Kenny Irwin: The Final Goodbye
The
sky was a perfect shade of blue. The air was abuzz with pre-race excitement. The
crowds were immense. The sounds were deafening. The traffic stretched as far as
the eyes could see. But, off in a little grassy field, across from the
racetrack, was a small, subdued ceremony.
The ceremony, which consisted of releasing rainbow colored
balloons, was in honor of the former Winston Cup driver, Kenny Irwin, killed
while practicing in New Hampshire on July 7th. Kenny would have
turned a very young 31 years of age on Saturday in Indianapolis, his hometown.
The
small group gathered and was greeted by Irwin family members. They spoke of
their loved one through tears and tried to gain strength through the hugs and
kindness of strangers. This loving family is still struggling daily to come to
terms with the loss of Kenny.
There were no drivers in attendance, no big media names, just
a few fans, friends, and family members. Two BellSouth representatives were on
hand for the ceremony and they laughed and cried while relating stories about
Kenny.
Kimberly
Lewis, a long time fan of Kenny’s, wanted to do something memorable to
celebrate his life, not dwell on his untimely death.
"One special fan named Tracey, from Kenny’s website
message board, thought it would be nice to release the rainbow colored balloons
since a rainbow seemingly appeared over Kenny’s hauler after the accident in
New Hampshire," said Lewis.
"We
decided to do it right outside the track so as many fans as possible could be in
attendance, especially since Indianapolis is Kenny’s hometown. We contacted www.jayski.com,
he was so great and the idea took on a life of it’s own after the Jayski
posting. We want to especially thank that website," added Lewis.
"We’ve had a lot of help from so many wonderful people
who went over and posted on many driver message boards about the tribute planned
for Kenny. They got the word out quickly. Our main goal with this tribute is to
celebrate the wonderful, yet short, life of Kenny Irwin. Everything has been so
sad up to this point, we wanted to be involved in something positive to let the
healing begin," stated Lewis.
Three
Irwin family members were also in attendance and were, at times, overcome with
grief, yet appreciative for the fans who supported Kenny and the family through
the recent tragic events.
Ms. Irwin said, "We, again, want to thank everyone for
the support through their kindness to this devastated family. It shows us all
how much Kenny was loved and he won’t be soon forgotten. That show of respect
and support will sustain us for many months to come."
"It
still amazes us all, to a certain degree, that so many lives were touched by
Kenny in his short 31 years. Seeing all the balloons and people here today is so
very special. Kenny’s parents just couldn’t make it out here for this
special tribute though. They’re still, we all are, in the very beginnings of
the grieving process and they just couldn’t face it right now. They’ve
received thousands of cards and letter from around the world and it does help so
much. We’ve all gathered strength from the outpouring of love," added Ms.
Irwin.
"I
happened to hear about the balloon release on the Internet, I originally planned
not to come to the track today because it’s still so hard, but I felt the need
to be here with the fans and with my parents, who is Kenny’s extremely proud
aunt and uncle. It was just important to participate in this today as a show of
thanks for the love we’ve received as a family," said Ms. Irwin.
Ms. Irwin added, "I want to personally thank the Kenny
fans, the NASCAR fans, the NASCAR family, Felix Sabates, and the Sabco family.
Their support has been nearly overwhelming. The stacks of cards and letters have
come from all over the country and Canada. The fans who weren’t able to
personally attend the balloon release had the opportunity to simultaneously
release their own balloons and we hope they did. I also want to thank jayski.com
for getting the word out so quickly. This has been an emotional day for us all
and I, again, want to say a heartfelt thank you from all of us."
As
the balloons were released at approximately 11:00am, there was a stillness that
settled over the small gathering as they said a quiet Happy Birthday to Kenny.
The tears flowed silently down the cheeks of most in attendance and everyone
said a final goodbye to Kenny Irwin, Jr.
All photos by Tammy Brewington. Click on each picture to
see a larger image.