking down here. No other cars were near Drohmans when it went into the wall, Oswald said. An ambulance on scene rushed him to the hospital in York, but it was too late. “He passed away doing what he loved,” said his cousin Jed Williams. “He wouldn’t have wanted to go any other way than in that race car.” Drohman leaves behind his wife, an 8-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son. He worked at Aurora Cooperative as a crop sprayer, Williams said, but his true love was racing. Drohman had been driving for years -- and at Junction Motor Speedway since it opened in 2003. He finally was close to setting up a shop where he could tinker with cars, a longtime goal, his cousin said. God had a different plan for him. Drohmans family announced the results of his autopsy to Sundays crowd, thanking the rescue workers who tried to help. And as word spread beyond the speedway, Oswald got calls and text messages of support from folks in Omaha, Iowa, Oklahoma. Some of the messages came from people who had never met Drohman, or raced at the track, but were reaching out because they’re in the sport of racing. “It’s just what we do,” Oswald said. Reach Emily Nitcher at 402-473-2657 or enitcher@journalstar.
Posted on: Mon, 21 Oct 2013 23:30:41 +0000
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