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Driver Harrod, his father get scare from lightning
By CAREY FREEMAN
© St. Petersburg Times, INVERNESS -- Golfers and anglers, among others who spend much of their recreation time outdoors, are well aware of the threat presented by Florida's summer thunderstorms and the intense lightning they bring. For stock-car drivers, lightning strikes don't necessarily top the list of potential hazards. But count Kevin and Ron Harrod among those who will take note the next time thunderheads roll over Citrus County Speedway. Ron, the father and chief financier of Mini Stock driver Kevin Harrod, had a close enough call with lightning Saturday night that the 54-year-old Bushnell resident will not soon forget. Leaning on a chain-link fence in the pit area while talking to his son after the race card had been called due to bad weather, Harrod was thrown to the ground when lightning struck the fence not far from where he was standing. Shaken but conscious after the strike, Harrod was taken to Citrus Memorial Hospital where he was released after undergoing several tests over a three-hour period. "I'm feeling pretty good, but a little stiff," Harrod said Monday. "It threw me back and made my muscles tighten up a bit. It startled me, and it was sort of a scarry feeling." Harrod's son, in sixth place in the points standings, was affected by the strike, but the results were only minor. Kevin Harrod likened the experience to a "bad 110-volt shock." "It was pretty scary," Harrod said of seeing his father thrown to the ground. "It must have hit about 100 feet from us and ran up the fence to us." The only effects his dad was feeling two days after the strike was stiff muscles on his left side, which was leaning against the fence, and a persistent headache. The Harrods plan to be back at the speedway for this week's features. "I'd never really thought about it before," Ron said. "I've seen close strikes, but never seen them hit anyone. I thought it had quit. I stopped to say something to (Kevin), and I was leaning up with my left arm on the fence when it hit. "I guess it's just one of those freak things," Ron said. "But we're die-hard race fans, and we'll be there Saturday night." CANCELLATIONS: Heats and features were canceled in each division Saturday night at Citrus County Speedway. All but one will not be made up, according to track officials. Of the seven canceled feature races, only the Mike Scott Plumbing 30-lap Figure 8 special will be made up. It has been rescheduled for Aug. 4, and 16-20 cars are expected to challenge for the increased purse.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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