A Day Out with My Dad

Living is certainly an amazing thing. Often times we take it for granted. Now I am not going to get philosophical on you. But too many times we get to busy with doing our daily business, and forget to take the time to smell the roses.

I am guilty of doing this. My days are so routine, that I have actually forgotten what day I am in. I have to actually consistently remind myself of what day it is.

Too many times, you say I am going to do this and do that with someone. And before you know it, time has slipped away and days, months and even years have passed by.

Well in this particular case it was years that had slipped away. My dad and I use to do alot of things together when I was younger. But it has been many years since he and I just went somewhere or did something together.

A week or so ago, my dad and I got to talking about NASCAR. And he got to saying how he and I should take a trip to the museum at the Darlington Speedway. And we should also go to Randleman to the Petty Museum.

Well, normally, I would just kind of put it on the back burner. And check into it later. Well not this time. I actually got online checked out the times and prices of both places. Let him know, and I figured that would be the end of that. Because usually that is the way, things kind of go for him and I.

I got to thinking a day or so later. I got to wondering when was the last time my dad and I actually went off together. And I could only remember once he and I went out to dinner, but that too was years ago. So other than the occassion family gathering, that was basically it.
Now, there is one thing I think you should know. Before you go to thinking, she certainly doesn't spend anytime with her family. I work with both of my parents, everyday. So it is not like I don't know what it is going on with them or that I don't see them. I spend 10 hours everyday with them. So we do see it other. And we know what is going on with each other. But that is different. Working with someone and socializing with them is different. So when it comes right down to it, I actually spend more time with my parents than most people do.
So I got up with him and we made plans to go to Darlington.
Well, yesterday, we made that trip to the museum. It was something that only my dad and I share, NASCAR racing. My brother nor sister, care anything for it. My mom no longer cares to watch it. (She has not seen a race since Ernie Irvan retired.) My dad doesn't watch it anymore either. But he and I still keep up with what is going on in NASCAR.
While we were there at Darlington, standing above the racetrack looking down from the perch, (that the speedway has, so visitors to the museum can look down on the track). He was trying to pinpoint the place where Cale Yarborough went flying out of the speedway. He was there that day, and he actually has pictures that he took of Cale flying over the fence. That was when I let him know that the speedway had flipped the track some years ago.

He did not even know that they had flipped the track. But anyway, to make a long story short. When he took into account the fact that the track was flipped, we were standing only yards away from where Cale actually went out of the speedway and landed.

While visiting the museum and watching him take photos and listen to his stories of the races that he had seen, is something that I will always remember. Nothing can ever take away the fact that on that warm Saturday morning. My dad and I spent some quality time together, enjoying talking about something that only he and I have in common. Something that neither of my siblings share with him. And that my friend is priceless.

"Thank You NASCAR"

Photo from www.NASCAR.com

While most of the NASCAR media has been all a tingle with the arrival of Danica Patrick. There is one fan who has had enough of this woman and the media crap that surrounds her.

So it was fantastic for me to see the Boys of NASCAR back on the track, even if the Indy female was on the track with them.

The Nationwide series race certainly did entertain from start to finish. Whether you were pulling for Smoke, Harvick, Earnhardt Jr. or any of the other 40 drivers on the track. This was certainly a great way to get the season started.

And no it doesn't hurt my feelings one bit that my driver won it. Now if the Daytona 500 lives up to the excitement of the Dual races, the Shootout and the Nationwide race. The 500 should hail us back to the days of old. When racing was in the drivers hands. Not in whom was pushing whom.

So while I was skeptical about NASCAR keeping their hands off of the bump drafting, I will give credit where it is due. And NASCAR is deserving of the credit. They have let the drivers work the bump drafting out for themselves. And the racing is back in restrictor plate racing.

And thanks to NASCAR the cars are not so dependent on another car pushing them through the line. The owners are able to move up with just a slight bump from the car behind. And the best thing of all, the slingshot is back. All thanks to the larger restrictor plate.

And that was one of the racing moves that I have really missed. And Stewart put on a textbook showing of the slingshot on Thursday, during his Duel race.

So NASCAR, I just want to say "Thank You". You have made decisions that have made this fan, very excited about this season. And I have not been that way in the last four years.