Pain

(Val) Pain can steal our time, rule our days and torment us throughout the night. It can be unrelenting, brutal and completely dominating. It is heartless, thoughtless and raw. Pain isolates us into our own cold, dark, windowless prison cells, where others may visit, but they never understand the depth of our agony.

This past week, I have learned a lot about pain. Unfortunately, I am pretty sure the lessons are going to continue for a while. In fact, just the effort to type this quick post will undoubtedly cause more pain. But I miss doing this and I’m willing to take the risk.

It all started Monday morning when I sat down to start the day’s work. My shoulder began to hurt, and, having assumed that maybe I’d just slept in an odd position, I tried stretching, bending and massaging the ache, but these actions only made things worse. Eventually, I took myself to a doctor, was diagnosed with a rotator cuff injury and a pulled tricep. He gave me some pain meds and I took them and prayed for relief. I’m still waiting.

On Thursday, I saw another doctor. Her diagnosis was muscle spasms. This time I not only got different meds, but orders for physical therapy. I start tomorrow, and I can only hope that this is the answer.

The pain is in my right shoulder, tricep, bicep, and elbow, and my index and middle fingers are asleep and tingly. I call them my “mouse fingers” because they are the ones I use the most when working with my computer mouse. Typing is uncomfortable, but doesn’t cause the sharp pain that working the mouse does. It’s very strange indeed.

Because of all this pain and tingliness, I have been unable to work for most of the week. It has been frustrating for me, to say the least, and I know it has to be even more so for my co-workers who are trying their best to cover for me. We are behind in posting the news, but I know that every effort is being made to keep up. I can only hope that my co-workers realize how much I appreciate their efforts. As someone who is always in the thick of things where work is concerned, having to sit on the sidelines has been a humbling experience.

And so I sit here, and I count the hours until my physical therapy appointment, and I ponder pain and why God allows it. It’s one of those questions I want to ask when I step through the gates of heaven. All I know is that He is always with me, in the dark of night when I can’t sleep because of the pain, and in those rare, brief moments when I find a position that doesn’t hurt. I am thankful for God’s promise to give me hope, and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). I just hope that the future is a little less painful.

Spring Has Finally Arrived

(Spring) I have finally arrived and the lilacs out my bedroom window are fantastic. I impatiently await their scented arrival every spring, kinda like the feeling one has for chocolate chip cookies in the oven or waiting for the arrival of the Daytona or Indy 500. Racing has been in my blood as long as I can remember. Going to my Uncle Lonnie and Uncle Brice's house and watching Richard Petty win. It gives me chill bumps now remembering the feelings I had. And then the Dukes of Hazzard appeared on the scene and that General Lee just did something to this southern bred country girl. I enjoy all kinds of racing; horse, auto, bike, boat.... pretty much anything with speed, but cars and horses..... yummy and my blood gets to pumping. I still would take a horse to work any day and appreciate all that they offer to us and society, now and then. I have had the privilege to be in England for the early morning exercises at Newmarket and WOW, the power that shook the ground I stood on was breathtaking. Hey, brainstorm... Val, we must go to a horse race. I hear there is a really big one coming up, haha. Anyway, I will save my horse racing stories for another late night of work.

Val and I have been toying around with this idea of Girls Gone Racin' for a while and it is amazing how things come together. I and my husband, Randy, hosted a Daytona 500 party and it was then that Val and I made the decision to stop talking about it and do it. I am so excited to be working with Val and I foresee many a late night and side splitting laughter, even if some of it is at my own expense. I will be doing more homework, so I don't make many more rookie mistakes, but was so glad to brighten everyone's evening with my tree comment. Ok, just remember my expertise is photographing things that move me and Val writes fabulously, thus we are going to make a great team. Keep up with the craziness and please leave comments.

Night 1, Part 2

(Val) As you have probably guessed by now, I am not a serious journalist, and I never plan to be one. You won’t find the typical racing news and re-caps in this blog, because that’s my day job. You can find all of that kind of information on www.whowon.com.

