Ford Championship Weekend means different things to different people
For some, it’s the end of a long 38-week grind and an opportunity to start recharging the battery by spending time with family and friends during the holiday season.
For others who have gotten in the habit of watching or listening to a race every weekend, it’s a feeling of sadness because the season is over and there’s no more racing for two months.
Looking back, the biggest highlight on the track for us at Ford was when Matt Kenseth won the season-opening Daytona 500, giving car owner Jack Roush his first victory in NASCAR’s most prestigious race. You don’t forget days like that because they don’t happen very often. My only other Daytona 500 win in the 12 years I’ve had this job came in 2000 when Dale Jarrett drove away with the checkered flag, so this one was special.
I remember when Matt passed Elliott Sadler on Lap 152 and the rain started to fall and knowing that the race might be over. Knowing how drivers like to scatter after races, especially when rain is involved, I decided to go outside with my umbrella and try to find as many guys as possible.
My task was made easier by the fact that I had already gotten comments from Travis Kvapil, Jamie McMurray and Paul Menard, who had all been in accidents earlier. I found David Ragan standing in his pit stall with an umbrella over his head, and then got Carl Edwards a few minutes later while walking down pit road toward the garage area.
Feeling that the race wasn’t going to restart, I made my way towards turn one and while I’ll never be accused of always being in the right place at the right time, I just happened to be at the back bumper of Matt’s black and yellow Ford Fusion when the race was called. I got to see him give wife Katie a big kiss, and could see the tears in his eyes as Steve Byrnes began interviewing him on television. I was right next to them and won’t soon forget the emotion Matt displayed as he thanked everyone that gave him the opportunity to drive a race car for a living.
The next day I drove over to The Daytona Experience, where the car was going to be put on public display, and was greeted by the entire No. 17 DeWalt team in their uniforms just standing around the parking lot waiting to go inside for the car induction ceremony.
I had never experienced that event before and it was really neat how all of the crew members signed the hood of the car and then posed for a series of photos, along with Matt, Jack and crew chief Drew Blickensderfer. It was also a great opportunity for the fans in attendance because they got to take plenty of photos and ask questions.
Even though the rest of the season didn’t go as well as we would have liked, it’s still not a total loss when you can say one of your teams won the biggest event of the season.
This weekend Ford will be the title sponsor for all three races and watch champions crowned in the NASCAR Camping World, NASCAR Nationwide and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Ford teams have won the Sprint Cup race each of the last five years and six of the seven times it has been called the Ford 400, so there’s an optimism that 2009 can end the same way it started.
Then all that will remain is the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Banquet in your lovely city of Las Vegas on Dec. 4. I know many fan-friendly activities are planned and I can’t wait to see how warmly you embrace this newest attraction.
I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to share my stories and behind-the-scenes memories of what it’s like to be part of this giving and generous NASCAR community. Thanks to Las Vegas Review-Journal and LVRJ.com for providing me this space every week and for those of you who took the time to read on a regular basis.
Now it’s time to start planning for 2010 and there’s no time to waste.
After all, Speedweeks is less than 75 days away.
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Discuss: Ford Championship Weekend means different things to different people
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