But there is a lot more
drama than Cup stars moonlighting for kicks at the 24 hours of Daytona.
The event began in 1962
as the “Daytona Continental” and was won by Dan Gurney —but only after the engine failed in his Lotus. However,
Gurney had a considerable lead and had the presence of mind to stop just before the start finish line, wait out the clock,
and crawl across the line, under his own “power” using the starter motor.
I have attended virtually
ALL of these events from the grandstands and, generally, compared to stock car racing, they initially seem about as boring
as watching paint dry, kind of like daily life, at first glance.
But, there have been
many heroic stories over the years… College students drove a six cylinder AMC Gremlin down from New York and ran the
thing until they completely used the tires up—and then, penniless, sat on pit road until someone had the heart to by
them a set of tires. They finished the race.
A
street-type Porsche blew up with a few hours to go and the team pulled the engine from a spectator’s
car, bolted it in, and finished the race.
The cars are of course
required to have headlights at night, and more than one have had a flashlight taped to what was left of a fender to comply
with the rule.
On the second day of
the event the spectators are starting to look like the cars—more than less shot, unshaven, bleary eyed, the events of
the evening clearly taking their toll.
That is what keeps me
coming back year after year—to watch the stories of endurance, and to test my own endurance for as many hours as possible,
through the rain, cold, fog, and ear splitting Mazda’s screaming through the night.
If you can make the event,
do so. It is quite a change from the norm, and occasional change is good.
If you can’t, just
remember, that, like the racers this weekend, to never give up. If life knocks you down, get back into the race with the spirit
that you have been given -- from a Spirit that not only will be there for this weekend’s
24 hours, but will be there for you for every minute of every hour, forever.
Questions,
Comments;
Email Jay
The views and opinions
in this article are that of the writer(s) and not necessarily that of SCR
2006 StockCar Review.
