IN
THE
WIND
P48
Strong: The Destry Abbott Story
Premiere A Hit In San Clemente
S
trong: The Destry Ab-
bott Story is an insightful
documentary that provides an
intimate and honest look at how
multi-time off-road champion
Destry Abbott dealt with leuke-
mia, how he coped with wife
Charlotte's diagnosis of breast
cancer a few months into his
own treatment, and how the
Abbott family turned this experi-
ence into a positive: his DA8
Strong organization that now
supports others as they fight
cancer.
After two sold-out shows in
the Phoenix area (near Abbott's
home) the weekend before,
Southern California-based
friends and fans got to see the
film at a sold-out premiere at
Baja HQ—the race shop of vet-
eran TV announcer and Trophy
truck racer Cameron Steele—in
San Clemente.
Created by longtime filmmak-
ers Cuyler Ruskin and Wiley
Watson, Strong draws on some
vintage footage from Destry's
early days and features extensive
interviews with him and his family
as well as past rivals such as Ty
Davis.
While Destry is no stranger to
giving interviews and being on
camera, he admitted this project
was much different than anything
he's done before. "It's emotional
for me and the family and [hear-
ing] my daughter [Kelsey], my
son [Cooper] or my wife talking. I
start tearing up listening to them
talk about me not being here and
all that. It's pretty hard, but I'm
pretty lucky and blessed to be
here at the same time.
"I feel like my racing career,
I'm really happy with what I did.
That's [in the] past.
"My biggest fight, my biggest
battle was cancer. Overcom-
ing that means more to me than
10 titles and wins and all these
other things. It's really about life
and cherishing it and spending
it with family and loved ones. It's
a different perspective. As you
get older, things change and you
realize, 'Okay, life's going in a
different direction—not, maybe,
one you planned, but at the
same time it's pretty amazing. I
appreciate that now more than
anything."
Strong was well received
by attendees, such as Johnny
Campbell, Jeremy McGrath and
wife Kim (who'd also battled leu-
kemia), and other notables.
At least four more showings
are scheduled with more pos-
sible. For the schedule and
additional information, visit www.
media66inc.com or www.da8s-
trong.org. Mark Kariya
The Baja HQ shop in San Clemente,
California, hosted the showing Strong:
The Destry Abbott Story.
PHOTO: MARK KARIYA
