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A Perfect Storm And A Sad Farewell 02/17/2015 |
I
bid you welcome gentle readers, and warn you that this will be a mixed bag of
emotions today. Let’s begin with what is foremost in my mind this Saturday
morning. My dear friend and a contributor to this site right up to the end of
last season, Barbara “B.J.” Brown, passed away early this morning. B.J. was a
race fan of the old school sort. She loved her racing much the same as does
this old lady. I don’t know, because it wasn’t important to ask, but I find
myself hoping she was able to watch even a small part of FOX Network’s
presentation of “A Perfect Storm” on Friday evening. If so, I’m sure it brought
her one of the final smiles of her life.
No,
you’ll not hear me say something trite such as, “She lost her battle with
cancer.” She’d come back to call BS on that line. She didn’t lose the battle.
She looked cancer square in the face and faced it down. She, not that damn
disease, chose her last minutes on earth. She ended the treatments and she
called the day and hour of departure. I know God will have His hands full with
her there in Heaven, but she’ll show Him how to get it done right. Please allow
me to share with you this short eulogy I made for Barbara; then we’ll get on
with racing things.
It
was only perhaps an hour after learning of the loss of Barbara that a letter
came to my inbox from another dear friend, Dr. Matthew Gillian, recently
retired from 33 years of duty as nighttime DJ at WSM, Nashville, the unchallenged
home of Country Music. His letter was written on a topic already under
discussion here on Race Fans Forever, the piece presented Friday night on FOX
Network’s FS1 entitled, “A Perfect Storm.” I know he won’t mind if I share his letter
with you, gentle readers. He has given me permission to do that at my
discretion.
Hi Patty Kay!
Just had to write you
this morning with a few observations...
I turned on the TV
this morning and found the 1979 Daytona 500 (which was Richard Petty's 6th
win).
I was struck by the
simplest little gems in this race. It was the first time Dale Earnhardt had led
a lap in his career. There were so many rookies amongst the field who went onto
NASCAR history. All of the "old pros" of The Great American Race. And
to think 1/3 of the race was run under caution. 15.1-million folks watched it
on the first ever flag-to-flag broadcast on CBS. There were some spectacular
wrecks, amazing driving, fist fights and duels unequalled in today's
racing.
I was very struck at how much more exciting the entire race was
versus the anemic performances of today! It was still a spectacle and a show,
with such an energy about the competition. The race was grittier, more dynamic,
hardcore and daring somehow, than what we get each week nowadays while bouncing
around the channels trying to find the race. I really can't put my finger on
any "one thing" that was so different... Maybe it's the cars
themselves? Maybe it's the science and technology of the sport that has made it
so vastly different? The cars seemed so incredibly monstrous, sturdier and just
plain tougher back then. I liken them more to a Gladiator’s suit of armor with
very few frills. Landmark cars from Oldsmobile, Buick, Ford, Mercury, Dodge and
Chevrolet, representing the finest of American automobiles. Everything
about NASCAR was powerful, raw and extremely real! Again, unlike today. The
fans were rabid, loud, and almost maniacal in their reverence to the sport and
the drivers. The heroes and characters seemed to be much larger than they are
now - and much more humble, quieter and classy than this generation.
Maybe it's just me,
maybe not. But, there is definitely a widely marked comparison between
yesteryear and now in my eyes.
It seems the
"racing did the talking" and points weren't the ultimate goal. The
drivers seemed to drive more for the trophy and fans than for anything else.
Sponsorships didn't rule the world and owners were not monopolies.
I realized how much I
missed the racing of those years and wish to hell I'd paid more attention to it
then.
But, we know that all
things must change and move forward.
I'm reminded of these
words of truth from a popular Lincoln MKC car commercial;
"Sometimes, you gotta go back... To actually move forward... to see where
you're goin'... I know there are those who say - you
can't go back... Yes, you can! Just have to look in the right place."
- Matthew McConaughey, 2014
In the end, with all
things being relatively equal, I sure enjoyed going back to the brutal old
school of the genuine American sport of NASCAR Racing! What a race, what an era
- what a sport!
Yours always,
Matthew
And
my answer follows:
Dearest Matthew,
It’s
really true. When God feels we need an angel, He sends one, and you Matthew,
are my angel of the day. I’ll start by telling you that a close friend, Barbara
J. Brown, left this morning to become an Angel of God. It was not unexpected.
BJ had been very ill for a very long time. You might recall she was part of our
“Fast Forward” page last year, but had to decline this year because of health.
