[media-credit name=”Credit: Tyler Barrick/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”225″]
[/media-credit]Speed, Competition, Thrill, Excitement. It’s why thousands of race fans like you and I, flock to various events week in and week out. Our love for the sport drives our passion to attend events. We as fans of course understand and assume all risks involved of attending extreme sporting events such as motorsport. However it doesn’t make it any easier to deal with and understand horrible tragedies like today in Pocono.
An innocent life was lost, This person awoke with excitement and the feeling of a new fresh race day ahead of them. They traveled to the track like thousands of others to take in the spectacle of Sprint Cup Racing. In search of weekend entertainment simply there to have fun and enjoy life. Then in a tragic turn of events, mother nature takes them from us. Why did this happen? Why was it that person who died and not me or someone else? These are life’s unanswerable questions and the cruel reality of this worlds unpredictability. Life is unfair.
The internet has erupted with comments placing blame on Pocono Raceway, NASCAR Officials and fans for not recognizing the severity of the situation. This comments are unfair and in appropriate at such a tragic time. Why must we look to place blame on the event rather than comfort the family and loved ones of the deceased and pray for all others injured. The coming weeks will provide time to grow and improve from this incident to help prevent it from happening again, but the bottom line is that we as humans cannot control mother nature.
Everyone involved with racing much like myself realize what a true family we are. The attention is undivided. Each series has 1 event a week where everyone travels too and everyone tunes in, unlike other sports that have multiple events at the same time. The racing family is a tight one. We celebrate, succeed, fail, participate and mourn with each other. Let’s come together in support of the families involved and to remember the life of a race fan just like us. Never forget those who are lost, let their passion for the sport dwell within you for the remainder of your life, and keep the racing spirit alive for all those who love our wonderful sport whether they are with us or not.
Proverbs 3:5-6