What It's All About

It's nice to report that things are alive and well at Lorain County Speedway. After closing temporarily last season, and changing ownership late in the season, the track is back, just as good, if not better than before. Last Saturday night, a large crowd saw a great 40-lap Modified Feature that started 24 cars. Fans were also treated to an announcer who "gets it" - he knew more about the visiting Modified from Columbus than many announcers know about the entire field. And, he helps make the event a show - which is exactly what it is - a show. Think about that the next time you go to your local track.

He announced several birthdays throughout the night, and while under caution during the Modified feature he spoke with a young man who just celebrated his 11th birthday on October 5th. We all learned that his Mom brought him to the races for his birthday. When asked if he had picked a favorite, he mentioned Matt Marlowe's #37 car, which had held a commanding lead all feature long. The announcer asked the young man to meet him at the flag stand if Matt won... and instantly I was taken back to my first meeting with a driver; in my case, that driver was Tiny Lund, a NASCAR Grand National Driver.

In 1971, Tiny Lund was racing in the Texas 500 at Texas World Speedway, and was making an appearance at a Sears store in San Antonio, TX. My father was a fan, too, and he and my Mom took me across town to Sears. "Tiny," a giant of a man, picked me up and, to my surprise, placed me on his shoulders. Later, we spoke for quite a while. I've never forgotten that night, where a star went out of his way and took some time to make an impression that has lasted for over 35 years.

As you probably guessed, Matt won the feature. The announcer kept his promise, took the young man down onto the track and introduced him to Matt. The two then posed for a photo - how cool was that! That little gesture probably took all of three minutes to complete and most likely made a fan for life. If you ever wondered why we put more emphasis on the off-track stuff than the racing itself, this is why. I've had some the of the best times of my life in this sport and made many life-long friends, some that have influenced me and some that I have influenced. In the end, I plan on giving back more than I've gained from this sport, particularly when it comes to young people.