TO KENNY IRWIN’S MOTHER

As I sat contemplating whether I should or
should not write this open letter of condolence to the mother of Kenny Irwin, I
decided to risk intruding on such sacred ground as a mother’s grief for
outliving her child, to tell her how much we’ll all miss her son.

I am a sports writer, relatively new to
the sport of auto racing, but have been fortunate enough to become acquainted
with many of the drivers and their entire crews, including Kenny Irwin.
Thankfully, I had the recent opportunity to tag along with Kenny and to conduct
a one-on-one interview with him in Dover. He was open, honest, funny, and
wearing a silly hat that I’ll never forget!

But, more important than being a writer, I’m
a mother. Like most caring mothers, I worry about my child every time she gets
behind the wheel of her little red car. But, for the mothers of racecar drivers,
the worry must be amplified 1,000%! These wonderful parents worry about their
sons on a weekly basis, but would never dream of trying to interfere or take
away the joy and excitement their sons find behind the wheel of their hotrod. It’s
their chosen profession, they understand the risk, accept defeat, embrace
victory, and simply enjoy life in the fast lane.

Some writers tend to forget these men are
just ordinary guys doing an extraordinary job. Granted, Kenny had not made it
all the way to the top of his chosen profession as far as career wins, but he
had made it to the top. He made it to the elite group called Winston Cup driver!
These men have feelings, families, good day and bad days. They feel pain, joy,
excitement, loss, and every other emotion we all share in common in the human
race. They feel the sting of the negative press and the love from fans, friends,
and family. They choose to entertain the fans and risk life and limb to be a
small part of the sport they love. And yes, they are athletes through and
through.

Kenny’s mother has been in my thoughts
all day and I wanted her to know, in Kenny’s own words, how truly special she
was to him. I feel certain Kenny was the type of son to have told her on many
occasions how he felt about her. He had a very soft-spoken manner, extremely
polite and genuinely sweet, all characteristics of having a stable, loving
environment to grow up in and no doubt a mother’s loving touch. I personally
have not experienced the kind of pain Mrs. Irwin is feeling today, but I would
like to know if I did have to endure the unthinkable, I’d like to hear the
kind, thoughtful words my daughter may have voiced to a stranger about me and
treasure them always. Although there are no real comforting words to say to
someone at such a devastating and personal time, I truly believe it would bring
me a twinge of comfort to know my daughter chose to speak with such love and
admiration for me as Kenny did for his Mom.

Kenny said, "My mother is my best
friend. She used to take me to baseball games on Saturday, she probably wanted
me to play baseball or something, but Dad would show up halfway through the game
with the racecar and I’d head off to the track with him. I wanted to race. Dad
never had the opportunities I’ve been privileged to have in racing, but he
helped me get to where I am today, in Winston Cup. Mom and Dad attend most of my
races and are my biggest fans. I’m close to both my parents, without Dad’s
help, I couldn’t have made it this far and without Mom’s friendship I wouldn’t
be the person I am today either. Again, Mom is my best friend."

What better words could a son leave to his
mother?