A Voice For The Fans ~September 11 Remembered 9/12/2014 |
I bid
you welcome gentle readers, and a warm welcome goes out as well to our assigned
NASCAR reader for today, happily whiling away the hours in the comfort of the
beautiful Fan and Media Espionage Center in the Queen's City of Charlotte,
North Carolina. Please enjoy your time with us.
As I
pulled up to the keyboard this Hump Day morning without a clue where these
fingers might take me, the calendar caught my eye and it read September 10.
Thirteen years ago, that date was the last day that the American borders
offered her citizens a feeling of security and safety, without a hint of what
would befall this beloved nation a scant 24 hours later. It's hard to look back
now and realize that though it seems like just yesterday in so many ways, a lot
of folks reading this today were just small children the day the planes came
out of the sky like heat-seeing missiles, taking with them as they crashed, the
hopes, dreams and lives of some 3000 unsuspecting Americans.
Fear not
gentle readers; this won't be a recap of what each of us was doing, thinking
and feeling as that panorama spread itself before a shocked nation. As it's
done for each ensuing year, the History Channel has all the memories one could
want at the ready, and will be sharing them all day and long into the night of
Thursday, September 11, 2014. You'll find that Discovery is also contributing
to keeping the memory alive, so there will be a seemingly endless source of
terror, horror, blood, tears and misinformation at your disposal. Of course, there
will be an invasion of another sort as a bloodthirsty gang known as the
Steelers, from a land called Pittsburgh, sweep into an enemy territory called
Baltimore and attempt to cook black birds for a late night supper. That
invasion will be carried in full by CBS; the choice is yours.
Here
though, we are a racing site, so we talk racing, and as you might guess, your
scribe has a specific race in mind. Looking back those 13 years, when September
11, 2001 dawned, we of the racing world had just finished watching Ricky Rudd
capture the short track at Richmond, and were looking forward, in varying
degrees, to the next race at Loudon, New Hampshire, the site, just the year
before, of the deaths of Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin. The year itself had opened
on a somber note as we bade a tearful farewell to the icon of the sport, Dale
Earnhardt, on the last lap of the Daytona 500.
Following
that second "Date that will live in infamy", the plans of every
American were altered to some extent. In the sports world, the following weekend
was almost totally void of games or frivolity of any sort, as a nation mourned
as one the loss of her many fallen heroes and casualties of a war she never saw
coming. NASCAR waited to take its cue from the NFL, and when that entity
cancelled its entire schedule for the following weekend, NASCAR cancelled the
race in New Hampshire, postponing it until the Friday after Thanksgiving. (No, mercifully, it did not snow in New
Hampshire that day)
The next
race on the schedule was the "Cal Ripken Jr. 400" on September 23 at
Dover Downs International Speedway, just 12 days removed from the events of
9/11, and this is the race your scribe would like you to recall. Until
recently, NASCAR, our sanctioning body, has always stood tall when it comes to
God and Country, and that second visit to Dover in 2001 was certainly no
exception.
It's
easy to forget some details, and one that is constantly overlooked here is that
just as FOX began their first broadcasting year by being forced to handle the
death of the brightest star of the sport, a task at which they failed miserably
by signing off the air to go to local programming, so too was NBC, the other
"New kid on the block" faced with the aftermath of 9/11, and did an
admirable job of it with coverage of this Dover race.
Some of
the video footage might seem long. If so, please bookmark the page and watch
when you have a few minutes more to spare. It's worth it, every frame and every
word. This was America and this was NASCAR, immediately post 9/11, with hearts
hurting and flags waving. Our country and our sport, all united with a feeling
of family and oneness that may never be matched again in our time.
As the weekend
saw the teams gather at Dover, Delaware, many of the cars were carrying special
paint schemes of red, white and blue, and all sporting flag decals. My personal
favorite had to be the #36 M&M's Pontiac of Ken Schrader, which bore
absolutely no advertisement, but was painted to resemble a waving
American flag. You'll hear this car described in one of the video segments
as "everybody's favorite."
Every
fan in the stands, some 140,000 strong, held a small version of Old Glory,
all of which waved high and often throughout the pre-race ceremonies. Those
included Lee Greenwood, singing his now famous "God Bless the USA",
followed by a Patriotic medley sung by Tanya Tucker, and the crowd lustily
chanting USA! USA! USA! When Miss Tucker intoned the Star Spangled Banner, a
hush fell on the stands until the very last note had been sung, then the chant
rocked the stadium once more.
The race
that day gave fans a reason to cheer, as the son and namesake of the fallen
Champion, Dale Earnhardt, brought his #8 Budweiser colors (Complete with a
large American flag on the rear deck lid) home in first place. Young Earnhardt called
for and was handed a huge American flag, which he waved from the driver's
window as he circled the track, delighting the cheering crowd who still waved
their own flags in accompaniment. It would take a long time to rebuild America,
and some of it will never be the same, but NASCAR racing was back, with all the
pomp and circumstance and patriotism one would expect of an All American sport.
Oh yes,
some detractors will say that race was scripted. This scribe doesn't buy into
conspiracy theories, but if I had the power to script one race, I think this
might be the one I would choose, and I wouldn't change a thing. It is written
in the history books that this race at Dover was part of the healing of
America; a small part, to be sure, but it gave race fans reason to hope for
better days ahead.
Are you
reading Mr. France? This is what the word "Nation" denotes; a country, loved by its inhabitants and defended by them to
the death. America is the Nation in which most of us live and the Nation to which most of us
pledge allegiance without shame. She is One Nation, Under God... not 16 nations
under Brian. What a pity you can't seem to understand that.
You
might have noticed earlier that I employed the words, "until
recently" in describing the patriotism of NASCAR. The Richmond race is
past now, and for what I believe is the third year in a row, not one word was
mentioned about 9/11; no thoughts were given to what occurred 13 years ago and
no prayers offered. All the talk... all the "hype" was about the
Chase and your 16 silly little nations, and not one word was offered on our own
Nation, these United States of America, the Nation most of us call Home. No
mention was made of the 3000 Americans that stopped living on that September
11, just 13 short years ago.
Well
Sir, this part of the NASCAR media will mention it. She will shout it from the
rooftops and ring bells in every tower if she can. Those folks did not deserve
to die, and they most assuredly do not deserve to be forgotten by those of us
still here. Please Brian, do a better job of aligning your priorities... and
for goodness' sake, put on some clothes.
Time now
for our Classic Country Closeout, and this first one
is so easy to choose. Mike, Alan, Barb, this one's for you my Darlings. So many
years, so many changes, but friendship holds true through time. God bless us,
every one. Here then is Lee Greenwood offering once again his instant
Classic... "God Bless the
U.S.A."
Next is
a song born from the fury and fire of September 11.
Though perhaps not a Classic by strict definition, I think you'll all agree
it's worth the listen and surely fits the mood. This is Alan Jackson offering "Where Were You When the World Stopped
Turning?"
Finally,
the most obvious patriotic song of them all, sung by the only lady ever to do
it justice. Though Kate Smith is seldom described as a Country singer, she was
born in Greenville, Virginia and was known in her time as "The Songbird of
the South." Here is Kate, as it was in the beginning, singing her
inimitable version of "God Bless
America." May it ever be so!
Be well
gentle readers, and remember to keep smiling. It looks so good on you!
~ PattyKay