back in the days after college, i had an awesome roommate that LOVED racing. southern racing (nascar). i was never a fan, but when there were short tracks and restrictor plates, i could watch it (lots of wrecks). in nascar, wrecks are sorta cool i guess.
fast forward to 2006. i went to my first indy car race with nathaniel. it was hot. really hot. still, i'm not a fan of racing but those cars are FAST. and loud. it didn't win me over but i think indy racing is a tougher sport than nascar and i WAY more respect those racers. wrecks are not cool and incredibly dangerous. we went to another race that summer in richmond and i had a migraine. yea, again, it was ok.
nathaniel is a HUGE dan weldon fan. so last night when we saw on tv that he was killed in a massive pile up wreck, that was really really sad and surprising. not only is he a good racer (eh, he won the 2011 indy500) he is also a husband and a daddy to two adorable, young little boys and loved by many many folks - even ashley judd who was sobbing in the 5 lap tribute. so, so sad. i bet he was a nice guy. nathaniel said he was (i'm pretty sure he met him) so i believe him.
so, long story over, here's my manic monday tribute to dan weldon. and nathaniel. hope you find another racer to cheer for (helio).
Thank you. I met him several times at Richmond, and he was incredibly nice and charismatic. I have several candid pictures of him and Tony Kanaan chatting between their trailers, and at least one of him signing my flag for me.
ReplyDeleteI honestly cannot believe he is dead. I was in shock when I found out. I thought your Dad was pulling my leg. And most importantly, I discovered I better learn how to grieve because I obviously do not have the skills to communicate under emotional stress.
From pain comes strength.