Have you ever received good news from your online credit card statement? I wasn't sure that was even possible, until I was reviewing my charges last week. I noticed a new charge from Indy Motor Speedway. Could that mean that my request for 2012 Indy 500 tickets was granted? I hurriedly opened the email account that I only use for bills and online orders. Situated below the cell phone and power bills was an email confirmation from the track. SWEET, I will be able to cross going to the Indy 500 off my unwritten bucket list.
Excited about knowing that I was going to be at the 500 in May, I sat down on the couch to watch the final 2011 Indy race on Sunday. I turned the race on at about lap 10 and reached for the lap top to balance the check book while I watched the race (Multitasking at it's best). A few laps later disaster struck with a multicar pileup. There were cars flying through the air, cars on fire and parts scattered everywhere. As you have probably heard by now, 2 time Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon died from injuries sustained in that wreck. It is very sad news indeed, especially when you think about his wife and two young kids.
As a fan, I have always been fascinated with close, side by side racing. Side by side racing creates a lot of passing, lead changes and, unfortunately, some wrecks. I'll be totally honest with you and admit that part of me is drawn to racing because of the wrecks. I can't explain why, I just am. Today's safety technology has come so far that we pretty much assume that the driver is going to walk away from an accident. I have seen so many big wrecks unfold and the drivers all typically walk away ok or have only minor injuries.
All race cars are built to do 2 things: be the fasted around the track and protect the driver. Obviously, Sunday's accident was a bold reminder that these guys (and gals) that entertain us by pushing the racing envelope are putting their life on the line every time that they strap into a race car. They are all well aware of the risks, but there is some inner drive/need that pushes them to do what they do. They must all feel pretty confident that they are protected in the car; otherwise, I do not think that that they would do it. I would imagine that most of them would rather die doing what they love instead of some other random death?
In that regard, I can relate in my own little twisted way. After graduating from college, I was looking for a way to feed a burning need for an adrenaline rush. I found a steady supply of that rush after I took a weekend introduction to whitewater kayaking class. For several years after that, a majority of my weekends were spent sitting snuggly inside a small whitewater kayak running rivers. Before every run, I would sit there in the relative safety of the river bank and ask myself if I was ready to do this. The answer was always a definitive "hell yes" and I paddled straight into the rapids without a second thought. Sometimes I got flipped over, thrashed around and occasionally slammed helmet first into rocks, but I always came out at the bottom wanting more. Sometimes it seemed like more fun if you got unexpected flipped over in a rapid. The holy $%&@ reaction that having to recover and roll back up mid-rapid caused really gets your blood pumping.
As my skill improved, the rush reduced, so (logically?) I started running more difficult rivers/rapids in order to regain the rush. There were definitely opportunity to die on the river; water is a very powerful force that does with you whatever it wants. Get in the wrong spot and it can flip you and hold you under longer than you can hold your breath or keep your wits. BUT, in my mind, the fun/rush way exceeded the risk. Looking back now (am I old enough to say statements like that?!), I wonder what I was thinking because some of those runs were really gnarly.
Not to say that my years on the river were all roses. I had a few close calls where I could have gotten injured pretty badly, but I managed to make it through in one piece with just a few deep scratches on my helmet. (Thank goodness for kevlar reinforced helmets!) Chalk it up to skill or luck, I'm not sure which. I also witnessed some things that eventually made me reconsider my weekend hobby. I saw my share of accidents that left friends and strangers with various injuries. Some minor, some more serious. I was also there on the river bank one sad day as a group of good Samaritans worked feverously to rescue a teenager who got swept under an undercut boulder and was pinned underwater by the force of the water. Unfortunately, by the time he was finally pulled out of the water, it was too late to revive him. After many years of paddling, I decided that the risk was becoming too big on the difficult rapids and the "easy" rivers were too boring and not worth the time. I made the decision to stop paddling, sold all of my gear and haven't looked back since.
Anyway, where I'm going with this is that I understand why these drivers do what they do. I understand the risk vs. reward decision and the rush that they must get from it. I am also sure that if the risk becomes too great, they will take a step back and re-evaluate and/or implement any changes that should be made to reduce the risk in the sport. That being said, I can definitely understand the theory of dying while you are doing what you love. I would much rather die while doing something I enjoy (hopefully with a big grin on my face), instead of, for example, dropping dead from a heart attack while folding the laundry.
Even after the horrible events of last weekend, I am still excited about going to the Indy 500 in May. I will be amazed by the drivers' skills and the technology that goes into their cars. My heart beat will quicken when I hear that initial roar of the engines after some random celebrity says "Gentlemen start your engines!" I will probably say to myself, "holy crap," the first time that the cars go bombing into turn one at full speed. TV doesn't do any justice to the speed, power or performance of a race car, you have to see it live to fully appreciate it. In addition to those "usual" reasons why I like to attend races, I will be able to be there for the ceremony, that I am assuming they will do, to honor Dan Wheldon's life. After all, Indy is the site of his last racing victory, the 2011 Indy 500.
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