Well, I promised Tim I would write a summary of Monday's events.
To start, my father and I had a 75 minute drive from our home to Daytona. That is nothing special... except we passed a truck with a fifth-wheel RV. The driver of the truck was shaving with a regular razor and shaving cream! Talk about dangerous and dumb. But I digress...
The beginning of the show was as expected. The people who were arriving early were those who wanted to get their old cars parked, and the rest arrived as the day went on. But people don't just leave. Once they're there, they're staying until the end. Well, except for the younger people. I was happy to see that this year I wasn't the only person under 35 years old who didn't work the temporary meal shack brought in for the day. Nevertheless, such people clearly had no idea who the old NASCAR drivers were, and they stayed at the back with the classic cars. Those who came to the classic RACE cars only looked at the car itself, not the race car. THESE did leave early; none of them lasted more than an hour or two. Such is the state of historic car shows at the moment, but I will share positive news further down the line.
One of the first "legends" to arrive was 2015 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Rex White, and about the same time Marvin Panch arrived. If you want to talk to two guys born before 1930 and still sharp as tacks on matters, then look no further. Frances Flock, Margaret Sue Turner Wright, Brownie King, and Chocolate Myers finished off the contingent of "early birds." Frances is herself as always; bright, cheery, and more than happy to speak to you as both a fan or as the husband of the great Tim Flock. Margaret Sue is more outgoing, walking all over the field seeking those people she already knows. Both ladies are a ray of sunshine on an already sunny day! And Chocolate Myers is the perfect example of a guy who looks tough on the outside but is a teddy bear on the inside; he doesn't need to tell the stories of his father... he has a trailer with the walls lined with the exploits of the younger 1st generation Myers brother (because all three generations have racing brothers!).
Now maybe I can have some confirmation on this from someone else, but I was notified by Gary Potter's wife (I can't remember her name) that Paul Lewis is unable to come to Florida anymore due to health issues. Anyway, Paul, I know you're on this site, and this here's a shout-out from a young fan who strongly admires the odds you overcame in your career, and I pray you get well soon!
And in the space of about five minutes, I was treated to getting to meet three of RR's own: Tim Leeming, Jimmy Johnson, and Ray Lamm. Maybe it's from many months of listening to The Goat Rodeo, but when I met these men, it felt like it was reunion more than a first encounter. It was truly a special moment that I won't forget, and I look forward to all my future times spent with these men, but from then on the rest of the day was a similar pattern: The Legend, my father, and I floating from place-to-place causing trouble for folks like Rex White, Greg Fielden, Marvin Panch, and Johnny Allen, to name a few.
Talk about a fun time! Watching Tim, Jimmy, and Chocolate take part in the video for the Michael Sykes Fund was awesome. From there it was a succession of talking to various drivers and figures about current racing and racing history. It was great getting to learn from those who lived it! Lots of memories were made on Monday for many people at that show, and most of them were none the wiser of who they were speaking to.
I also give a shoutout to Logan, Dave Dion's grandson. This kid is just 16, but he has the passion racing needs to continue the legacy. He's not the type that goes out of his way to read all about racing history, but he's got the proper respect for the history that is needed amongst younger people. Folks like he, Cody Dinsmore, and I are needed.
Here's until the next time I'm at one of these shows!
updated by @alex-fl-racing-fan: 12/05/16 04:07:53PM
