Jeff Purvis, who suffered a serious head injury in a crash at the Nazareth Speedway in 2002, will make his comeback at that track this weekend. Purvis made some test runs Wednesday at the Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolinathis while NASCAR was giving him his final medical clearance. Purvis said The one thing I didnt want to do was come back before I was ready. I work out on a regular basis and I really felt like the timing was as good as its going to be for me to come back hopefully and Im excited about coming back and doing it. Purvis will drive the #1 Yellow Racing Dodge for James Finch who had an opening after releasing Johnny Benson and Jamie McMurrays cup conflicts in Charlotte. The Purvis-Finch combo won more than 300 races during their early years in the sport.(PRN’s Garage Pass radio show)(5-20-2004)
UPDATE 2: Jeff Purvis is attempting to make a return to the Busch Series this weekend at Nazareth, Pa., but has yet to receive medical clearance from NASCAR. Purvis suffered serious injuries in a wreck in May 2002 at Nazareth, including a fractured vertebra in his neck, a broken leg and a severe head injury. He has not raced in NASCAR since the incident. James Finch plans to enter Purvis in Sunday’s Goulds Pumps/ITT Industries 200 in his No. 1 Dodge, if he receives clearance. Late Thursday, Purvis told XM Satellite Radio’s Claire B. Lang in an interview that he expected to be able to race at Nazareth. “Do I have a (NASCAR) license yet? No, I do not,” Purvis said. “But I will have one when I get to Nazareth.” Reached late Thursday, NASCAR officials said they had yet to receive a letter from a second doctor who evaluated Purvis and reiterated Purvis’ medical clearance was not “a formality.”(ThatsRacin.com)(5-21-2004)
UPDATE 3: Jeff Purvis received final medical clearance Friday morning from NASCAR to run in Sunday’s Busch Series race at Nazareth. Purvis, 45, is attempting to run his first race since he suffered serious injuries in a wreck in May 2002 at Nazareth, including a fractured vertebra, broken left leg and severe head injury. Purvis has not raced in NASCAR since the incident. Purvis has 186 Busch starts, including four wins, 25 top-five and 57 top-10 finishes.(ThatsRacin.com)(5-22-2004)