She never even made it to the Daytona 500. I’m sitting here trying to work, but
tears keep dimming my vision. She, feisty lady that she was, would kick my ass
for that, so whatever I accomplish today will be for her, because of her.
I’m
guessing that what you watched was a production called, “A Perfect Storm”,
which originally aired last night following practice for the Sprint Unlimited.
I am usually a hard-bitten old news lady that has little time for the fluff of
today, but at the time I had nothing better to do, so I stayed with it, and I
will never regret doing so. I can almost recite that race. I know you let a
typo slip by, as in no way was that only the King’s 6th win. It was,
in fact, his 186th, and came only 5 years before his last, in 1984.
Since watching that program, I have spoken nothing but praise for it, and I
have read nothing but good things, penned by all manner of folks. Quite often,
as in most of the time, I see FOX Network as the “We don’t give a damn” site on
my TV dial. Witness endless years of folks named Waltrip bringing you the race
du jour and I’m sure you’ll see my point.
The
cars were bigger and burlier back in 1979. That was two years before they made
the change that made cars fly; they went from those giant steel fire-breathing
beasts to the much smaller cars of the 1980s, smaller in structure, engines,
wheel bases and everything but speed. Steel soon gave way to the composite of
the day until now, my plastic coated house is tougher than my plastic coated
car. The drivers were more colorful, without a doubt. That was still before the
sponsors called every shot. The teams, and the men behind the wheels, were in
it to win it, as they say. There was no other reason to be there. When they
said that second place was just the first loser, they meant it. There was no
such thing as “having a good points day” or “looking at the big picture.”
Above
all though, was a point I have tried time and time again to get across to my
readers, perhaps with some success, but not nearly enough, as it’s a hard
concept to capture in the right words. We were not dead in 1979, just as we are
not dead now. We can be swayed in one direction or another by a well-placed
word. The men you heard throughout that broadcast, Ken Squier,
David Hobbs, Chris Economacki were trained more in
radio than TV. They knew how to paint word pictures for the audience so well
that just listening, you would swear you were seeing. They brought that talent
to the table that day in 1979, and they described what they were seeing,
feeling, hearing and smelling with unfailing accuracy. Not one word was spoken
by any one of them that did not pertain directly to the race at hand. Call me
crazy, but that, dear friend, is what has changed the most. Yes, the drivers
are “prettier” and much better spoken, so as to represent the sponsor of the
year in the best possible light. The race somehow became secondary to the
“business.” When that happened, the fans stopped coming and stopped caring in
the way they did back then. Who cheers for a damn business? No one. We cheer
for the racers, and we cheer loudest for the winner. That’s the difference that
no one is catching.
If
you get a chance, watch that program again, and consider as you do what I’ve
said here. I think it will become very clear to you. See, I was one that did
pay attention back then. I loved what I saw in racing as much as I ever loved
any man. They took that away, and I resent that. It shows in my writing, as I
struggle to keep those word pictures of yesteryear alive for other generations.
Thomas
Wolfe told us “You can’t go home again”, and you can’t, to stay, but we can
damn well go back for a visit, and it we were smart, we’d learn from the trip.
Hugs
and Happy Valentine’s Day to you,
~PattyKay
And
back to Matthew for one more:
Patty,
I'm so sorry to hear
of her passing... I'm glad I could do a flyover for you to take your mind away
for a bit.
You should use your
email back to me as your article this week - simply words of truth and wisdom
with perfectly placed points of fact! You've written the very words I was
searching for!
Yes, I meant to say it
was the King's 6th Daytona - of course. It was a great show to watch!
Try to have a better
afternoon and be happy you are still here to aggravate, exacerbate, inspire and
set fire to the butts that need it! Thank you for your friendship and love!
Smiling warmly,
Matthew
He
did write back to wish me a happy Valentine’s Day, which he neglected to do
here. Matthew, thank you so much for the idea of making a column from my letter
to you. It made today easier by far, so as I said earlier, you really were my
Angel today. Time now for our Classic Country Closeout. I’m sure you’ll approve
of my choices on this especially sad day. First up is one that Hank Williams both
wrote and sang, “When God Comes and Gathers His Jewels.”
Next
is one of my all-time favorites. This is Red Foley, doing the song he made
ever-popular so many years ago, “Peace in the Valley.” Please enjoy…
One
more… this is one of the oldest Country songs around, but it’s still heard very
often and done by a wide variety of singers in as wide a variety of styles. For
today, I’ve chosen a live version performed by Johnny Cash and June Carter-Cash
with family. “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?”
I
love you Barbara!
Be
well gentle readers, and remember to keep smiling. It looks so good on you!
~
PattyKay