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As far back in my childhood as I can remember, I was in a garage or at the race track with my family. One of my first baby pictures was in a race helmet and it is one of my favorite pictures of myself. I also have several sitting in tires, sitting in the stands watching races, and with my uncle's racecar. I remember having a sweatshirt that said: "I love my Uncle John" with a picture of his car on it that I wore to all of his races. These moments were my favorites. As a child, I loved spending time with my father and my uncle, but now looking back, I realize that growing up racing with my family and with the boys has taught me several valuable life lessons.
When I learned how to walk, my father and uncle would purposely throw out rivets or "ding dongs" as I called them for me to find. I felt like I had an important part to play when it came to getting the car ready for the next race. It became a game and a scavenger hunt for me. I would spend hours looking for them. Looking back as an adult, I am sure that several of those rivets were planted and not actually needed, but I appreciate that they played along with it for me. Right off the bat, just from things like this, and from watching my father and his brother work together, it became clear to me teamwork was necessary to accomplish great things.
I learned lessons of self-control from sitting up in the stands . Even in the stands, racing can be dangerous and you need to be aware of your surroundings, especially as a child. It was pretty uncommon, but sometimes a tire would fly off a car, or there would be an accident on the front stretch only several yards away from where you were sitting. That is why it was several years before I was allowed in the pits (where they have the trailers), as the pits are full of movement, people working on cars, and other chaotic activity. My grandparents would usually sit with me in the stands, and they did a pretty good job of controlling all the energy I had as a young child.
In general, being at the racetrack taught me that hard work, patience, problem-solving, and self-control were important aspects my life. This was just my first exposure to several of these tasks, but they stuck with me. I was extremely proud of my father and uncle when it came to racing growing up, I always was boasting in school about racing and what we did. Granted, I always have been a daddy's girl so it is logical that I would enjoy this aspect too.
However, there is one thing I miss about being at the track and in the garage now that they have stopped racing, and that I am in college. The garage was always a safe place when I had a bad day. I knew that I could speak what was on my mind confidentially to my dad and my uncle. I also always had a place where I belonged, even if it was unconventional for my age. I may be 20 years old now, but I still use these lessons daily and join my father out in the garage when I get the chance. I still miss the watching the dirt flying, getting into people's drinks and food, and the smell of the racing fuel they used. Racing was my childhood and brings back many fond memories. I can not thank my father and uncle enough for teaching me these lessons, and for including me in something so great and wonderful during my childhood.
