I guess this should be a post about the results Of Last Nights Race. Yeah I know, stay focused but I cant seem to get past a few things that happened last evening and maybe Ill just let the result sheet on the official website do the results justice, and instead here just moan and complain about how old I am getting and how fast its happening.
I have five grand kids. Adorable. mischievous, loud at times, and a major pain in the butt if they want to be, actually they seem to be quite the norm. I love them all dearly, more than they will ever know, but when you think about it, maybe its a good thing for them to really NOT know how much I really do care..
Last night four out of the five were here at the races. Two of them raced and they both won their feature events. 
This has happened once before but for some reason last night was more special; I am not sure why, it just was.
My oldest grandson, Ryan is almost 13 now, and he worked the cone for the Jimmy last night. Seeing him out there was difficult at times as he loves to race as much as anyone but often logistics stand in his way. I wish I was wealthy and could help him out the way he deserves, but we live what we are handed and deal with it, and as he grows he is dealing better and better all the time.
The next in line is my only grand-daughter; Kelsey. She raced last night and set the pole in her points class and won her feature. She causes me to shed more tears than I will ever admit to shedding to anyone, mostly when I am alone just thinking about how God blessed the family at a time they needed it so desperately with this little angel. She has no clue how her life changed a downward spiral the family was in at the time. She is almost 10, and like Ryan, growing up way too fast for me.
Ethan, who just turned eight is special in the way he is so spirited and seems so happy all the time. He does not race but loves to be around the track and loves motor sports in any form. He has this smile that last forever and he is just so much into life all around him.
Tanner, who is about to turn eight, also races and also won last night’s feature. The day we found out he was on his way into this world we also were told his mom to be needed surgery, and the surgery would cause a danger to this new unborn being. All through the pregnancy we feared the worse at times, and there was some minor complications but in the end he popped out very much alive and well.
My last grand child is Jeremy who in five but was not in attendance last night. He definitely is a most welcomed addition to the family as his smile is the grandest of them all and I know we will talk about him in the days to come.
The fact that there were four present made me feel so many emotions; most of all just damn OLD! I want for them more than I will ever be able to give, but there is not as day that passes that I don’t think about them, and pray that they will be OK.
Its very hard not to show emotion at the track. I cant be seen rooting for them, or showing my pride at the wrong moments. Roger asked me last night why I didn’t say they were my grand kids when they took the checker flag; but there is a part of me that has seen and felt the evil wrath of hatred that some racers will lay on you when your family races or does well at an event. Its a sickening feeling, that just hurts deeply. and I want to do my job as professionally as possible, even though I don’t really give a rats ass who says or does what to me cause my grand kids race. I can be proud and show pride my own way.
Kelsey & Tanner have come a long way, most of the journey has been spent at this track ever since they were born!!, and last night they both won their features.
Call it anything you want. When they win its called partiality, or “home-cooking” by some others. I heard it each week when Jason raced and now I am starting to hear it again with them. I think id be more mad if I felt like there was any truth to it at all. I still don’t celebrate or even watch most of their races while they are on the track. I even asked Roger last race to watch them for me as I didn’t want to cause any kind of conflicting movements. I guess I will just continue watching them having good days and bad ones till it becomes too much for me.
Mr. Danny,
As the mom of one of the kids that races with your grandchiildren I must say that I have never seen YOU show any partiality to those kids. You treat my son just as well as you do your own grandchildren. Which I do appreciate by the way. I say, enjoy your grandkids!! They grow up too fast and you have just as much right to enjoy watching their success as the next guy does.
It’s a fine line I have to walk. I been doing it for a long time now as I had to learn to walk it while Jason was racing. If I didn’t love what I do, I would quit in an instant to be more involved in their racing, where I could show the partiality. But I love the sport more than than my need to show more pride or whatever anyone wants to call it. They both were disqualified last race for a procedural error; I guess I could have begged the rest of the staff to look the other way, but I didn’t, that’s not what we are about nor what I am about. Rules are rules, and when you enforce a rule it is not to a personal name or relationship, it must be to a driver or team member who violates the rule. Such an easy concept to understand but there are those out there who think it has to come with an agenda. My job is not associated with an agenda, never has nor ever will.
Thanks for the comment!!!
-Danny
I understand where you are coming from. I used to be the general manager of a well known bowling center up in NW Indiana. I used to be a professional bowler and if i bowled well, I had to hear that i set the shot up, which I never did, if anything I would make it harder across the board. God forbid I won a tournament, you thought it was the second coming of Jesus. People who know me, knew i hadnt, or never would do anything, and thats all that matters. The people that complain, are the ones that just dont get it. Either they arent willing to spend the money, the time to practice or they just dont have the mental capabilties to get it right, and they just need someone to take their frustrations out on. Its a sport, one that I enjoy immensely. I am 32, just got back into gokart racing after leaving it when i was 18, and my 8 year old son and I both have karts. I will enjoy nothing more in life than to see him enjoy himself, and possibly win, I understand your point of view, but at the same time, slightly hard for you to dictate the outcome of kids that young racing for virtually nothing, I say enjoy them more, as the lady above said, they grow up to fast.