Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 18, 1994 TAG: 9404230069
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By Susan King Los Angeles Times
DATELINE: HOLLYWOOD LENGTH: Medium
"We only got five laps," Nelson says good-naturedly. "So basically, one guy did five laps and then the engine went. I was standing in the pit being an owner watching my investment go up in smoke."
Nelson, 50, is in an amiable mood despite the fact that the race forced him "into a real kind of reality check, not only about the money being spent, but, `Is this a viable format to be racing in? Is it a real thing or an imaginary ego boost? Is it something that you really want to do? How much are you committed to?' "
He's already made some decisions about the future and is putting together a plan to really "take a look at what we are doing in terms of the season, as far as racing goes."
The event also got him thinking about his role as an actor. "Am I really cut out to be in show business, anyway? It was kind of a severe little paranoia trip I went on."
Nelson, who also is executive producer and recurring director on "Coach," became hooked on racing three years ago when he finished third place at the Toyota Celebrity Long Beach Grand Prix. The sport, he says, not only pumps up his adrenaline but also demands incredible concentration and physical sense.
At the same time, Nelson adds, racing also "reveals a sense of identity. It gets you back to real important basics like, `I really want to stay alive right now.' It forces you to take stock of yourself. It forces you to pay attention. It's a real moment-to-moment sport."
Not so coincidentally, Nelson plays a professional motorcycle racer in the film "Ride With the Wind," which premieres Monday on ABC. Nelson also wears the hats of executive producer and co-writer on the drama.
Sporting long hair and a beard, Nelson plays Frank Shelby, a veteran racer whose years on the track have taken their toll. Not only does he race in the fast lane, he also lives in one. Abusing alcohol, drugs, friends and women, Frank is at the end of his tether. Ultimately, he finds hope and recovery when he meets two people: sophisticated bank manager Katherine (Helen Shaver) and Danny (Bradley Pierce), her young son, who is dying.
Nelson says he and the TV-movie character share the same type of thrill from racing. "It's a different mentality," Nelson says. "One is almost a journeyman, Gypsy nomad who follows the route of the caravan, and the other is someone who enjoys it perhaps as a hobby. The majority of the guys I met (who raced) were from the Midwest and had done it from childhood on. It was the way of life they had chosen, to fill what they needed to accomplish. Once you get into it, it's very hard for them, unless it's an injury, to get out of it."
What drew him to the project, Nelson says, was not only the journey Frank takes in the drama but Frank's drug abuse. "Finding at one time in your life a chance to give that up and making the decision to do that," explains Nelson, who, like Frank, battled substance abuse. `If you have that problem, this choice will come up."
In Frank's case, he says, a miracle saves him. "Sometimes it's through other people, and sometimes it's not. It happened through this kid who he responded to, for whatever reason."
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB