A Day At The Racetrack
I spend a lot of time at the racetrack, not only because it is the way I make my living, but because other than my family, it is the thing that makes me the HAPPIEST. With this in mind, I hope that a little insight might help make your track day experience a truly enjoyable time. Many of us played with toy cars when we were young, then graduated to real cars while in High School. We also enjoyed a little friendly competition amongst friends: whose car was the quickest or the coolest, who was the most inventive, or who was the better craftsman. These things lead me to the race track. The race track was the first place that I went to that gave me a feeling of real purpose and acceptance. It was my sanctuary, my place to go to and fix all my problems. It was the place where I found that I did not mind working long hours in uncomfortable conditions, and sometimes under very stressful conditions. I found a whole other person inside me; yes, I had found my true calling. This calling has been going for forty-plus years now, and it still gives me the same feeling I got when I was first going. The race track was the place that I learned the real meaning of "Team" and of teamwork. I learned that it was just as enjoyable to help the competition as it was to work on your own car, to loan needed parts or tools so that their car could race against your car, and to offer information that, in the end, could lead to them beating you. With all this in mind, I have noticed a change in some of the people at the track; some want to win or beat the other guy at any costs. There can be a lack of support or respect for their competition; it seems that instead of one big giant group, now there are smaller groups that are like little islands in the big ocean. I hope that by reading this, people will remember why they first started going to the track, that they will remember the feeling of helping others and the feeling of real competition, not just to win, but to know you have done your very best; to know that when needed, you stepped up and gave your very best. Thanks for taking a minute to read this. I hope to see you all at a track soon, and I hope everybody has a safe and memorable holiday weekend. ScheduleSchedule
