Ken Bainbridge Sr. is a man who fears little. Decades of building competitive race cars out of raw metal, steel and sweat have toughened the Amherst, NY native’s constitution. Obstacles and impediments that derail the mortal man hold no sway over the veteran racer. Even when diagnosed with extreme small cell cancer at the beginning of this year and faced with what could be his ultimate demise, Bainbridge Sr. did not blink. He forged ahead with his business and went on with his life, teaching others his craft and contributing so much to the sport he loves. However for a man who fears little there was one thing he feared most. “My dad went through some radiation over the past few weeks and his hair started falling out,” recounts Kenny Bainbridge Jr., the gears and transmission specialist for Ultra Motorsports. “He was pretty upset about it. I made a promise to him when he was diagnosed with cancer that if he ever lost his hair then I would shave my head. He didn’t believe me. When Jeff Miles found out that I was going to shave my head then he agreed to do it and he recruited others on the team to do the same to show support.”
When the smoke from the clippers cleared and the follicles were settled a courageous group of seven Ultra Motorsports crew members were transformed into a stylish band of onion heads. Bainbridge, Jr. was joined by Kyle Lewis, Scott Crispin, and Mike McCarville from the Team ASE/CARQUEST Dodge crew and by Miles, Bobby Koski and Geofrado “Fonzie” Alfonzo of the Mopar Dodge. What started as one man’s fear ended up as a fashion statement and a strong show of support and concern from a loving son and caring teammates. Bainbridge Jr. also had a deep respect for his father’s accomplishments both on and off the track. Lessons learned are not always about racing but about a deeper and more meaningful complex subject, life itself. See full story at the Ultra Motorsports site.(9-15-2004)
