VERMILLION COUNTY SPEEDWAY
DANVILLE, ILLINOIS
ILLINOIS SPEEDWEEK
JUNE 9, 2009

Landon Simon is 19 years old and single... He lives in Tipp City, Ohio..

Landon runs the #24 sprint with a Maxim Chassi and a Gaerte Engine...
The #24 was used by his dad Chris when he raced...

He considers Eldora as his hometrack and also his favorite track to run....

He started racing just last year (2008).

I have to share this unbelieveable story with you..........********
When I was intervieiwing Landon his dad was there with him.... when I asked Landon when he had started racing his dad started talking to me.... He told me that he had raced and had been in a really bad accident and had not wanted Landon to race....BUT after what Landon had went through a couple of years ago and lived through it he decided if Landon wanted to race he should go for it....
This kid I said had an angel riding on his shoulder and Chris told me he had two...

on May 19th, 2007....he was at his best friends home and sitting on the sofa when his friend was messing around with a 12 gauge shot gun..not knowing it was loaded aimed it at Landon and shot him in the chest at point blank range...he was not given much of a chance for survival......five days later landon walked out of the hospital.... Landon showed me his chest and I did take a picture..but... I was pretty shaken up after the story and did not get a good picture..it was blurry... I did get a picture of his hand that he threw up in front of his chest when he realized he was going to be shot........ he has went through several surgeries and skin grafts

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and if that was not enough.....three months later (August 8) while driving his dad's truck he was hit by a girl who went through a stop sign without stopping..It caused his truck to barrel roll...the truck was smashed flat...when the officer arrived at the scene he told Landon's dad that it was one of the worse he had seen and said it was classified as an unsurvivalble accident......all Landon received from this accident...was a broken nose.................

Now if you didn't beleive in ANGELS before..... you have to now...

Talking with Landon asking him what had inspired him to start racing he said that his grandpa Jim had raced...both his dad Chris and his Uncle Steve.... He had been around it all his life so he wanted to race..... his Uncle Steve's son Kyle....Landon's cousin also races...they are the 3rd generation of Simon's to race.....and get this..... both Landon and Kyle were born on the same day July 31, 1999.......Landon's dad something about a wild Halloween Party..... huh???? LOL....

The driver that Landon most admires is JACK HEWETT...
When asked who his toughest competitor had been he told me it was "himself"..

To be a good driver he says you need to have a lot of focus...

His goal in racing is to be like Dave Darland.....win a lot of sprint races....

When asked if there was anything in racing he would like to see changed he told me there was a lot of stuff but naming only one he said "the purse needs to be raised"...

A racing highlight for him so far was when he ran his first USAC race at Eldora....

Asking which he liked the best...high or low groove he said it depends on the track...
He does like to race a tacky track....

I asked who his Crew Chief was....he told me this week it was his dad Chris..
Crew Members are Aaron Wright and Kyle Simon (cousin)when he is not racing..

He wanted to give a special thanks to God for being here and to his family for all their support.....

Wow Landon...what a history you carry with you at such an early age... was really nice meeting you and your grandpa and dad....
Goodluck in season 2009... hope to run into you again sometime..
cj

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Click to view attachment Landon and dad Chris

Click to view attachmentLandon, dad Chris and grandpa Jim

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