My friends and family might say that I worry too much, which might be part of the reason why I had gray hair at an early age.
My friends and family might say that I worry too much, which might be part of the reason why I had gray hair at an early age. But I still like to think of myself as a guy who looks at the glass as half full, as opposed to half empty.
Looking back on 2020, I think of how so many people have suffered with the coronavirus and, worse yet, of course, those who have lost loved ones to it. Add in the uncertainty of many people not knowing if they were going to lose their jobs, not to mention getting sick, and it has been enough to give anyone gray hair.
When racing got shut down, things looked bleak for the racing industry as a whole. When the many different series couldn‘t race, they didn‘t make any money. When tracks couldn‘t run, they didn‘t make any money. Drivers who make their living racing couldn‘t make any money. Merchandise and parts vendors couldn‘t make any money.
Hotels and restaurants that depend on the big racing events as a significant percentage of their yearly income also didn‘t make any money if an event was cancelled.
But people, and especially racing people it seems, are resilient. And most eventually figured out a way to continue to race.
As bad as things were, and still are, for many people — especially those in the restaurant, bar, and travel industry — there are some businesses that are thriving and had a record-setting year financially.
I personally know of construction companies who had to turn work away. A lawnmower shop near me told me they had their biggest year on record. We had to have a couple exterior doors replaced on our home and had to wait almost six weeks because they were running behind.
We also have a retaining wall that needs to be replaced and everyone we got an estimate from back in September told us they would not be able to do the job until the spring because they were already booked solid through the end of the year.
Unfortunately for us, the day after Christmas, our washing machine started blowing up and it took more than two weeks before we could get a new one because they were also running behind with deliveries of new appliances.
When sprint car racing shut down, I never dreamed that when the engines finally started to re-fire, so much racing would get squeezed in before things would come to a close for the winter.
When things shut down, I had no idea if we would get our World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series event in at Attica Raceway Park or not.
But Attica promoter John Bores and general manager Rex LeJeune worked tirelessly with the health department to get the track opened up for their Friday night programs, and we were very fortunate to get our WoO race completed as well.
I also had no idea if there would be any television opportunities for me because of all the scrambling the World of Outlaws series was doing just to put a racing schedule together and take care of its teams and tracks.
As it turned out, the WoO had nine televised races on the CBS Sports Network, with three live shows in June and July. They were the first live sprint car TV broadcasts in many years.
To say that was a surprise with all the uncertainty throughout the season would be a major understatement.
At press time, the Tulsa Shootout has already taken place. It was recorded and will air on MAVTV in two separate shows at a later date, which I was also a part of as an analyst, and the Chili Bowl was run as well. Both events are run at the Tulsa Expo Raceway which is inside the River Spirit Expo Center in Tulsa, Okla.
Even though the Expo Center is one of the largest clear span buildings in the world, the racing is indoors and the races were held with limited fans and COVID-related restrictions.
I know I was not alone in thinking and hoping that by this time of the year we would‘ve been in far better shape than we are when it comes to the coronavirus.
The 2021 outdoor sprint car season started Jan. 22, with the three-night Wild Wing Shootout at Arizona Speedway in Queen Creek, Ariz. Then, the Ollie‘s Bargain Outlets All Star Circuit of Champions fired up its season on Jan. 29 at Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Ga.
The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series roars to life at Volusia Raceway Park for a three-night run beginning Feb. 5. The USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car Series starts back in at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Fla., for three consecutive nights starting Feb. 11.
At this point I don‘t think anyone knows what restrictions will be in place for the outdoor events that are coming up, but we can only hope that any restrictions will be lessening as the season rolls along.
With all the sprint car drivers and team members who have moved to different teams throughout the sprint car world in the last month or so, it will be interesting to see who adapts to their new team and who doesn‘t!
I can‘t wait, because in my mind the glass is half full and it‘s going to be a great season!