Facing the Inevitable

(Val) Death is a part of life, which makes it an unwelcome, yet unavoidable part of racing as well. No matter how many drivers we lose, each one takes us by surprise, breaks our hearts and causes us to take a step back and appreciate once more the danger of the sport we love.

Rookie Indy Racing League driver Paul Dana, 30, of St. Louis lost his life this morning in a horrific crash in practice for the first race of the 2006 season at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He was a member of the Rahal-Letterman Team owned by former driver Bobby Rahal and Late Night television’s David Letterman. Buddy Rice and Danica Patrick were Paul’s team mates.

As I sat here in my living room thinking about basketball, the start of the NASCAR race at Bristol, and the kick off of my own race season next weekend, the news of Dana’s death came across the Fox News screen. My first thought was, “oh no, not again.” We see so many race accidents on any given weekend, drivers climbing out of a mass of mangled metal without so much as a scratch, and we start to think they are invincible. It’s a rude wake up call when we are reminded that they are not.

Inevitably, today’s accident brings up memories of similar losses in the past. If you have been a fan of Motorsports for any amount of time, you have experienced loss. That loss may have been distant, in the form of a driver you were not overly familiar with, or maybe did not even like, or that loss may have hit very close to home. You may have witnessed the accident, or you may have heard about it second hand. No matter the circumstances, losing a driver is like losing someone in our family, because the racing community is just that: One big family.

And like the family that we are, we will grieve this loss together.

So today, my thoughts here will be brief. All I can say is that my heart goes out to everyone who mourns the death of Paul Dana. My God in His mercy bless each and every one of you.