The Good (Jeff Gordon), The
Bad (Michael Waltrip), and… the Mammy?
November 9, 2007
Jay Staton - SCR
Jeff Gordon and Michael
Waltrip are names you know, but what could the word “Mammy” possibly have to do with racing?
If you guessed Teresa
Earnhardt, you would be mistaken. Actually it would be my Mother, who has never driven around the block, much less a racetrack.
Read on to see what this unlikely trio has in common…
Jeff Gordon is undoubtedly
at the top of his game. He has the correct team owner in Rick Hendrick, one of the fastest and most consistent cars on the
track, and has finished in the top ten 28 times this year. He is rarely involved in controversy, is well spoken, and is a
one of the all time best in car control. He has done everything right, tried to leave nothing to chance, given it his all,
and yet… trails Jimmie Johnson in the standings with only two races left in the season.
And although he has many detractors,
Michael Waltrip is in fact not a “bad” driver. Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) car or not, he has won two Daytona 500’s,
and even in a good car it takes a good driver to win that race—remember that it took Dale Earnhardt Sr. 20 attempts
before he accomplished that task.
Along the way, Waltrip
learned not only to drive with his head, he also used his intelligence to become one of the best pitchmen in the business,
a talent that ultimately earned him the enviable position of being a car owner with the heavily financed Toyota corporation,
a position that many long standing owners would love to be in. Waltrip also has great people in his organization and Dale
Jarrett behind the wheel of one of his cars, also given it his all and yet…has seen three cars struggle to simply make
races for much of the year.
And then there is my
Mom, as unlike the two above as one can possibly be, Mother has been a stay-at-home Mom with a hot bowl of chicken soup at
the ready whenever one needed it, and never had the remotest interest in mechanical things. But Mom is now deeply into her
80’s, and has long been unafraid of death. When she recently suffered yet another stroke the doctors informed us to
prepare for her passing, and she was clearly at peace with that and seemingly on her way, and yet… has “recovered”
once again.
The thread of similarity
that winds through this story is that although we can plan for our future, and we can make all of the “right”
moves, ultimately our future is not up to us, only our choices are.
Do not misunderstand,
it is not all pre-determined. All of the above parties (as well as you and I and Tony Stewart) have been granted the ability
to choose, and that is the race in life that we all run, making the right choices—and it is a tough one. But making
the “right choices” still has no guarantees, because there is a Bigger Plan at work.
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The Real Truth is not
yet known, and somehow it is only later revealed…
Jeff Gordon deserves
to win the championship, but even larger than that is the fact that many of his detractors have softened—knowing just
how dominant he has been this year, and have seen him stand tall and uncomplaining when his huge points lead was “taken
away” as the Chase began. Recall that Darrell Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt were heavily booed, but along the way fans
identified with their adversity, and changed their hearts. So it is becoming with Jeff Gordon.
Michael Waltrip has matured
this year, not only as a driver, but as a car owner. While Waltrip is not a Rick Hendrick or a Jack Roush, he now speaks in
more measured terms. More important is the fact that his efforts have indirectly enabled Dale Jarrett to leave the sport on
his own terms, and established David Reutimann as a driver to be dealt with, qualifying and racing hard in unknown equipment
on unknown territory, and David’s joy as a hard core racer that has “made it” is obvious.
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And Mom is now in a group
setting, and although someone else is now making the chicken soup and she confuses easily, her personality and kindness now
brightens and inspires the hearts of many more now than it did before.
After the last engine
of the day in our lives is shut down, after our best has been given, rather than being frustrated that things did not go perfectly
as planned, if we quiet our minds the inevitable silver lining in all things will shine through.
Don’t ever give
up, and don’t ever lose Faith, but be ready for challenges that are yet unseen --and victories that are yet unknown.
2006 StockCar Review.
