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Honoring the Past NASCAR Greats and Learning From Their Stories

An Opinion



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May 29, 2010

By Brenda Benedict

Brenda Benedict



When my grandmother died last year, someone said to me, "When an old person dies, it is like a library burning down. Our elders has so many experiences and knowledge to share with us and if we don't listen to them, we lose them."

I was so pleased last week in NASCAR to hear so many stories from those being honored by the Hall of Fame. But I was equally as pleased to see the younger drivers stepping back and listening to those stories.

This week in the world of NASCAR we got to hear from the elder statesmen and women and take advantage of that knowledge while the elders are still able to share their rich experiences with us.

A family atmosphere prevailed at the All-Star Race and an the inauguration of the first class of honorees into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. It felt like being at a family reunion and hearing the old folks laugh and talk about what it was like back in 'the day'.

Junior Johnson came to a press conference to showcase a car that was going to feature a retro paint scheme honoring him. The car was going to be driven by Ryan Newman.

Newman showed respect and deference to Johnson as they discussing racing in front of the press. Junior Johnson was inducted into the Hall of Fame on Sunday.

Johnson thrived in the role as storyteller. The stories seemed to flow from him naturally and he seemed happy to find a receptive audience.

He told a story about Cale Yarborough. At the time of the story, Johnson was no longer driving but was a team owner and Yarborough drove for him. During a race, the power steering went out on Yarborough's car and he started complaining to Johnson. Johnson told him to get up on the wheel and start driving. "In my day, I didn't even know what power steering was." So Yarborough did and went on to win the race.

This reminded me of Brad Keselowski's statement this weekend. After the third segment of the All-Star Race, Keselowski was asked how his car was driving.

"Terrible. It (power steering) lasts for five laps and then it goes away. I'm pretty worn out already, but this is what I get paid to do. It's time to man up and get to work."

Maybe our young drivers have some of that same kick in them as the originals.

Several current drivers stated that they were learning so much last weekend because they haven't been involved in NASCAR racing for too many years and these stories were filling in the gaps in their knowledge.

But even younger members of the NASCAR family were telling stories.

A press conference was held to introduce the new Wheaties cereal box that is going to feature a picture of Dale Earnhardt Senior -- to be released this summer. This is the second time that Earnhardt has been on a box of Wheaties. Taylor Earnhardt, the youngest daughter of Senior, was there to speak about her dad. She talked about her dad's reaction to the first Wheaties box picture. The box sat on their china cupboard and she wasn't allowed to eat the cereal from it. At the time, she didn't understand the significance of the honor but she knew that Dad thought it was very special.

These little insights delight long-time NASCAR fans and new fans alike. They give us a glimpse into why NASCAR is such a popular form of auto racing. It is about family, relationships and personalities -- not just about which brand of car drives the fastest.

And last weekend it was about honoring those of our elders and paying homage to our roots.

Good job NASCAR Hall of Fame.

And good job NASCAR fans and drivers on hearing the stories before the libraries burn down.


You can follow me at Twitter @nascarfaithful




You can contact Brenda Benedict at .. Insider Racing News

You Can Read Other Articles By Brenda



The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.

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