November 20, 2000

Wow, what a day! Preparing for the biggest race of the year, I can't say I was disappointed one bit, even in the absence of an actual race. But what's that, you say? Daytona is supposed to be the biggest race? Maybe. But today surpassed the emotion of any Daytona race, and most of it was on account of the rain.

Today, as everyone knew, was a day of farewells. We said good-bye to our friends - maybe the BEST friends NASCAR ever had - at ESPN. But along with our adieu, many others were closing doors and beginning new lives.

Darrell Waltrip, of course, is saying good-bye -- to the driver's seat, the uniform, the helmet, and the car that he loves to put on like his favorite sport coat. Every day there are fine men and women that retire, some unnoticed by anyone. Today, however, thanks to the rain, we got to see our old friend DW being honored by his "coworkers", and the sentiment of gifts received, from a broken piece of metal made in Franklin, Tennessee, to a picture of the most memorable hug in a little brother's life, made any gold retirement watch pale in comparison.

Thanks, also to the rain, we saw a classic race that made our hearts ache for what we're losing. What better rain-filler than an example of what ESPN has done for NASCAR fans for twenty years? We revisited our old friends once more, at a time when another legend was saying good-bye. Amid flames and a loss of both front fenders, not one had any less respect for the one we call King.

None realized, of course, the other good-byes that we would come to associate with that last race in 1992. We watch it again and we think, "If only we had known..." As we saw our new champion celebrating in Victory Lane, many remember as if it were yesterday, it seemed to take Alan forever to get out of his car that day. He was searching his car, leaving announcers and viewers wondering. Finally, in his own style, Alan began combing his hair before exiting his car as champion. He'd planned on needing his comb that day... the day the pictures were taken and later used in farewell tributes.

And Davey. When I see pictures of him now.. his little boy face, but knowing he was a father with children of his own, I remember Charlie Steiner, again with a look of pain, interrupting ESPN programming to deliver the news of a most unwelcome good-bye.

But today, good-bye is such a final word that many have avoided it. We've seen some "Farewells", and a "So long for now..", even an "Until we meet again.." We can be optimistic, can't we, that someday NASCAR and ESPN will remarry? Bobby and Judy proved it's possible.

Bill Weber, who said he wasn't going to cry on national TV but he nearly did anyway, Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, all the pit road guys, and even Buffet-Benny.. sure, we'll see them again, but you know it won't be the same. It most certainly can never be BETTER.

Throughout history, water has cleansed. We use it daily to wash inside and out. When the whole world was evil, God used Noah's flood to cleanse the earth. The waters of baptism purify our souls. At a time of such change, it's only fitting to close an era with a cleansing rain.

Thanks to the rain on Sunday, we got to spend the day with old friends, sharing all that has brought us together, remembering all that has torn apart. Like watching our best friend move away, we wave to the moving truck until it's out of sight. And when our tears have dried, we know we'll make a new best friend, but we also know we'll never love him as much.


You can contact Carol at: Insider racing News