I’d originally put this together in more than 1,000 words –
easy to do when fingers get on a roll – but I’ll refine it now to a few bullet
points on some both exciting moments and challenging times that have come up
within the last month.
The biggest low, first. My grandpa passed away only two
months shy of turning 100. That meant an impromptu trip to Milwaukee for the
funeral, and while seeing family and college friends was nice, you never want
to do so under such circumstances. Being a pallbearer and having to give a
memorial speech was very difficult. He had a wealth of great one-liners,
excellent math skills, and an undying love for the Green Bay Packers – but those
were the ancillary items compared to the love and unwavering support he’d
provided to his family, my family,
for those 99 years.
Some good highs – being back at a race track for the first
time in two months. Sonoma was therapeutic in very way, shape and form, from
being back to on-the-ground coverage, catching up with old friends and meeting
some new ones, and was just an all-around great weekend. Baltimore was less so,
given a high stress level and challenges in covering both IndyCar and ALMS, but
it had its highlights from a social standpoint, too.
Another low – the aftermath of that stretch of 15 of 17 days
on the road. Each of the three nights back after returning on Labor Day Monday,
I’d passed out on my couch stressed and anxious about work, thinking about my
grandpa and some of the other things that had happened as a result. There was a
sign from above that my grandpa was looking out for me – I’d left my car door
open at work while gone but nothing came of it. Then there was a thank you note
from my grandma that was a gut punch, written for the first time just as “from
grandma” without grandpa. They’d been married for 73 years as of this June.
A high – Alex Zanardi’s latest inspirational conquest, an
amazing feat of two gold and one silver medal in his three hand cycling events
at London’s Paralympics. There’s talk now he might be driving in next year’s
Indianapolis 500 but that’s for another post.
A mixed high/low – the sports car merger and what could come
out of it. I’ll withhold too much in the way of opinions until more details
become finalized. Selfishly, I’d like to see more ALMS aspects (GT, technical
rules, P2 and officials) integrated as I think it’s been the better product in
recent years, but Grand-Am’s got a few key elements (marketing potential, a
better TV contract) that will be good to have as well. It will be interesting
to watch as this unfolds.
A low but not as serious – the Packers lost their season
opener. It’s a long season and I don’t think it’s a sign of things to come, but
it was a flat performance. Get a bounce back win against the Bears Thursday
night and all will be right with the world.
A more serious low – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s COO Scott
Roembke passed today, just 51. He was roughly half my grandpa’s age, but from those
reactions I saw today, his impact was no less profound on the people he met and
touched.
All of that has contributed to a whirlwind of emotions,
where it’s been difficult to keep my head straight this last month. Sometimes
you reach a point where, internally, you need to ask more questions about what’s
truly important and trying to figure out what’s next. You don’t want a day to
go by where you might not be happy or living each day to the fullest.
In the interim, it’s time to prep for Fontana and the MAVTV
500 at Auto Club Speedway this weekend, the IndyCar Series finale. We’ll see how
it unfolds from here.