What I love about this blogging deal is that I can write about whatever part of the race night I want to, which may or may not be the actual racing. For me, race nights are about much more than who won the event, or who racked up the fasted time. The racing is the biggest draw and the most important part, of course, but on nights like last night, it is also about meeting people, observing, learning and just taking it all in. That’s what I did at Gateway.

Standing just a few feet away from cars with amazingly powerful engines, one is on full sensory overload. First, is the artistic beauty of some of these cars with their custom paint jobs and in intense graphics. What broke our hearts was the late-sixties era Camaro that hit the wall down at the end of the track. It’s just devastating when something that nice is lost, but it’s the gamble every driver knowingly takes every time they drop the hammer.

There is the smell of the fumes that a burnout stirs up, a combination of rubber and spent fuel that makes your eyes and nose burn and also leaves an acrid taste in your mouth.

The roar of those powerful engines, is like a living breathing thing, filling your ears and making them throb, even with the earplugs firmly seated. Drag racing is a noisy, smelly, heart-pounding, foul-tasting visual feast. It’s easy to see why fans come back, time after time, to watch.

We didn’t see any women racers last night (that we know of) but we did see quite a few female fans, and several gals working with the sanction, track and teams. Spring did a great job of capturing many of them in her work, and I know she is excited about sharing those photos. I got to see them today, and was very impressed.

Spring, Randy and I got a wonderful initiation to the sport last night. We were made welcome, by everyone we met. Photographers, the guys in the media room, fans and teams all opened up to us by sharing information, answering every question we put to them, and even offering up some tasty bar-b-que.

Yes, the night ended early because of lightning, but that just gave us the opportunity to talk even more folks than we may have had the chance to otherwise.

I got to watch Spring work, which was a lot of fun. She was a great sport about the black specks that covered the white jacket she wore, and she was terrific about just diving in and trying to get the best possible shots. Watching all the photographers gather around comparing photos, and seeing her right in the thick of them was very rewarding.

I would be remiss if I failed to mention one little thing, and Randy asked me to make sure I included this in my part of the blog. The racing came to a standstill at one point in the evening, and Spring asked one of the photographers what was going on. He told her they were having problems with the tree, and she asked, “What’s a tree?” Every one of those photographers just looked too dumbstruck to speak, but one of them finally pointed toward the tower of lights and told her what it was called. I know you were a little embarrassed, Spring, but how would you have known if you hadn’t asked? There really are NO dumb questions at the race track!

They may have teased her a little bit about the tree question, but I know that those guys respected her as a fellow photographer, and that goes a long, long way in my book.

There are still so many images in my head from last night that I find it difficult to put them into words here. One of the highlights was the run that ADRL President Kenny Nowling made with a young boy in an amazing old Camaro. The wheelstands were awesome and I know that boy had the ride of his life. It seems to me that there’s not a racer out there who doesn’t have a soft spot for kids, which is just one more reason that you’ve got to love this sport.

To everyone who made last night possible for us, I thank you. My most sincere thanks goes out to all of those people who were so patient about answering our questions. We went into this with absolutely no pre-conceived notions or expectations, and we learned once again just how gracious those in the racing community can be.

Here are links to just a few of the people who were so nice to us:

American Drag Racing League
George and Rhonda with Denny Brothers Photography
Jeff Burk at Drag Racing Magazine Online
Roger Richards at Competition Plus
For conversation and excellent BBQ, the nice folks at Troy Critchley Racing

Girls (Finally) Go Racin’!

(Val) 11:43pm -- Spring is on her way home as I write this, ready to get the photos on a cd so I can get them on line ASAP. She did a wonderful job on her first night out, and I think she passed muster quite handily with the veterans. I had a great time watching her work and can’t wait to see how the pics look once we get them on the site.

