"Shaun and NuFormz is an integral part of this small Formula Drift family. Personally, I have known Shaun for a long time, since the days we crossed paths at McMullen Argus Publishing (now Source Interlink) when he was writing for various magazine and I was selling advertising. He has always been a hard charger and this is just another obstacle he will overcome. Everyone here at the FD office wishes him nothing but the best while he recuperates." - Jim Liaw, "President and co-founder of Formula DRIFT"NuFormz Racing Owner Shaun Carlson on the Mend after Health Scare Shaun Carlson, owner of Team Mopar® Formula Drift star Samuel Hubinette’ s Mopar Drift Dodge Challenger, is recuperating nicely at home after suffering a series of three heart attacks over the last month. The attacks have been diagnosed as Brugada Syndrome, a genetic disease characterized by an abnormality in the heart’s electrical system that can cause potentially fatal arrhythmias. Carlson, owner and team manager of NuFormz Racing in Ontario, Calif., and a former Team Mopar NHRA Pro Stock driver for Don Schumacher Racing, had just returned home after working at his shop on Feb. 1 when he suffered a ventricular tachycardia episode. He was shocked back to life two times during his ordeal. Following a battery of tests, Carlson received an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) to monitor his heart rhythms and deliver shocks if dangerous rhythms occur. Carlson was discharged from the hospital nearly two weeks ago. He has since paid a few visits to his NuFormz Racing shop, but has been placed on restricted duty, which means absolutely no work or stress. On his ICD device, Carlson joked, "It’s in a cool titanium case. I now have a Social Security number and a serial number! It’s like my own 24-hour paramedic. I don’t have a problem with the plumbing side of my heart, but with the electrical side. Everything inside me is fine, but I inherited a gene that leads to this disease. "I still have some championships to win with Sam and with Mopar. There’s a reason why I’ve survived three heart attacks. Going forward, I plan to work to bring awareness to everybody out there about Brugada. It’s been a life-changing experience and I’m going to make the best out of it. It’ s good to be smellin’ the roses right now." Hubinette and the Mopar NuFormz team will make their 2009 debut April 10–11 in the Formula Drift season-opening event on the Streets of Long Beach, Calif. For more information on the Formula Drift Series, visit http://www.formuladrift.com.
