Racer grieves productively

Two days after the most tragic moment of his life, Doug Herbert paced in front of the senior class at SouthLake Christian Academy, near Charlotte, N.C. He looked at the expanse of faces, exuding both sorrow and sympathy.

He shared a story they had already heard, already lived, in one way or another.

"[My sons] took off to go to McDonald's," Herbert told the students, "and they never made it back."

The drag racer, who makes a living driving upward of 330 miles per hour, estimates his older son, Jon, 17, was traveling around 70 mph when he tried to pass another car. Jon lost control of his Mazda3 and collided with a Hummer, killing himself and his 12-year-old brother James on Jan. 26.

Herbert, however, hasn't put his racing career on hold. He will race this weekend in the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd. Herbert, who has 10 career victories since 1992, is in eighth place in the Top Fuel point standings through 15 of 24 events.

And yet, he continues to mourn, driving past the still-vivid skid marks on Jetton Road on every trip to and from his Cornelius, N.C., home.

But he grieves productively. He founded the organization Be Responsible And Keep Everyone Safe (BRAKES).

"My kid, Jon, he didn't have the reality of it in his head," said Herbert, 40. "He knows that I race cars and go 300 mph. It was hard for him to understand that I'm mad at him for going 50 in a 35."

According to the BRAKES website, putonthebrakes.com, between 5,000 and 6,000 teenagers have died in vehicle crashes every year for the past decade. The organization attempts to reach young drivers in their element--on a myspace page with 1,086 friends.

Herbert is happy to utilize scare tactics for dramatic effect if they will help make the message clearer. As a part of BRAKES' campaign, Herbert and several of Jon's classmates are collaborating to make a safe driving video. A single question serves as part of the introductory sequence: What would you tell another kid to persuade him to drive safer?

Herbert easily recalled one response.

"This one guy," Herbert remembered, "he said, 'Imagine going to your best friend's funeral and how that would make you feel. And that's why you should slow down.'"

Jon's need for speed was harbored by inconsistent punishment from divorced parents, the individuals in a teenage driver's life with the most influence--and the ones who most children will model their driving after.

This October, in Charlotte, Herbert is running a driving school. Parents are required to accompany their children.

John Force, a 14-time Funny Car champion, likened Herbert to Buddy the Elf, a Will Ferrell character. He said that Herbert's 6-4, 220-pound stature immediately gave him a presence in any racing circle. Now, Herbert is known for success on the track and his attempt to turn the negative into a positive.

"He told me the nights are long, and you go through all this pain," Force said. "It was a heartbreaker."

Herbert has a picture of the boys in his race car. It's from years ago, with Herbert holding the boys over his head. In the room where he puts his fire suit on hangs a picture of his 10-year-old daughter, Jessie, who began accompanying her father to the races, the way James used to.

As she grows older, and closer to driving age, Herbert just wants her to be safe.

The BRAKES myspace page boasts a message from him: "The racing needs to be done on the track and not on the street. I do not think anyone else could do a better job of getting this message across than I can."