| | HAPPY FATHER'S DAY | Drivers reflecting on fathers and saying thanks at Michigan | |
|  | | CIA Stock Photo | Being at the track on Father’s Day carries special meaning for some drivers because they are fathers themselves. | | Jared Turner / SceneDaily.com The hood on Jamie McMurray’s car will have a new look for today’s Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway. It features a simple message: “Thanks Dad.”
During the LifeLock 400, that message will be speaking for a lot of people in the garage area.
Drivers say the annual Father’s Day event at the 2-mile Michigan track is a time for reflection on lessons learned from the men who helped shape them and, in many cases, helped them get started in racing.
“He never let me settle for second,” Joe Gibbs Racing’s Tony Stewart said of his father, Nelson, who served as Stewart's crew chief when he began his racing career in go-karts at age 7. “He didn’t like it when we ran second, and he knew that I didn’t like it when we ran second. If he saw that I wasn’t giving 100 percent, then he was on me pretty hard about it. He pushed me to be better.”
Without the influence of his father, Gary, two-time defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson says he might not have been as motivated to pursue a career in racing.
“My dad is one of the biggest fans of motorsports out there and his love and appreciation for the sport really led to my interest in it,” the Hendrick Motorsports driver said. “He took me to my own races, and I also watched a Riverside (Calif.) race in ’85 or ’86 and stood there watching from the fence. I walked all around the track and enjoyed it. I went to dirt track races with him and IndyCar races - I’ve been to them all. His fondness for the sport really gave me my start and my desire to be involved in it.”
Images of fathers with sons are some of the most iconic and enduring in NASCAR lore.
Longtime followers of the sport will never forget watching Bobby Allison and son Davey battle down to the wire in the 1988 Daytona 500 and later celebrate together in victory lane. The elder Allison claimed his only Daytona 500 victory that day. Davey, who died in 1993 from injuries sustained in a helicopter accident, finished second.
In 1993, viewers of the Daytona 500 witnessed another memorable father-son moment when Ned Jarrett urged his son Dale to the finish line from the CBS broadcast booth.
Others remember the late Dale Earnhardt walking briskly to the winner’s circle to congratulate son Dale Earnhardt Jr. after the younger Earnhardt scored his first Cup win at Texas Motor Speedway in April 2000. Dale Earnhardt died the next February of injuries sustained in a crash on the final lap of the Daytona 500. The Texas race was one of the rare times both father and son got to be in victory lane together.
For Bobby Labonte, racing on this Father’s Day has extra significance because older brother, Terry, will also be in the race – as his teammate. The two will drive the No. 43 and No. 45 Petty Enterprises Dodges, respectively.
Terry Labonte is helping fill the seat while Kyle Petty, the regular driver of the No. 45 car, is taking a break from driving to work as an analyst for TNT’s race telecasts.
“I couldn’t think of a better way to help our family celebrate Father’s Day than to have my brother as my teammate,” Bobby Labonte said. “I hope our father [Bob Labonte] will enjoy watching us race together. Our father is the single most important reason for our driving careers. A lot of the success that I’ve had on the race track is a result of coming from a racing family.
"So I want to extend a Happy Father’s Day to all of the fathers and sons that are racing on the local short tracks together. These are some of the best times of your lives.”
Roush Fenway Racing’s David Ragan knows as much. His father, Ken, helped him get his start in racing in the Bandolero Series at age 11. Ken Ragan, who competed in 50 Cup and five Busch Series events from 1983 through the early '90s, was instrumental in fueling his son’s continued passion for the sport.
Today, Ken Ragan remains a presence at David’s races, often spending time near his son's motor home or watching from the stands.
“Dad is certainly a David Ragan supporter, whatever I was doing – whether I was racing or playing baseball or hanging around the house, he was a supporter of what I wanted to do,” David Ragan said. “It’s a good feeling to know that we take a lot of pride in remembering all of our fathers around, certainly, this weekend. I think it’s important for them to be here and watching and hanging out.
"Certainly, we’re all having a good time doing our thing, but I think he’s having a good time just watching his son race. And I think he’d speak for all the fathers who are out there watching their kids race this weekend.”
Being at the track on Father’s Day carries special meaning for some drivers because they are fathers themselves.
“Now that I am a father it’s definitely a different perspective,” said Richard Childress Racing’s Jeff Burton, who has two children. “We have a little tradition at the track. We do a Father’s Day Olympics every year and that’s always pretty interesting.
"Watching some of the older drivers in the past, some of which are no longer here, act like 12 year olds that’s pretty interesting. I have those things in my head. They won’t go away.”
McMurray, whose special paint scheme was branded by sponsor Crown Royal, knows what he would like to give his father, Jim, as a Father’s Day gift this year.
"My dad has always played a huge part in my life and racing career, so to be able to say thanks to him on Father's Day with Crown Royal is really special," McMurray said. "Now if we can get the No. 26 [car] to victory lane this weekend, I will be able to give both my dad and Crown Royal the perfect Father's Day present."
| | Posted June 15, 2008 , 8:27 pm EST
Last Updated June 16, 2008 , 10:45 pm EST | | | | | | |
