I attended my first race as credentialed media for NASCAR in October of last year. It was the Bank of America 500 weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, literally months after I was a fan in the stands at Auto Club Speedway watching Jimmie Johnson collect his 77th checkered flag.

Now I was on the other side of the catch fence, getting a chance to walk and talk with Jimmie and the rest in the garage area. It still humbles me to think about how quickly, and why, my life changed.

I want to be clear: this column is not about me taking advantage of someone’s passing. This is about me giving thanks to a man that was part of my life and without whom I might not have the chance to do what I do today. He was a true racer’s racer. His ambition and passion for driving anything is the same ambition and passion I put into every article, every radio show, every recap and press release I create and am a part of.

It is because of Bryan that I am here today working in this sport.

While I may have never known Bryan personally, he is the reason I got here. Without his presence on this earth, I probably would still just be a fan in the stands, talking racing and not getting a chance to be part of this sport like I am today.

How I wish you were still on this planet, wheelman. I wish I could shake your hand give you a hug and tell you everything that has happened. How I wish you could spend time with Chevy and walk with Lauren hand-in-hand down the aisle, like it was supposed to be.

All I can say to you, Bryan Clauson, is thank you for your life. You have helped so many people without even knowing it; you have given a second life to so many through your organ donations. You have also given me the opportunities to follow my dream, just like how you followed yours.

As I sit here, one year later, being able to do radio work and write stories, listening to the drivers and owners tell stories of their own in the garage area … I hearken back to that night last August, when I was just this guy sitting in a chair, watching racing on television.

Never in a million years did I think I could turn this into a profession. This is not a job, this is part of my life and I have you to thank for that.

On Aug. 7, the one year anniversary of the loss of Bryan Clauson and my joining Race Chaser Online, not a day goes by that I don’t think about what could have been … and yet, what is today.

You may be gone physically, but in spirit you will always, always be here.

From Lauren to Chip Ganassi; from Kyle Larson, Justin Marks, Rico Abreu, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., all the way to myself … you never left, you just took a little bit of yourself and “parked it” in all of our hearts, forever.

And for that, we will always have you to thank.

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

Rence Brown is Race Chaser Online’s West Coast-based correspondent, who currently resides in California and carries a deep passion for NASCAR, but follows other forms of motorsports as well.

From IndyCar and Supercars to Formula 1 and the NHRA, he loves it all. The smell of gasoline and burnt rubber fuels his passion for the form of sport and he would have it no other way.

He will say how he feels and will call it like he sees it; unafraid of criticism.

Email Rence at: [email protected]

Follow on Twitter: @RenceTheFence

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