KENDALL: “Without Jeff, I wouldn’t be where I am today”

Racing champion and recent Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee Tommy Kendall reflects on the influence his childhood friend Jeff Krosnoff, who lost his life 19 years ago today during the CART IndyCar race at Toronto, had on his illustrious career.

I was speaking recently at the induction ceremony about all the incredible and improbable things that happened in my life to get me to a place where I’m being added to the Motorsports Hall of Fame.

It’s a mind-blowing thing to consider, first of all, and I was struck by the little things that could have turned my life into something completely different if they didn’t take place.

When it comes to racing, my father raced and he was an influence, but if I hadn’t grown up a few blocks away from Jeff Krosnoff, I can definitely say I wouldn’t be where I am today. What if Jeff didn’t live nearby? He pursued racing as his dream and career, and I didn’t even know it was possible until he showed me.

He was the first modern racing driver – the model of what every driver has become today – and without his influence, I wondered how much that would have changed my life. It’s pretty obvious that without Jeff as the model, I can’t say I would have found it on my own.

He was my childhood friend – a little bit older than me, and I wanted to be Jeff Krosnoff. Everything he did made me want to follow in his footsteps. He was the one who showed everybody what fanatical fitness preparation could do for your stamina behind the wheel; there really wasn’t anyone doing that in the 1980s. This was before Michael Schumacher and some other guys made it fashionable. He was about exhaustive reading and research trying to find an edge by applying his mind to his craft, and his body, to go with his God-given driving talent. He was really the first one to put that complete package together, and it’s become the model every driver follows today. I’m fortunate because that was my role model from the very beginning.

It’s kind of surreal to think he’s been gone for almost 20 years; the bulk of the time I spent with him was concentrated into a handful of years. He was in Japan for a while as I was coming up in the American racing scene, and by the time he hit the big time in IndyCar racing, we found ourselves established in different series. I was busy racing in Trans-Am, he was busy in CART, and we got a chance to see each other at the races where the series were combined. I was really happy to see him get a shot in CART because, if I’m honest, I felt bad while he was away racing in Japan (BELOW: Krosnoff racing in Japanese F3000). It’s like if your brother is struggling, or isn’t getting his due rewards when you’re doing well in your own right, you want to see him getting the same kind of recognition. When Jeff came back to race here, in an important series like CART, all was right with the world.

We’d get together at events like Detroit and Cleveland and despite spending a lot of years apart, it was like family – like no time had passed since we saw each other. I got to see him in his element in CART, and even though we’d see each other once or twice a year when he’d come home from Japan, the 1996 season was really the first time when I could see him racing in front of huge crowds and receiving the type of attention he always deserved at home.

He was this weird phenomenon where he was this huge star in Japan, he had a small but really strong community of supporters at home, but to most people in America, he was kind of a mystery when he came to CART. He had huge support from Paul Pfanner, myself, and a lot of us who grew up around Jeff before his career took him to Japan, but he didn’t come back as a big star landing in IndyCar. But when he did arrive, I think everyone who saw him and talked with him became an instant fan because he was so unique – such a vibrant character in and out of the car.

I speak with young drivers from time to time, and a lot of what we talk about and a lot of what gets downloaded are the core aspects of Jeff and his approach to racing. His blueprint is all over today’s racecar driver, which is pretty cool, considering he was gone before some of the young stars today were even born. Whether they know it or not, Jeff’s legacy continues with them.

BELOW: Tommy (left) and Jeff (right) lead a Russell Mazda series grid.