My first thought as I make a quick run through of the night’s events is that Drag racing is absolutely nothing like any other type of racing I have ever experienced. As true as that statement is, I would have to add the caveat that all types of racing have one thing in common: The people.

Tonight, at the ADRL Flowmaster Gateway Drags was, for lack of a better description, awesome! From signing in at the gate with Jackie, to talking to drivers, fans and photographers, to watching the last few minutes of the Jason Aldean concert, we had a great time.

Spring, her husband Randy, and I arrived at the track around 5:30 or so and the adventure began as soon as we got out of the car and started walking down the rows of cars. We saw some absolutely beautiful machines, and no two of them were alike. Our quest to find girls involved in racing was off to a great start when we spotted two-year-old Hayley cruising around in a miniature golf cart. Spring got some great shots of her sitting in her Daddy’s race car, and we enjoyed talking to him.

Being initiated into Drag racing was a lot smoother than I expected it to be. Everyone around us was so friendly and helpful about answering our questions. We added several new phrases to our vocabularies tonight, and learned their definitions as well! Much, much thanks goes out to George, Rhonda, Don and Tom who opened up a whole new world for me tonight. I had no idea that watching cars fly at top speed for 1/8 mile could be so exciting!

We had been forewarned about the earplugs, and we came well-armed. They are a definite necessity, especially when one is standing mere feet from the edge of the drag strip! The sound is indescribable, and the smell -- a mix of spent fuel and burned rubber -- combined with the smoke, is a bit overwhelming! But all of that was nothing compared to the heat of the flame-throwing Chevy S-10 Wheelstander, and the amazingly powerful Jetcar. Whoa! Talk about something that could literally set you on your backside, that’s them for sure.

There is a lot more to say, and I took notes so I wouldn’t forget anything, but I’m going to keep this brief tonight, because I’m wiped out and tomorrow morning will come very quickly. With it being Easter Sunday, it will be a busy day, but I will do my best to get back on here and fill in the details. Hopefully, those will be accompanied by pictures.

Happy Easter!

Val

The best-laid plans...

Let's see, it's been about 45 minutes since that last post, and as often happens, our plans have changed. I think it just goes to show that the saying is true: "People plan, God laughs."

Spring just called to say that her son's doctor appointment did not quite go as planned. As it turns out, what seemed like just springtime allergies may in fact be pneumonia. They are on the way to get a chest x-ray right now.

Because I'm a worrywart Mom, I knew that Spring would not have a good time tonight if she was worried about Caleb, so we decided to postpone our first Drag race adventure for tomorrow night. We apologize to everyone who is following this, but our kids have to come first!

So, stay tuned, cross your fingers and say a little prayer for Caleb. He's a cutie and I hope he's feeling better soon.

Until tomorrow, I'll just sit here and enjoy the air conditioning. I finally broke down and turned it on because it was getting unbearable!

One hour and counting...

(Val) Well, here we are, finally! It's Friday afternoon, and within the hour Spring will be here and we will be on our way to Gateway for the ADRL Drag races. It seems like it's been ages since we first started talking about this and making our plans, and I was beginning to wonder if this day would ever come.

With temperatures near 90 today, it is unseasonably warm and we will have to work hard to stay cool. Because I have only been to the oval track, I have no idea what the facilities on the Dragstrip side of Gateway are like when it comes to shade or a cool place to duck inside. There is also a chance for storms later this evening, so hopefully my circle track luck will not follow me to the straight track and we will stay dry.

Depending on when we get home tonight, I will either update the blog late this evening or early tomorrow morning. The photos will probably be Spring's job so we'll just have to see how that works out. Hopefully, we will be able to get those up before heading back over tomorrow afternoon.

