Sutton hopes to rekindle career with four-race slate

After the licks she's taken at Kansas Speedway the past two years, nobody could fault Kelly Sutton for finding a safer occupation.

But despite what appeared to be a pair of knockout punches last season -- one physical and the other financial -- the 36-year-old native of Crownsville, Md., is more than ready to answer the bell again. With help from sponsor Copaxone, Sutton has four-race commitment with Billy Ballew Motorsports, beginning at, of all places, Kansas (5:30 p.m. ET Saturday, SPEED).

Something to prove

Kelly Sutton has three starts at Kansas, and three crashes. "Kansas Speedway hasn't been very kind to me," she said. "I really want to go back there with a vengeance and conquer the track. I've had some pretty hard hits there, but I know that this Billy Ballew Motorsports team has put together a great truck for us and we are excited to see what we can do."

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"I think I need to conquer this track, for sure," Sutton said. "If I wreck this time, I think this track has it out for me."

Kansas hasn't been kind to Sutton. In three trips, she's crashed each time, including flipping her truck in 2005. But it was the 2006 race that stands out. Sutton suffered serious injuries, including a concussion, when she slammed driver's-side first into the infield wall. Even now, there are still large gaps in what she can remember about the incident.

"The only thing I remember is seeing it recorded," Sutton said. "I TiVo all the races and when I got home, I watched it. I remember passing Aric Almirola and then coming back up and I knew I got tagged in the left rear, which sent me in the direction of the wall.

"When I hit the grass, I do remember seeing the opening where the safety workers are. I tried to turn the truck and tried to steer it away from that. That's the last thing I remember."

Sutton said the following few hours remain nothing more than a blur.

"They put me in a helicopter because my foot got kinda tangled up," she said. "I came to for a second, and everything felt surreal. I really didn't know what happened. Then I woke up in the CAT scan when I had an allergic reaction to the iodine and my throat closed up.

"I don't even remember the 16-hour ride home, I don't remember stopping at a hotel, I don't remember anything. I guess that's what happens when you hit the wall with a driver's side impact at 102 g's." (Continued)