One-of-a-kind driver
Morris’s unorthodox style of racing doesn’t hold him back from competing
Chris Morris is racing at Cocopah Speedway for the first time this weekend as the track hosts their Labor Day Weekend Celebration.
The Texas native made the 16 hour drive Thursday with his team in an effort to collect his fourth win of the season.
Morris – who’s in the midst of his fourth year racing dirt cars – won a total of eight times in 2019 and continues to impress on the track.
However, Morris’s fashion of driving is wildly unconventional.
The 26-year-old suffered a devastating motocross accident that left him paralyzed below the waist in Oct. of 2016. Many drivers or athletes would have surrendered and certainly never competed again.
That wasn’t the case for Morris.
While most drivers have the ability to use their feet, Morris’s one-of-a-kind car built by Dave Stremme offers hands-only controls that allows him to operate around the track.
“I’ve heard of some guys that have used similar cars like this, but I hadn’t raced against any of them,” Morris noted.
The transition for Morris from dirt bikes to dirt cars hasn’t been as difficult as one would imagine – especially due to the fact he has to use his hands to brake, handle the throttle and steer all at once.
“I was able to use a lot I knew from motocross racing into racing cars,” Morris said. “Having that handeye coordination from the dirt bike definitely helped while inside the car. For me, it’s really not that hard because I’m used to it, but if you put somebody that’s used to driving with their feet, it’ll take them a bit to figure it out.”
It didn’t take long for
Morris to adjust to his new style of racing.
He was cautious in the early stages, but admitted in his fourth or fifth race inside the custom-built car he became more comfortable and soon found himself in front of the pack.
His experience racing dirt bikes not only translated to success operating his hands-only controlled car, but maneuvering it around the track.
“It’s oddly similar,” Morris said. “The track will be soft and have tons of moisture in motocross and it can get slick and hard in the afternoons, just like it can out here. I was able to put two and two together.
Definitely being able to read the dirt in motocross, I was able to transfer that over and make adjustments in the car.”
There was never a doubt Morris would return to racing, despite suffering a broken back that will halt him from ever walking again.
Unwavered by his injury, Morris’s mindset on attacking each day has allowed him to resume racing in a different style.
On the back of his car, a sticker reads ‘What’s your excuse?’.
“Sure, I can’t do things I used to, but if I really want to do it, I’ll find a way and I’ve found a way to do a lot of things I used to be able to do,” Morris said. “There’s always a way. You may have to fail a few times to finally get it, but you can’t be scared to fail. I like to live by that motto and not make too many excuses. The only excuse can be your mindset and with a good mindset, you can do almost anything.”
Morris has achieved a ton in his short dirt track career and one day eyes racing late model cars, but for now, he’s taking it dayby-day.
“We’re just having fun right now,” he said.
Morris’s stop in Yuma County is a tune-up for the Duel in the Desert race in Las Vegas at the beginning of Nov. He won’t participate in the Boone Nationals, but has plenty of races scheduled before his trip to Vegas.
Cocopah Speedway continues racing Saturday night as six different divisions are set to take center stage. Races begin at 7 p.m.