When you attend the races, the only interaction most casual fans have is the car on the track. Sometimes drivers even remain faceless, because if they don't win, or you don't go into the pits after an event, you don't know what the driver looks like. I remember being a little kid, and cheering for Walt Mitchell and his iconic #24. We would drive up 96a to go to breakfast and the guys would be out working on the car before Weedsport, and me and my kid brother would be hanging out the window waving to "Walt" as we drove by. Did we know which one was Walt or even if he was out there? Heck, no! But we waved anyway.
When my dad wanted to go racing, it usually meant breakfast at Chick's Diner in Waterloo, and if we were there at the right time, I could watch my absolute favorite driver, Mike "Magic Shoes" McLaughlin and his team head out for the races. Finish my breakfast?! It's race day, Dad! Let's GO!
It's funny how time changes. Here I am, still an avid dirt track racing fan, but now the heroes of my youth are stepping aside to let their sons and daughters take the reins of family racing. Seeing Billy Paine win his first feature at Canandaigua was like a trip back in time. And seeing Steve beaming with pride was even more special. Vic Coffey looks the same when Kyle is racing like he did last week at Canandaigua. Good kids, great dads, and these young guns are the future of our sport. Which brings me to the incident that happened Saturday night between Jeffrey Daughtery and Max McLaughlin.
Not gonna lie, I was just about as freaked out as I was the night Justin flipped. When it's someone that you care about, you worry - A LOT. And I have to hand it to the Land of Legends Safety Safari again, for being on point with a fast response. Two sets of parents were scared out of their minds for their kids, and the tact and thoroughness that these EMT's and safety crew officials utilized was above par. So when you see a member of our safety crew, THANK THEM. They have responsibilities that we fans do not realize, and only want was is best for the individuals involved.
They may need to work on their cardio, though. Ol' Magic Shoes is still pretty fast for a Hall of Famer. He was out on the track making sure his boy was okay before they could stop him. Very touching to see Mike with his son. Max is a very bright star in the future of auto racing, and I am damned glad he was okay. I held my breath,though, waiting to hear about that other kid in the 22 car. Jeff got run over coming out of Turn 2 and was slow down the backstretch, and when he went to turn into the pits, well - the Bicknell decided to not be a team player. And Max did everything he could to miss him. I was exceedingly happy to hear Jeffrey was okay, and then to hear it from his mouth when I got back to the pits.
I'll show the snippet of video from Saturday. Remember, THANK YOUR SAFETY CREW!
https://www.facebook.com/MaxMcLaughlinRacing/videos/625548054461127/