To the driver of the vehicle that was involved in today’s accident at Bronson. I forgive you. I know it was an accident, that it was the last thing on earth that you wanted to happen. I know you would do anything to wipe it all away. You have had a life-changing day. I know it and I forgive you. I can only speak for myself, but I bet that most of us in racing think the same way.
The fact is that anyone who has ever put their foot in it at a short track has lost control at some point. I’ve lost it more times than I can count. Today it just went so wrong…
A reminder: there are several heart-broken people in our racing world tonight, and they include Leroy and Ann from Bronson Speedway. They started this day with the best intentions of helping the sport and for everyone to have a good time. Please be kind to them, they are grieving too.
I spoke with Bud Howell several times last week, and he was so excited to help Bronson in the rebuilding process! He was one of the hard-core that really lived and breathed our sport. Bud spent decades doing the thankless, but always exciting job of starter: Hialeah, Hendry County, De Soto, Charlotte County, and most recently he traveled with the TBARA. He had been there and done that, especially before moving to Florida when he trained NASCAR starters.
This guy was a riot! Did you know he had a glass eye? He was funny about it too. Sometimes if a driver accused him of missing something on the track, Bud would pop out the glass eye and start to clean it. Other times, he would take off his glasses and poke the glass one with a finger nail. Image that, “dink dink dink!” He loved to see people freak out with that crazy eye of his!
Between his sense of humor, and his infectious love of our sport, Bud was the kind of guy who made friends instantly. Racing bonds us together. I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt just because we are racing people. I know Bud was the same way. If you knew him, you liked the guy, and you would be liked back too.
With all this in mind, my sons and I are going to run the stuffing out of our racing equipment for the next 3 weekends in a row. Bud would approve.