Another racechick has joined our ranks and will be adding her comments to the blog in the near future. My co-worker Ashley, down in Birmingham, is checking out the newly re-opened Childersburg Speedway tonight and will be bringing us that news. She also has everything in order to attend NASCAR Weekend at Talladega in a few weeks. Leading up to that weekend, will be interviews with Kevin Harvick, Burney Lamar, and hopefully, a few surprise guests. Look for our "Staying on for Eight" segments featuring uncommon questions that will hopefully spawn some interesting answers!

Thanks to everyone who is following along on our adventure. I hope you will enjoy the news we have to share.

Girls Gone Racin' takes straight and narrow path

ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- While bats are swinging on the west side of the Big Muddy tomorrow night, there will be a completely different kind of action going down just across the river. If the consistent recommenation by friends to wear ear protection is any indication, it is highly possible that the cheers of the crowd at the new Busch Stadium may be drowned out by the roar of the engines at Gateway International Raceway.

This weekend Gateway welcomes the American Drag Racing League Fatheadz.com Gateway Drags, and Girls Gone Racin' will be there to witness the action. Not only is this the first event in our inaugural season, but it is also the first time either of us has been to a drag race. With that in mind, we are prepared to be awed by the power, noise and quickness of these cars.

Plans for Girls Gone Racin' have been in the works for quite some time, and we have put together a schedule of events that will cover many different types of racing. Please join these two "Moms on a mission" as we leave husbands and kids at home and venture out into the male-dominated world of racing. As veteran oval track fans, we are excited to see just what the fuss is all about when it comes to running a straight line. The ear plugs are packed and ready to go. It's time to get this party started.

About Girls Gone Racin'
Girls Gone Racin' powered by RaceFan is geared toward women racers and fans everywhere. Our goal is to highlight women in the sport, from behind the wheel, to behind the scenes, and even the fans in the stands. Watch for interviews with some of the top men in racing as well. We will be traveling to several different events this summer, covering everything from Drag Racing to Sprints, IRL to NASCAR, all through the eyes of women. Our coverage will include stories via the GGR blog, interviews and brilliant photography, all of which will be available through the Girls Gone Racin' web site.

For more information, visit www.girlsgoneracin.com www.girlsgoneracin.com.

Walk Softly and Carry a Big Purse

(Val) Cardinals fans here in St. Louis are all set to christen the opening of our new baseball stadium during Monday night’s home opener against Milwaukee. It’s a big deal that has dominated the local news for quite sometime now because of the controversy involving tax use, the sentimental attachment many had to the old Busch Stadium and the worry that the new venue would not be completed in time.

Earlier this week, an exhibition game was played at the new stadium, and the reviews, both positive and negative, were bantered about like fielders warming up before a game. As someone who loves the game of baseball, but would rather watch my son play little league or take in a local Frontier League game than make the trip through the hubbub of downtown, my excitement has been somewhat tempered. I definitely want to go checkout the new digs, and I’ll cheer just as loud for my beloved Redbirds as the rest of the crowd, but when it comes right down to it, I have a beef with the whole experience of big league play, and it’s not limited to baseball.

Without turning this into a big rant that no one cares to read, I’ll just lay it on the line: Concessions at our stadiums, arenas and superspeedways are the biggest rip-off known to fankind. When I saw the price of a bottle of water at the new Busch Stadium listed at $4.50, I was astounded. If my math is correct, that multiplies out to over $34.00 per gallon. And I though $2.59 for gas was bad!

It all seemed to start with the movie theaters. It’s not bad enough that one can rent two movies for the price of one theater ticket - assuming there is actually something out there worth seeing - but then you walk in and pay three to four times the convenience store price for candy or soda, and it’s ridiculous. This is one of the main reasons that our family sees, on average, only one to two movies per year at a theater.

So what is the solution? Until the powers that be start listening to folks like me who say “we’re not gonna take it anymore,” the only thing we can do is to bring snacks with us, an act of criminal proportions, according to the signs posted at some events. Because most places ban outside snacks and beverages, we are forced to resort to sneakiness. This becomes more challenging all the time, especially in this day and age of terrorism where purses, packs and coats are subject to random search and snack seizure.

