So here we are. After 19 years for you in NASCAR, and 17 years for me as a fan of yours.
I knew I was headed to Miami this weekend the moment you announced your retirement last year. I’ve made the point to say to people that even if I were unconscious and stuck in the I.C.U., that I would have doctors Med-a-vac me to the handicapped terraces above Turn 1. There, they would set up my bed, and my I.V.s, and everything else they needed to keep me alive. But even if I didn’t remember it, I.was.not.going.to.miss.this.race!
The good news is that it looks like I will be fully conscious for this weekend, haha.
But as I’ve told people about how I was going down to Miami, it’s been impressive to see the support that has come from all time periods of my life.
In the past two weeks, I’ve had people from Belmont Abbey, from Chapel Hill, from F.C.D.S, even a few from elementary school that have talked to me about it and given their support.
That the support spans across such a long time period says a lot in and of itself, I think. Everybody knows that when you start talking Pikey, that one of the first things you have to do is talk about how he’s a Tony Stewart fan. And it’s been that way for all but a year and a half of my life (once you subtract the four years at the start that I don’t remember well).
And of course, I do have some plans to recognize a few of them as the weekend progresses. That leather jacket, for instance? It’s coming down to Miami with me and it will absolutely be on my shoulders for the truck race, at least!
As for Sunday, I can’t even imagine how that’s going to be like. All I know is that I am always one to reflect before I cry, and this is one of those rare moments where I’m bringing Kleenexes with me, because I know I’m going to cry!
I know that you would say that it’s not worth crying over, and that it’s just a change in your career, not the end. So I’m going on record here to say that there was a point before Sunday where I rationally said that I recognize this, and that I look forward with great anticipation to see what you do in 2017 and beyond. But there will still be tears, I suspect.
Beyond Sunday? I’m not sure what that will look like. But I doubt you’d want me to work the crystal ball too much anyway, so I’ll close by saying this:
I had no idea what kind of adventure I had just signed up for when all of this started on Sept.11, 1999. Never would I have guessed that 17 years later, I could say that for where I was in my life, and for the success that you would have as a driver, that six-year-old me would have ended up doing the very best job I could have possibly done to pick a favorite driver, and that said favorite driver would be the second-most successful driver over the course of his career and a first-ballot NASCAR Hall-of-Famer.
But it goes beyond the statistics for me. Because NASCAR was the first thing I really ever came to love on my own. And it needed some sort of root, some kind of anchor, to give it staying power.
I guess I did a good job of picking a good root! Because you became all of that and then some, so far as my interests were concerned.
That isn’t to say that it was always easy. You were never the easy customer to deal with, and never the most popular person in the garage (or in the population at large). I took the flack, but I was stubborn. I was defensive. I stuck with you. Likewise, I had to battle through Asperger’s Syndrome just to get to a point where I could be functional around other human beings.
That work started with something to talk about. NASCAR became that something to talk about. And you were always right at the forefront.
So I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that I grew up with you, and that your on-track escapades being a primary interest of mine were a massive help in me growing up, and more importantly, finding my own identity. Because much of that identity is tied up in being a Tony Stewart fan.
As you can probably tell by now, there are a ton of memories on my end that have resulted from your exploits. No surprise, then, that I think that my life has indirectly been made much better from your time spent behind the wheel.
I can’t thank you for that enough. I never could. There wouldn’t be enough words to encompass it. Ever.
So I’ll leave the feeling of gratitude here, and hopefully, you’ll pick up on it (or already have).
All that’s left to say is that I second Mobil 1, and that I believe that you are always a racer, and forever a champion. Forever our champion.
Hats off to you on an incredible Sprint Cup career as a driver. See you this weekend at Homestead-Miami!
All the best,
James V. Pike
The opinions expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Race Chaser Online, the Performance Motorsports Network, Scorpion Radio Group, their sponsors or other contributors.
About the Writer
James Pike is a multi-faceted reporter for Race Chaser Online and an analyst on the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network.
He is the lead correspondent for Race Chaser Online’s coverage of Australian Supercars and also covers regional touring series events in the Carolinas. He is a graduate of the Motorsports Management program at Belmont Abbey College and currently resides in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Email James at: RaceChaserJames@gmail.com
Follow on Twitter: @JamesVPike
Email Race Chaser Online: news@racechaseronline.com
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