‘Blind man’ Ronnie Presnell achieves his dream in NASCAR – NASCAR news
62-year-old Ronnie Presnell achieved a remarkable feat as he drove around the Charlotte Motor Speedway in his restored 1968 Chevrolet Camaro.
The remarkable feature of the drive? Ronnie Presnell is blind. Presnell is a retired Mecklenburg County sheriff’s deputy and he lost his sight in a car accident in 1998.
Before his accident, Presnell was involved in a lot of racing and spent a lot of time on the track. He competed in the Limited Sportsman Division on the dirt tracks as well as in the Hobby Division. He used to race at the Metrolina Speedway with the legendary
Dale Earnhardt and even won a race at the circuit a night before his accident. He used to build his own race cars and handled all of their maintenance.
Presnell spent six weeks in the hospital in a coma after the accident. When he returned, he began working on his 1968 Camaro, complete with 327 high-performance engine and Viper Red Metal Flake paint job, and hoped that one day he will be able to drive it
around the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Presnell had NASCAR driver and Speed TV personality Kenney Wallace as his assistant, who rode with Presnell and guided him with directions.
After his ride around Charlotte Motor Speedway, Presnell was glad that he had accomplished a dream in his life and felt like he was back in his old racing days.
“That sure felt different than driving a car on a dirt track,” Presnell said. “It was awesome. I always wondered what it would be like to ride on the banking like that. It was more extreme than I thought it would be.”
Following the drive, Wallace took Presnell on a full speed ride around the track to give him the full race experience and speed.
“It was a life lesson for me,” said Wallace. “I was so excited to help Ronnie out. This is a big deal for me, being able to meet him and help him fulfil his dream. He’s an inspiration and it’s a day I’ll never forget.”
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