Of course, there are ways around such measures, and I have to admit, I have used them in the past, and will continue to do so as long as prices remain in the “utterly ridiculous” range.

When my kids were still young enough to justify the carrying of a diaper bag, it was pretty simple to conceal snacks and even drinks when the need arose. After all, even the burliest of security guards is intimidated by thoughts of what the average diaper bag might contain.

Now that my diaper bag toting days are over, I have had to revise my plotting, planning, snack-sneaking ways. This has led me to do extensive research in my quest to find the best purse for the job.

When searching for the perfect snack-sneaking bag, there are several things too look for. The first is size because let’s face it, those dinky little bags that teenagers carry can’t hold much more than an earring and a stick of gum. You need something large, but not overly so because you don’t want it to draw attention. A duffle bag might be a bit obvious.

The other main thing to keep in mind is containment areas. Look for a bag with lots of smaller compartments or divisions in which to stow your stuff. During most searches, it’s that main compartment in the middle that’s going to be scrutinized, not the little zippered areas or the area hidden by the “false bottom” of some bags.

Currently, L.L. Bean’s (www.llbean.com) Travel Touring Bags fit the bill nicely. They come in four colors and two sizes, regular and large, and have lots of pockets, zippers and flaps for stowing your stash. All those little areas are perfect because as noted above, the smaller spots don’t look like they could contain a whole lot, and therefore, don’t often rate a search. The inside pocket of these bags is my favorite because it is virtually unnoticeable and can hold lots of goodies!

Once you have the perfect bag, it is important that you pack the perfect snacks. In fairer weather, most candies, nuts, crackers and cookies will work, but on steamy outings, be sure to pack sturdier fair. There is nothing worse than anticipating the chocolatey goodness of M&Ms, and then reaching in and drawing back a hand full of melted candy mess. They may not melt in your hand, but they sure will melt in your purse!

Packaging is also important. While most treats will survive quite nicely in their original wrappers, some items may need to be reinforced, or split into smaller serving sizes using a series of zipper type bags. Of course, if you are worried about overzealous security guards ratting you out, you might also want to disguise your snacks inside tissue wrappers or pain reliever bottles.

In the event you do find yourself busted by a party-pooping snack-confiscating security guard, remember to remain calm. Crying, ranting and screaming will get you no where, but bribery just might work. You might consider packing one super-sized snack with a small amount of paper cash inconspicuously taped to it for just such occasions.

Finally, I have to offer this caveat: I do not advocate snack-sneaking at smaller, local tracks for many reasons, and in fact, I encourage you to support them with your purchases. First, they usually charge much less than the mega-venues for their food and beverages, therefore making it much less necessary to sneak. Second, the small tracks generally do much better job of catering to the needs of families anyway with most offering free parking and affordable ticket prices. Thirdly, these businesses are most often run by individuals trying to eke out a living, not by major shareholders and conglomerates who pay millions of dollars to athletes in order to boost their own salaries.

Best of luck to all you snack-sneakers out there, and my most sincere apologies to President Theodore Roosevelt for capitalizing on his favorite quote for illegal purposes. Feel free to share your tips in the comments section of the blog. The best ones will be posted for all to see and use!

Wooden Crosses

(Val) On days like this I wish I'd never gotten out of bed, never turned on my computer, and never answered the phone. There are no more shocking moments than those that bring the news of the passing of a someone we care about. Today is one of those days.

Friendships take on a whole new twist when one works in cyberspace. For the last six years, that is what I have done, and it is something I really enjoy doing. There is a unique relationship that forms between people who use only e-mail and instant messaging for communication. Yes, we miss out on inflection, tone, visual expression, but in some ways, I am convinced that we get to know each other better because we open up a little more in writing our thoughts and feelings instead of speaking them. We maybe give just a little more thought to what we want to say, and have the opportunity to backspace over something we shouldn't say before hitting that "send" button.

