American Racing News Vol 1, Issue 2 Issue 3 | Page 35

around the world and we can’t stop
the process. The odds are still the
same—100%!

bones, tears and blood, not what’s
ginned up in Hollywood or on Madison
Avenue.

The people in the racing community
are people we know, love, respect and
cherish, as we savor all the good times
we’ve had with them. But the people
in the entertainment world are those
we only hear about. We don’t have
personal contact with them—never
have, and probably never will.

The urge to mourn those we do not
know strikes me as yet one more
symptom of the urge to genuflect before all things celebrity. It is one of the
sad sicknesses of our age, an ailment
that sacrifices time we could spend on
relationships that matter for a connection as thin as a Facebook friendship
with a digital pal who is no pal at all.
Miss the music? Absolutely. Miss the
talent? Of course. But save the grieving, please for the princes and princesses who populate your real life.”
Who are the princes and princesses
who populate your life? They are your
family and friends with whom you associate in your circle of life. They are
your racing buddies you work with at
the shop and track. They may be your
sponsors who trust enough in you to
support your racing program. And
they are likeable fans who become
your friends, even paying to watch
you.

I read some powerful words recently
by writer David Leibowitz, and he
makes sense with the way he describes how we think and act towards
the so-called “stars” of today. “In the
21st century, we live in a world of false
ownership when it comes to those we
make famous enough to matter beyond their own households. We never
meet them, never have a single conversation, never share a meal, never
understand a single true detail beyond
what a publicist shapes for media consumption or a few snaps on Instagram.
And yet we want to eat what they eat,
wear what they wear, vote for whom
they vote. Fans gathered in the street
outside Prince’s house. They hug and
weep. They offer soul-crushed interviews to the assembled media vultures.
The overwhelming sense
conveyed is of a gaping void, the kind
we experience when a much-loved
friend goes away.
And yet no friend has gone away—not
literally. Because all we ever have of
celebrities is a few bars of music, a few
scenes on a screen, a concert, a Jimmy
Kimmel interview, some paragraphs
on a page. This is not to diminish the
value of art, or slander Prince or Bowie, et al.
My point instead? Hug closer the ones
you love, those human beings you can
touch in the flesh. Try harder to know
those with whom you have a tangible,
breathing connection. Worship at the
altar of what’s real, what’s skin and

In order to be successful in racing, it
takes alotta blood, sweat, and tears to
come out on top. This means there is
a Whole Lotta Love going into your
endeavor of the need for speed. You
gotta love it, or you wouldn’t be doing
it. Genuine human relationships are
rooted and established in love…gentle
as a dove…fits like a glove…coming
down from above.
On the spiritual side of life, God has
mor