Speed News Vol. 1 Issue 6 July : Page 4

FIRST GE AR After limping back to the pits, I assessed the damage and, to put it mildly, it wasn’t pretty. I felt all alone and I thought about loading the car in the trailer and getting a head start on the long ride home, even if it was with my tail between my legs. A couple of guys walking by stopped to look at my battered front end. “What happened? Looks like you hit every color car except blue.” I wasn’t laughing. “How soon is your next race?” one of them asked. Reluctantly, I peeked at the race schedule and said, “I’m supposed to be on grid in an hour.” Without saying a word, they walked away. As I was getting out of my driver’s suit, they returned, and I could hear them talking outside my trailer. I will never forget how I felt as I stepped out of my trailer to see six or seven guys all over my car. One had a ﬂ oor jack lifting the front end while two others were unbolting the damaged front fender. I wondered what was going on. Before I could utter a word, one of them yelled, “Bob, grab that big hammer out of the car and hurry over here. This guy has to be on grid in 30 minutes!” Another one asked if I had spare wheel and tire. “That wheel is bent, but if you need one, you can borrow one of ours for the weekend,” he said. What’s more, their wives came over with some cold drinks and a sandwich! “You better hurry up and ﬁ nish this sandwich and wash it down. We’ll ﬁ nish setting the toe-in while you get dressed and gas up the car.” As soon as I even tried to offer anything in return, they all laughed and said, “You’d do the same for us if we came to your track, wouldn’t you?” Before I could even thank them, they had set me up with a race-ready car in time for me to make the grid— and I didn’t even know their names. Their selﬂ ess act lifted me out of the dumps, and now I was really looking forward to getting back on track to redeem myself. The best of part of the whole experience, and one I have come to appreciate most, was the moment I lined up on grid and looked over at the car next to me. It was surrounded by the guys who had just put my car back together. They had unselﬁ shly made it possible not only for me to ﬁ nish a great weekend of racing, but they were one of the cars I was racing against—and race we did. I had more fun that day because I wasn’t racing people I didn’t know. I was racing with friends. SN Gary Faules NASA Director of Mentoring People often tell me how many friends they have made at the track through the years. In fact, I have never met any NASA members, whether they were newbies or longtime members, who didn’t feel as though they were part of something larger than themselves. What impresses me most about NASA isn’t how easy it is to get started, but rather how all members go out of their way to make the whole experience more rewarding. No matter where I go during any NASA event, I can always ﬁ nd help with car setup, spare parts, driver instruction and, yes, even burgers and refreshments. One weekend I found myself at a track I was unfamiliar with, and many of the faces and teams also were unfamiliar. I had only recently earned my racing license and that afternoon I found myself squarely in the middle of a “crash course.” 4

First Gear

Gary Faules

People often tell me how many friends they have made at the track through the years. In fact, I have never met any NASA members, whether they were newbies or longtime members, who didn’t feel as though they were part of something larger than themselves. What impresses me most about NASA isn’t how easy it is to get started, but rather how all members go out of their way to make the whole experience more rewarding. No matter where I go during any NASA event, I can always find help with car setup, spare parts, driver instruction and, yes, even burgers and refreshments. One weekend I found myself at a track I was unfamiliar with, and many of the faces and teams also were unfamiliar. I had only recently earned my racing license and that afternoon I found myself squarely in the middle of a “crash course.” After limping back to the pits, I assessed the damage and, to put it mildly, it wasn’t pretty. I felt all alone and I thought about loading the car in the trailer and getting a head start on the long ride home, even if it was with my tail between my legs. A couple of guys walking by stopped to look at my battered front end. “What happened? Looks like you hit every color car except blue.” I wasn’t laughing. “How soon is your next race?” one of them asked. Reluctantly, I peeked at the race schedule and said, “I’m supposed to be on grid in an hour.” Without saying a word, they walked away. As I was getting out of my driver’s suit, they returned, and I could hear them talking outside my trailer. I will never forget how I felt as I stepped out of my trailer to see six or seven guys all over my car. One had a floor jack lifting the front end while two others were unbolting the damaged front fender. I wondered what was going on. Before I could utter a word, one of them yelled, “Bob, grab that big hammer out of the car and hurry over here. This guy has to be on grid in 30 minutes!” Another one asked if I had spare wheel and tire. “That wheel is bent, but if you need one, you can borrow one of ours for the weekend,” he said. What’s more, their wives came over with some cold drinks and a sandwich! “You better hurry up and finish this sandwich and wash it down. We’ll finish setting the toe-in while you get dressed and gas up the car.” As soon as I even tried to offer anything in return, they all laughed and said, “You’d do the same for us if we came to your track, wouldn’t you?” Before I could even thank them, they had set me up with a race-ready car in time for me to make the grid—and I didn’t even know their names. Their selfless act lifted me out of the dumps, and now I was really looking forward to getting back on track to redeem myself. The best of part of the whole experience, and one I have come to appreciate most, was the moment I lined up on grid and looked over at the car next to me. It was surrounded by the guys who had just put my car back together. They had unselfishly made it possible not only for me to finish a great weekend of racing, but they were one of the cars I was racing against—and race we did. I had more fun that day because I wasn’t racing people I didn’t know. I was racing with friends. SN

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