There is a downside to this though. Because we use the written word, we have no idea the color of a person's eyes, and as it's been said many times, those eyes are the windows to a person's soul. We can exchange a photograh but it's just not the same. A one-dimensional portrait never really gives us a three dimensional look at the person behind the face. Without ever meeting a person, we never get the privilige of hearing their voice, watching their expression, sharing in their laughter. In other words, we only get to see one side, and for some, it may be the only side they want us to see.

Do we really reveal who we are through what our fingers type on the keyboard? Or do we hide our insecurities, our failures and even our shame because we are afraid of what others might see?

This morning I got word that a co-worker had passed. It came like a bolt out of the blue, and my first thought was that it could not possibly be true. We just "talked" last Thursday, making plans for a teleconference this week. It would be the first time we actually heard each other's voices, and I was looking forward to it. There were exciting things happening in the company, and this person was one of those wonderful people who always lent encouragement and support, someone who seemed excited about what he was doing, despite the challenges and headaches he encountered along the way.

So as I sit here and reflect about life and death and what it all means, there is a part of me that feels as if I didn't earn this grief. After all, we had never met face-to-face so how I can I say that I miss him? But the reality is, I do miss him! I'm still waiting for that little Instant Messenger box to pop up on my window saying that he has signed in. I keep checking that list, hoping to see his little IM picture but instead it's just that faceless red IM icon. When I follow the instructions: "Right click to see ways that you can interact with this person," my options are "Send Email" and "Send Other." Because the only real choice I have now is "Send Other," I send my prayers, prayers for his parents, his two little children, for my co-workers in New York who worked with him every day, and for myself because today I feel cheated. Not only did I lose a friend, but I lost the opportunity to hear him laugh and I will never get that chance again. Even in death, he's still teaching me.

When someone loses their life in a highway accident, a white wooden cross will often mark the spot. Because we worked together on the "information highway," I would like to dedicate my own "cross" in the form of the song below.

Godspeed, Gene. May we never forget the joy you brought into our lives.

Cry Out To Jesus
Words by Mac Powell / Music by Third Day

To everyone who's lost someone they love
Long before it was their time
You feel like the days you had were not enough
when you said goodbye

And to all of the people with burdens and pains
Keeping you back from your life
You believe that there's nothing and there is no one
Who can make it right

There is hope for the helpless
Rest for the weary
Love for the broken heart
There is grace and forgiveness
Mercy and healing
He'll meet you wherever you are
Cry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus

Weather...or not

(Val) Over the years, I've watched races from just about any imaginable place, bleachers, infield, NSCHoF suites, the sofa in my livingroom. Yesterday, however, was the first time I ever heard part of a race while crouching in our storm closet with the tornado sirens blaring outside.

To be honest, we did not intentionally turn on the race, but we have a TV band radio in our basement storage area so we can hear what's going on during dangerous weather situations. Because our local Fox affiliate does such a great job with their weather coverage, it just so happened that we already had them tuned in, which meant we got to listen to the race when they weren't breaking in with updates. So as I sat there trying to keep the kids and the dog distracted, it was kind of nice to have the race on to help divert my attention from the possible destruction going on outside.

As a midwestern gal born and raised, tornadoes are just a part of life. We know the signs, what to watch for, and quite often, we hit the basement before the sirens even go off. Such was the case yesterday afternoon. When the trees stopped swaying from side to side, and began twisting instead, we decided to head to the hidey hole.

My husband designed, built and reinforced our glorified closet a few years back, after many debates about whether or not our full-framed walkout basement was really the safest place to go during destructive weather. It’s a great storage place with a hallway long enough for the four of us to sit or stand. He built it before the dog came along, so it’s a little bit crowded now, but we don’t mind.

As much as small spaces bother me, I always feel pretty safe there. After watching the coverage of the destruction of the last few storms to hit our area, I am more thankful for our safe room than ever before. There's no place like home during an outbreak of severe weather.

