D . I . COLUMNIST The Real Deal with Tommy D ' Aprile
As the 2021 race season moves forward , it always amazes me how fast the races fly by . You begin the season and before you know it the final race is right ahead of you . Most race schedules keep professional teams on the road quite a bit . Races can also be one after the other and take teams from coast to coast .
The busy , hurried schedule can also be very taxing on families and jobs we leave to make it to a race . Leaving on Wednesday , driving nonstop to a race , then after the race driving straight through home to make it back to work while being exhausted is not exactly fun .
What am I getting at , you might ask ? Well , here it is . As of March 14 , 2021 , I have decided to step away from racing for a time . You see , it ’ s not that I don ’ t enjoy racing , but I am entering a different season of life where too much travel and time away from home would have a negative effect on this season of life . I am embracing these new and exciting times and want to enjoy them .
Traveling on the big race circuit may be a dream to some but can be a curse to others . I have the utmost respect for teams who sacrifice so much for the organization they are with , but it comes with a price .
A friend of mine recently worked on a professional team and was blessed to win two world championships . Everyone thought he had it made and that his lifestyle was amazing . The truth is he was never home , and because of that many areas of his life suffered . He resigned and now works close to home and told me that he never enjoyed life so much . He thought all the travel and race wins would give him more than what it did , but unfortunately it did not . He was wise to recognize this and made a change .
The same can be said for professional race car drivers who have countless championships and lonely lives . People think these drivers have it made , but in reality they are giving up far more than what they think they will gain . Standing all alone with a room full of trophies is not what they had in mind .
Now I am not saying racing and traveling are bad or wrong , but I am saying that you may need to balance it and make sure your priorities are right . I may be stepping away from traveling and the big race series , but my family and I will be racing at tracks close to home spending time with each other and having fun . The big time for me is not at the big race , it ’ s where my family is . I am blessed to be able to race with them and I don ’ t want to give up that time on the road away from them .
You see , it ’ s different for all of us , but I want to encourage you to take a long look at where you are and see if that ’ s really where you want to be . Please evaluate your relationships and balance race time and family time . Take some races off and enjoy other aspects of life . When you come back to a race you may just enjoy it a little more .
I have raced the U . S . Nationals and have won some pretty big events , but most of my racing enjoyment has come from my home track , a special place for me . I am not done driving , but I am done putting racing in front of my family and I ask you to do the same . As always , the choice is yours to make . DI
Email Tommy at tommyd @ dragillustrated . com
March 2021
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