INDIANAPOLIS – My time in front of a television is spent watching sports, a bit of news and an occasional documentary. List some of the most popular shows or a Netflix series and it is nearly a sure bet I watched none of them. I’m not taking the position of a snob; I am simply stating the truth.
There are moments when I sometime get a snippet of some kind of Hollywood insider show where I invariably wear my wife out with questions about who these people are and why should I care?
Yet many do. However, I remember hearing a talk by writer and humorist Garrison Keillor, which I believe was delivered at the National Press Club. While I am paraphrasing Keillor, to wit he reminded the guests that there was life to be found beyond the Washington beltway. He noted that every day people got up in the morning and (at the time) walked out and got the newspaper, grabbed a bite to eat, then went to work. What was more, they often paid little heed to what happened in Washington. He punctuated this remark by noting that it really was a big world out there.
It is indeed a big world out there and within that big world is a tiny niche we call short-track racing. I recently attended the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame induction in Knoxville, Iowa. Eight people from various facets in the sport earned their spot among the plaques that are displayed on the second floor of the museum.
Consider the thousands of people who participate in racing in some capacity every single weekend. Most do this in addition to their major life responsibilities. Very few ever have a chance to do this professionally.
I have often noted that perhaps my favorite years in my racing life were when Brad Dickison and I announced at Kokomo Speedway for owner Kent Evans. What a time it was. Regulars included the late Tony Elliott, Dave Darland and Kevin Thomas. They garnered the most headlines, but they were far from the only talented guys on the grounds. Mike Mann won championships and a ton of races, Gary Fisher was tough as nails and a young Derek Davidson (who has forged a successful career in IndyCar) was spectacular.
Then there were guys like Tony Ploughe and Tony Jarrett who also just made the sport better. They earned the respect of everyone because they did things the right way.
We lost Tony Jarrett on the last day of May. Jarrett didn’t possess the kind of racing résumé to gain entry to the Hall of Fame. So, for some in the racing world, he was like the celebrities I don’t recognize on television. He resided in the big world beyond the beltway of racing stars.
However, Kody Swanson, who will land in a range of Halls of Fame when his career is over, spoke at Jarrett’s funeral. Kevin and Whitney Thomas worked tirelessly to bring attention to Jarrett’s fight with pancreatic cancer and raise money for research. Then, four days after he was laid to rest, Robert Ballou was standing in victory lane at Kokomo. After discussing his win, he asked Drake York if he could say a few additional words. Ballou, who is always unpredictable on the microphone, took a moment to remember Tony Jarrett. Before he had completed his thoughts his emotions were bubbling to the surface. Those who knew – knew.
Tony’s son, Logan, was a USAC winner before he hung up the helmet. His daughter, Brandi, had personality almost from the moment she was born. Her husband, Brian Karraker (known to all as B.K.), has been active in the sport in multiple capacities and is impossible not to like. Lisa, to whom Tony had been married for more than 40 years, was truly one of the great racing wives.
Racing was something Tony loved dearly, and when he claimed a Kokomo Speedway sprint car championship it was an accomplishment all could appreciate. Tony didn’t win the Knoxville Nationals, the Hulman Classic or the Kings Royal. What he did do was win a title at a track he loved to the depth of his soul.
When he wasn’t racing, he was earning a living with his J&J Trucking Co. He was the essence of the kind of person the sport cannot live without.
As I waited in a long line on a rainy Tuesday night to pay my respects, an old lesson was brought home again. Sometimes what matters most is not what you accomplished, but how you lived your life. The people assembled to say goodbye were family, business associates, community members and racing people. He touched all of them.
A year or so ago I spoke at a function to honor a pioneer driver who was recognized by the Indiana Racing Memorial Ass’n. In the room was a trophy the driver had won. I can’t remember the story perfectly, but it might have been found in a landfill.
I was reminded of a driver that I once met who had raced in Nebraska. He told me one day he took a backhoe, dug a hole somewhere on his property and buried the lion’s share of his old trophies. It seemed extreme to me, but there was a message there. At some point the confetti quits falling and the spotlight turns in another direction.
It is easy for me to close my eyes and see the No. 29 sprint car backing into the first turn on a hot and humid Indiana Sunday. I can vividly remember a night when Jarrett was so mad at a rival that he stomped into victory lane with bad intentions. Trying to think on my feet, I quickly turned to Tony and asked him how proud he was of Brandi, who had just won a queen’s contest. He broke into a broad smile and forgot all about the incident.
I recall being in Tony’s shop for a New Year’s Eve party when Ploughe decided to energize the dance by playing Brick House. It was hilarious. I can still see Tony sitting in a lawn chair holding court before a Sunday night at the track. He was chill before we had any idea what that word would come to mean.
Tony Jarrett was simply a great guy. Is there any better way to be remembered by those you shared a life with? I don’t think so.
THIS ARTICLE IS REPOSTED FROM THE June 26 EDITION OF SPEED SPORT INSIDER
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