Bad finish at Beechridge doesn't break the Dion Team spirit
09/26/07: A note from Dave...
I had to wait a few days before writing this report but now that I feel better and have things in perspective, here goes. Being the ultimate optimist that I am, I wanted to make sure I saw the good in our "300" weekend and not just all the things that went wrong. I went into the weekend promising myself I would not make excuses for not winning and I will try to keep that promise throughout this report.
Friday was a great day for the team as Paul and Roger got a chance to try chassis set-ups that they don't normally get to track test. Practicing and giving that feedback to the crew is one of the hardest things I do as a driver but by far the most important. Almost any decent driver can drive a well set-up race car but getting it to that point is accomplished by only the best teams. The relationship (no pun intended) with Paul, Roger and big brother Donald has always been the secret to the Dion Team's success. I do very little work on the car at the track (which I am reminded of during our teasing sessions) and I rely heavily on all my team members (which I will be profiling on the web site in the future) to adjust and prepare the car.
Saturday went very well for the team and a great draw by Billy's grandson A.J. put us in the "300" with a 4th place finish in our heat race. I could surely sympathize with the teams that had to run the consi's and last chance race as I know the feeling. A quick scuff-in session Sunday morning only helped to build my confidence that with a little luck and no big mistakes, that day would be the day. I've made excuses to myself since joining "Pass" last year why I was at a disadvantage to the winning teams but now I sat in the winning car. Maybe knowing nothing short of a win would satisfy me took me out of my game or maybe I was due for a bad performance just so I wouldn't take things for granted in the future. Anyway I look at it, I threw one away like I did when I missed a shift at N.H.I.S.last fall. Those memories never go away. In the old days you would go on to race the next day or week and redeem yourself but today you dwell on it long and hard before having a chance to take it "off the front burner". I was going to list all the mistakes I made in the race but while I still have the job (though I haven't seen the name on the roof lately, Ha!) I won't admit to any of them unless under oath.
Now it's time for some positives besides having a winning car for the weekend. I did receive a lot of compliments for our web page and Dave Moody's book, which I appreciate very much. We are enlisting a lot of volunteer (there's the magic word when you join the Dion's, Ha!) help to maintain and expand the web site so we can all stay in touch when not racing. I especially enjoyed the autograph session in the grandstands (I know that doesn't shock my team, Ha!) as I get to see old (sometimes even older than me) friends/fans along with new/young ones that shock me when they show any interest in me or our team. When I tell these fans that they are a big part of the reason I continue in a sport that has past me by I truly mean it. I guess the day that not one of these fans stops by to say "hi!" or "thanks for coming", the "fire will go out" (Wow, that was hard to write) and as the southerners say "Take it to the house" for the last time.
It's funny when I read this back before forwarding it to Linda for posting that it is never much about the race itself. As the Patriot's coach always says when asked a question that doesn't have a clear-cut answer, "it is what it is and we can't change the past". The team hasn't decided on our next race yet but when we do I will be sure to post it. Thank you to all the Dion fans that showed up at Beechridge, especially to all the ones wearing your favorite and now vintage tee shirt that bring back vivid memories of that era.
One sad note before ending this, Tiger White, a great Ford race driver, car builder and fan of the Dion's, passed on but we will keep him in our thoughts as we race in his memory.
Yours truly,
Dave