It’s the time of year when members of the racing community come together and toast each other’s accomplishments.

The thing about “woulda, coulda, shoulda” stories is that they can’t have happy endings. But sometimes, an ending is enough.

The Gathering of the Clans became a popular name for the annual open-competition 410 cu. in. sprint car race at Keith Hall's half-mile clay Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix, Ariz., for decades starting in 1968.