Weather plays a huge factor in Motorsports, and not just for the drivers and their teams trying to drive a race or set up a car. Ask anyone who has logged on to the NOAA site in the hours leading up to a planned race trip and you may find out that we know more about weather patterns, storm fronts and barometric pressure than fans of any other sport ever imagined.

Quite often, that radar screen, combined with the weather report, will make or break a race weekend. However, erring on the side of caution can also cost us when we’re wrong. That happened Saturday night.

My Dad and I have this agreement. Because we can’t stand freezing at the race track, we’ve decided not to go if the night time temperature is predicted to fall below a certain point. Let’s face it, no one wants to pay to be uncomfortable all night long, no matter how exciting the action on the track. Over the years, we have attended a few races in the cold, and it’s never been a pretty site. We anticipated that happening last Saturday night with the World of Outlaws Sprint Car race at I-55 Raceway, and it kept us from seeing what turned out to be some great racing. With 55 Sprint Cars signed in, the temperature didn’t drop below our cutoff point until after the feature. Needless to say, we blew it this weekend!

One of those weekends that really did turn out to be uncomfortably cold happened on a quick trip my husband and I took down to Dallas a few years ago. Richard Day, then PR Rep for the World of Outlaws Sprint Series, invited us down to Lanny and Beverly Edwards’ Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas. A friend got us a great rate on stand-by tickets to fly down, so there was just no way we could turn down the invitation. My only problem was overcoming claustrophobia long enough to survive the flight.

We made it out of St. Louis on the second flight of the day, and after waiting through the de-icing procedure, we were on our way. The flight was uneventful until it came time to land, which turned out to be the one of the most frightening experiences of my life. Our pilot must have moved from flying F-15s straight into flying jumbo jets and no one explained to her that landing one is in no way similar to landing the other. Even my husband, who is a stalwart flyer, was ready to kiss the ground when we deplaned.

We picked up our rental car, navigated the traffic and found our way to Devil’s Bowl Speedway. What an amazing track! We were enthralled with the absence of fencing along the back straight, and we cracked up every time a car would disappear over the ridge out of turn two and then come roaring back onto the track and into to turn three. The racing was awesome, and we had a wonderful time.

It got a bit chilly that first night, so on Saturday, we bundled up, wearing just about everything we’d brought along, and spent the evening huddling up near those engine heaters that some of the teams use. It was cold, and we toughed it out for as long as we could, then headed back to our hotel for a few hours’ sleep. Despite the cold, we had a lot of fun that weekend, and I know that given the choice, we would do it all over again.

Cold and rain are certainly not the only enemies of the race fan, that’s for sure. The very worst, and certainly the most dangerous situation, has to be tornadoes. It only stands to reason that with so many tracks in the middle of Tornado Alley, they are bound to be a factor. For a few years there, I was beginning to think they were attracted to me personally.

It’s one thing when those bad boys strike early in the program, before nightfall when you can see them coming, but it’s another matter entirely when they wait until it’s pitch black outside. Twice now we have run from tornadoes, and both were frightening experiences. I would have to say that the time we sought shelter in one of the show barns at Knoxville was probably the scariest. When you look around and realize that the only thing standing between you and a possible twister are two-by-fours and sheet metal, let’s just say it’s a bit difficult to rustle up even the slightest bit of courage.

We have been fortunate throughout all of the years we have been attending races. That night at Knoxville was closer to danger than I ever wanted to be, yet when the worst was over, and we were just hanging out in the barn waiting for the rain to let up so we could walk back to the campground, we met new people and found things to laugh about. The “full moon” that flashed us through the window of the barn next door caused quite a stir, especially when we returned to camp and found out we knew the guy.

All in all, even those close calls help make up the pages of our scrapbook of racing memories. There is triumph in survival, and satisfaction in living to tell about it.