MORRISON, Colo. — Tommy Johnson's been driving race cars for more than 30 years.
While spectators might not consider racing a contact sport, Johnson - who, at his fastest, has reached speeds of 332 mph - will tell you it is.
"When you hit the throttle, there's no ifs, ands or buts - you're going straight forward," the driver of the Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger said.
The worst of it happens during "tire shakes," or when a rear tire spins incorrectly and violently convulses the entire car.
"I compare it to putting your head in a shaker at the hardware store," Johnson said.
Johnson is one member of the Don Schumacher Racing Team, which is based in Los Angeles. Johnson and his teammates just became the first entire professional sports team to promise to donate their brains for concussion research. They made the commitment Friday at Bandimere Speedway in Jefferson County, just before the Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals.
"A pledge like that can accelerate the research because so many more people are going to hear about it and think about their own situation and consider pledging themselves," Tyler Maland, the director of programs and communications for the Concussion Legacy Foundation (CLF).
Maland said a lot of CLF's research has centered around the NFL. Driving may not be the first thing that comes to mind when people think high-impact sports, however, the force of tire shakes and the G-forces the drivers experience can cause damage to the brain just like a hit on the field.
Johnson has had some traumas over the years, but never to the point of a concussion. He was willing to donate his brain to further research anyway.
"If I can help somebody down the road...it's about giving back and paying forward and I thought there's not better way to do that than through this program," Johnson said.
His teammate Jack Beckman, the driver of Infinite Hero Foundation Nitro Funny Car, is all in, too.
"Not to make a horrible pun, the decision for me was a 'no-brainer'," Beckman said.
Beckman shared that he's been an organ donor from the age of 16, and it didn't make a difference to him if he added his brain to the list of things to give.
"If it can make a difference in somebody's life down the road, it's a pretty cool feeling right now," Beckman said.
Even when his wife hesitated, Beckman was committed.
"If you want to cremate me, if you want to put a headstone somewhere, whether or not there's a brain in there really isn't going to make a difference to us," Beckman laughed.
More than a dozen veterans joined the racing team in the pledge, in hopes of advancing research for people in the military, as well.
"It's non-binding, which means that ultimately their next of kin will make the decision," Malan said. "We don't want to see these guy's brains for another 50, 60, 70 years but the goal is that it will accelerate research on other people's brains and really raise awareness on this issue."
Anyone can donate their brain; CLF researchers are studying Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, traumatic brain injuries and more. If you are interested, learn more here.
