So your kid wants to be a race car driver.....

[Sunny]

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/

[Goggles Pisano]

This is actually a good post.  What's going on here? 

[ask0329]

Sunnys best post ever. Keep it up!!!!!

My step son tried go kart racing for a hot minute but it just wast for him. Putting your kid in a racecar is something im not sure if ill ever get to experience. A. I wont ever have a kid of my own. B. step son has no interest.

I see some kids at the track, mostly in the sportsman division and it really leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Spoiled brats with not much care who they drive over or if they wreck their own car cause daddy foots the bill. I have zero issues with daddys footing bills, its really a great thing and people that are against it are just jealous their daddys didnt foot their bills. But the lack of respect, accountability and "brat" like attitude is what bothers me. One teenage high school girl telling her mom to Shut the F up and swearing at her mother. I initially had some respect for this person and loved the looks of her car but after pitting next to them that one night, I honestly hoped i would never see her on the track again. There was a mod lite young kid driver that I seen once tear through his dad like you wouldnt believe. I told my wife i hope he wrecks his car and never makes it back.

[Sunny]

I appreciate the like, Andy, but my post was more trying to thank the safety guys again.

There's been 4 cars destroyed at Canandaigua this season so far (Tim Baker's sportsman, Justin Haers' "Digger", and Max's TEO and Jeff's Bicknell), and those safety officials and tow truck guys are on the money every single time. No BS, just straight up great work.

I thanked all of the ones that were there Saturday night for the quick response to Justin, and you can bet I will be thanking them this Saturday as well. They pretty much go unnoticed unless something bad happens. And I just don't mean my track. Wherever you choose to race at or watch at, THANK THEM. Someday you might need them.

As an addendum - I just want to say how awesome the racing FAMILY is, as well. The Daugherty's are not a heavily funded team. Yes, their sponsorship is better than some, but far from most. The racing "family" came together in a big way to make sure Jeff can at least take one lap Saturday to keep his points. And that, in itself, is amazing. It also happens every day at other racing facilities, by drivers you may not like because of their aggressive driving on the track, but when it comes right down to it, they are the first ones to dive in and lend a hand with parts or tools or even labor (Larry Wight pulling out stuck campers at Oswego comes to mind, and everything his family has done for other teams when they needed help).

[ask0329]

I gotta disagree with the comment about how awesome the racing family is. IMO, there is no such thing to me anymore. Only family i have is the ones i was born with and the ones i live with. When my father passed, I had very few if any racing friends show any support. I had always turned to racing in my times of trouble, be it my stupid mistakes, stress or the loss of a family member. When I needed racing, nobody was there for me. Nobody reached out, nobody came to calling hours, nothing. I severed allot of ties with allot of racers that i considered friends after that. It was an eye opening experience for me on so many levels. Im by no means looking for any sympathy from anyone as this was several years ago now. Ive lived and learned. Previous experiences form today's and future opinions.

[Rp22]

Safety crews never get the appreciation they deserve. This was a very nice post and every racer should thank their safety crews because they have to deal with a lot for next to nothing.

[Sunny]

I think some enterprising reporter should start a "Who Are They?" type series of interviews a la Doug Elkins and introduce the drivers.

Do tracks still do a weekly program?