Sofa Sideline – In Retrospect
I must confess; I didn’t get to see the race in
Richmond. And it’s one of my favorite tracks. I’ve spent the last couple of
weeks traveling with Andy Belmont et al in the world of ARCA. It has been an
interesting adventure; another time, another column.
During the fourteen hour trek home, I listened to most of
the race; there were areas where it cut out. I found it amazing that Kenseth
came back to win that race after being a lap down. He’s got this short track
thing down pat and congratulations go out to him.
Sterling Marlin took a hard hit early in the race,
finished last, but somehow managed to hold on to first place in the point race.
Granted, it’s only a nine point lead, but nonetheless, he’s still leading.
This business with Tony Stewart – what a joke! I didn’t
defend Tony after the incident in Indy; I felt there was no legitimate excuse
for his behavior, but this time. Come on, give me a break. This woman was
looking to mess with him; she’s an embarrassment, and more than likely looking
for some type of payoff. Don’t do it Tony!
I used to defend fans in the pit area. But as of late, I’ve
made it a point to watch what goes on. Chasing down drivers, while they are
basically on their way to work, has gotten to the point of ridiculousness.
During the race in Nashville, I saw a lady standing on the wrong side of the
orange cones; nonchalantly talking to someone, she dropped her plastic soda
bottle, casually picked it up, and carried on her conversation. All I could
think of was if one of the trucks had a problem and had to pull into the garage
area, she would have been killed. I alerted the security people; more security
came in to "watch" the area, but at that precise moment, I thought,
how stupid can you be.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for fan access to the
drivers, teams, etc. But at the end of the day, common sense should prevail. It’s
a simple as that. If fans in the pits can’t respect the drivers and team
members while they are at work, then get out of the area. It basically is as
simple as that.
Other Notes:
September 11, 2001; in retrospect, a tragic day for
America. One cannot help but reflect on one’s own life events during this
time. For myself, I remember last year I had just arrived in Charlotte – the
plan was to find that dream job working in the world of racing. That’s all I
could envision. That fateful Tuesday, I was going out the door to do some
"cold-calling" trying to sell whatever it is I have to offer. I just
happened to stop to check the weather, to see if I needed to bring a sweater. I
turned the TV on just as the second plane hit the WTC. Needless to say, I sat
down and never moved from in from of the television for two days. I am not
ashamed to say I cried. We had a brief scare; the wife of my brother’s best
friend from high school worked in the third building that came down later in the
day. About five o’clock that day, we found out she was okay.
For me it was not necessarily an awakening; I got the
message quite awhile ago that the most precious thing in life is family and
friends. When you have a child that dies, you get it. Work is not what is
important. One always tries to do the best they can, but in the greater scheme
of things; family is what matters. I went home for the winter; back to New York.
I felt this compelling need to be near my son, my sister, my brothers, the kids
(they were so fun, I loved being "Aunt Nancy"), my dad. My dad just
recently passed away; must have been part of the reason I went home – to spend
more time.
I’m back in North Carolina because the other side of the
coin is that life goes on. You can’t stop living; love and happiness are what
is most important. I’ve learned that regardless, that one cannot sacrifice
their "own being" and the need to be love and be loved for anything.
It just doesn’t work. You might think it will, but it just doesn’t.
I’m grateful to my son; he understands his crazy mom’s
desire to work in this racing world. He loves me a lot. I think he’s one of
the greatest people I know, and every time I talk to him I feel more proud. He’s
had to overcome a lot of adversity through the years; he’s survived one of
life’s most compelling tragedies – the loss of his sister; his best friend.
So, for me, September 11th is a time to say I
love you to my son and his wife, Chris and Vickie, my brothers and sister,
Sandy, Jimmy, Stephen and Pete; to Dawn my best friend; to Joan and Gail (&
Johnny), thanks for putting up with me through thick and thin; to Brenda, my
ex-assistant and good buddy (thanks, I’m so happy life is finally being good
to you); to friends like Sharon and Mike who I know will always be there;
Donald, who’s stuck around as a "bud" for years (amazing); to new
friends, Steve, Michael & Jason, may the good times roll; to Robert Alan –
I hope life treats you kinder in the future; and to everyone in America – God
Bless You!
That’s it for now.