CONCORD, NC (September 9, 2011) — As the country reflects on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 events and how they forever changed life in America, NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series travels to Richmond International Raceway for Saturday night racing under the lights. The sport has planned several events to pay tribute to those who lost their lives on that day, and Roush Fenway Racing’s, Matt Kenseth looks back on where he was ten years ago on that fateful day.
“Katie and I were actually camping at our property in Wisconsin that week,” recalls Kenseth. “We didn’t have a phone, or any real means of communications up there, so we didn’t really know about everything until after it all happened. We were stranded in Wisconsin, so we ended up driving back from there because there was no air travel. About Tuesday or Wednesday, I started getting pretty stressed out about if we could even make it to New Hampshire for the race the following weekend if we had to drive.”
Following the attacks that day, the Federal Aviation Administration immediately put a stoppage on all non-essential civilian aircrafts in the United States, which meant that thousands of passengers were stranded. Rental cars were in short supply, and all other modes of transportation became overwhelmed at the demand at hand to get people where they needed to go. The entire transportation system was derailed due to the heightened security measures across the country, which was one of the many reasons why NASCAR was forced to postpone that weekend’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
NASCAR eventually returned to the track at Dover International Speedway on September 23rd as the American public began to long for a sense of normalcy in their daily lives.
“It was neat to go to Dover and I remember the week was a very odd week,” commented Kenseth. “There really was a greater sense of patriotism from everyone who was at that race. It was neat to go back there and see all the fans who turned out that weekend. I don’t know that the race really helped take your mind off of all the problems, but I think it was good when everything started to return to action. They cancelled NFL football games and races, but I think once everybody got back to doing some of that stuff it helped us all cope a little better. Obviously, it doesn’t really help the people who lost loved ones, but I think for the country, you hate to say ‘back to normal,’ but when things started going on that were normally supposed to be happening, and gave them other events to go to or watch, I’m sure that was good for people to start to rebuild.”
While life will never be the same as it was before the day when events in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania forever changed the face of this country, the NASCAR nation will never forget those who gave the ultimate sacrifice on that day ten years ago. For many, including Kenseth, it’s hard to believe that ten years have already passed, but if there’s anything that we have learned as a nation, it’s better to go through it all united together.
To commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11, fans attending Saturday’s Cup Series race at Richmond, television and radio broadcasters, and the track announcer will all go quiet from laps 9 through 11 at the .75-mile oval. The three-lap moment of silence, in which all fans attending the race will also wave American flags, is the culmination of many 9/11 tributes and patriotic activities being planned by NASCAR this weekend.
About Roush Fenway Racing
Roush Fenway Racing is NASCAR’s largest team operating seven motorsports teams. Four in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with drivers Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and David Ragan; and three in the Nationwide Series with Edwards, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Trevor Bayne. For more information on any of the Roush Fenway Racing teams, log onto http://www.roushfenway.com/ www.RoushFenway.com. Become a fan of Roush Fenway Racing on Facebook by going to http://www.facebook.com/roushfenway and follow us on Twitter @roushfenway. For sponsorship inquiries please contact Robin Johnson at 704.720.4645.
