Then it ended on July 13, 2022, when efforts to revive him were unsuccessful. To outsiders it seems to all hang together. Mental illness, alcohol, some drug use and rootlessness. It is the right combination of factors that puts one in harm‘s way. The Easts think differently.
As the family struggles to understand they have tried their best to put the puzzle together. Their once happy child suffered a dramatic turn in personality. There are straightforward ways to understand this. Serious mental illness is commonly recognized in the period between adolescence and early adulthood. It can emerge in people raised in the best of circumstances, with loving parents and with all the resources in the world available to them.
When it comes to East, the symptoms were there. Still, something did not add up.
While Bob East originally pointed to the change in his son occurring after his stint in NASCAR, he now thinks things began to turn earlier than that. In 2003, Bobby was driving a Silver Crown car at Phoenix when a brake caliper fell off his mount. The result was nearly head-on impact with the wall. Bobby was taken to the infield care center where Dr. Henry Bock treated him.
His behavior during the examination was so outrageous and belligerent that he wrote a letter of apology once he returned home.
The problem is Bobby East did not remember a thing about the incident. Then in 2009, East had another heavy crash at Salem Speedway. While he was not unconscious, he was severely shaken up and suffered a concussion.
Beginning with an incident on a playground at the age of 8, the family can point to four separate episodes of significant brain trauma that occurred during Bobby‘s life.
The question is obvious. Were his challenges a function of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy? It is entirely possible. The brain remains the great unknown and mental health diagnoses lack precision. Bobby East could easily have suffered from schizophrenia and much of his behavior is consistent with the label. Yet, trauma, whether physical or emotional impacts the brain and subsequently behavior.
It is a complicated matter to sort out. We will never have the complete answer. In the greatest of irony, the East‘s wanted an autopsy complete to see if their son in fact had CTE. Unfortunately, because he was a homicide victim (and the case is still technically open) this could not be done within the needed timeframe.
At the time of his death the family received many inquiries from programs such as the Today Show and Good Morning America. They refused them all.
“It became a circus,” Janice said. “They were all very nice, but we did not want to do that. It was not about us it was all about making a big deal about the District Attorney out there releasing people.”
However, the Easts believe the overall message must be shared. Concussions are serious injuries that take time to heal properly. Slowly the motorsports community, like other sports entities, is beginning to take this seriously. It is late in coming and protocols must be established and followed.
If this story can prompt the racing community to take action it may prove to be Bobby East‘s greatest contribution to the sport. His racing legacy is secure. On the track he was brilliant. He notched three USAC national championships and 48 victories. While some may not truly understand he also did the best job he could to manage a difficult personal challenge. Despite his mother‘s fears he does not need defending.
The Easts will go forward as best they can. It will never be quite the same. For a time, Bob would return home every hour to be with his wife. “I didn‘t want to be very far from him and at some point, I realized I cannot live like this,” Janice said. “I went back to doing my old stuff, although I did go back to the races too soon. I went one night and I had to go home.”
She also knew her husband was struggling. “If he didn‘t have his racing, I don‘t know,” she said. “I could see there were times where he was ready to explode.”
For Bob, racing provides focus and purpose, but there are difficult times ahead.
The Easts did the best they could. There are no manuals to guide folks through times like these. Like all parents in similar circumstances, they rehash things they did and decisions they made.