Nick Galvin had a destiny in life, and today he's living it.
Galvin, the son of iconic 1970s journeyman crewman Pat Galvin, lives life on the road as a crewman for the Doug Kalitta-driven, MAC Tools Top Fuel dragster.
However, for Galvin, 21, the pathway to following in his father's footsteps almost ended before it began. If not for the drive and determination of the second-generation wrench-turner, he might not be alive, much less working in the 24-race NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.
"I was a little scared of doing it at first," said Nick. "I knew it would be hard work, but I got used to it, the more times I did it. It's what I've always wanted to do."
To understand why he was perfect for the Kalitta Racing team - a four-car team which celebrates each victory with a physical mosh pit celebration - one must understand Nick's fight for survival as a five-year-old.
Nick was critically injured when a family dog bumped into a house decoration, a 4,500-pound Indian statue from a cigar store, causing it to fall on him, crushing his skull. As if this wasn't enough of a survival challenge, he was placed in the same room with another child who unknowingly had meningitis.
Nick then came down with Encephalitis, an acute inflammation (swelling) of the brain resulting either from a viral infection or when the body's own immune system mistakenly attacks brain tissue. He remained in a coma for 23 days.
The vision of seeing his son is one that still makes his father emotional, some 16 years later.
"They put him in an isolation room to die in peace," recalled Galvin, who has long been retired from drag racing and owns a successful vitamin supplement company. “It's a long story, but they were treating him on an eight-hour schedule for medicine and in the middle of the night one night I asked a nurse why his vitals were just good for eight hours and then the last four he would go downhill.
"I called a come to Jesus meeting with the doctor at 4 a.m., and we had a little discussion, and I gave him my opinion on it and said let's try it. It was a Tuesday morning, and he opened his eyes on Thursday.
"Nick's been thru lots of surgeries and the skull fracture is the same thing that Dale Earnhardt Sr. died from. You name it, and it's pretty much gone against him in his life."
Nick came home the six-year-old equivalent of a four-month-old. The prognosis was not promising, as the lead speech and language pathologist of the UCLA Medical Center determined Nick would never speak, never walk, and for sure never ride a bike.
To know Nick is to understand that, while he might have suffered a head injury, his determination and spirit were very much intact.
"He's just the kind of kid that perseveres through everything," added his dad.
One of Pat's longtime friends, Jim Oberhofer, who serves as General Manager for Kalitta Racing, watched the entire scenario unfold from the accident to Nick's miraculous recovery.
Nick's employment didn't come as a buddy-buddy deal by any means, as it was the kid who initiated, kinda-sorta, the whole process.
Two years ago, Nick sought a special Christmas present for his father. He had searched high and low for a special something, but nothing suited the vision he had in mind.
Nick sought advice from Oberhofer and, just as fate played out, the Kalitta team had just received a shipment of never before seen diecasts. Knowing Pat's love for dragsters, he found one he didn't already have in his extensive collection. Additionally, he threw in a few brand new team hero cards.
"Nick called me and said that when he saw me at the next race he'd pay me for the stuff," Oberhofer said. "I told him instead of that, ‘how about you just work on the car with us, will that be cool?’
"He said, ‘oh yeah, that'd be real cool.’"
Thinking he might have jumped the gun, Oberhofer consulted afterward with Pat and his wife, Lori. Both immediately gave their blessings.
"Nick insisted on paying for it, and Jim said, ‘no, you've got to work it off,’" Pat added, with a smile. "It touches my heart, but it's so much larger than that for me personally. It's so deep; It's literally one of the most rewarding things in my life."
His first race was the 2014 NHRA Winternationals. There was no friendship pull, but Oberhofer immediately became aware of the kid's intense work ethic.
"He starts working on the car, and he's awesome," said Oberhofer. "He's very switched on, very mechanically inclined and just a great kid to have around. He did a great job and he wanted to come to more races.
"His dad lets him travel with our team. He'll work at the shop, go on the road and it's been great. The kid is just a worker. He's done an excellent job. He has the most amazing attitude of anybody that I've ever met. He's always positive and in a good mood. The difficulties that he's had in life, he doesn't let that hold him back. You can have a bad day and get all mad about something very trivial, then I look at Nick, and I see him having the time of his life out here.
"He enjoys every minute of his life, and I just love the kid. In my eyes, he's one of the most amazing young men that I've ever met in my life."
Drag racing has become so much of an integral part of Nick's life; one cannot imagine the love of the craft he's developed. Oberhofer saw this firsthand during the off-season.
"Over the winter I guess Nick wasn't feeling the best and they had to take him to the doctor to be checked out and stuff," Oberhofer said. "They took him back to the doctor after testing. The doctor came out and told Pat that they could quit bringing him here because there's nothing wrong with him unless you want to just to keep paying me.
"Pat said, ‘OK, well what's going on?’
"The doctor responded, ‘Racing season started, and he's happy.’"
His road to racing is one Nick doesn't take for granted, but it's not one he harps on.
"I have more important things to think of like, working on this car," said Nick, who declined the initial interview until he completed his work. He had the blessings of Oberhofer but still declined.
Nick smiles and said he never intended to follow in his famous father's drag racing footsteps, but understood when life presents opportunities, you take them.
"I knew when I started I loved this," Nick admitted. "Now I know why my dad loved doing this so much. I have another family here at Kalitta, and I am having the time of my life."
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Bobby Bennett is the Publisher/Editor of CompetitionPlus.com, a leading independent online drag racing magazine, since 1999. For the latest in dragster news worldwide, visit www.competitionplus.com or follow on Twitter @competitionplus
