Mood:
caffeinatedNow Playing: Josie Cotton: Movie Disaster Music
Topic: Auto Racing
I learned a few days ago that the track at which we intended to race this year - Creek County Speedway near Sapulpa, Oklahoma - has been sold to a new owner/proprietor. Unfortunately, one of the first actions of the new owner was to cancel the planned non-wing sprint class.
On one level, this was extraordinarily disappointing news. As I've mentioned in previous entries, I do miss racing very much and when I stopped racing it left a large void in my life. To believe I would have a chance to race again in the type of car I love, only to have it snatched away at the 11th hour, was a bitter pill to swallow.
However, I'm not as disconsolate as an outside observer might imagine. My dad has been having some significant health issues lately. At this point everything is pointing toward a full recovery, but the reality is that even before the latest problems, he was not going to be able to do much physical work to assist with the race car. There were ways I had planned to try to work around not having dad's help, but I don't have any close friends who share my passion for racing and it was going to be difficult, at best.
Instead of letting this development dampen my spirits, I'm doing my level best to look on the bright side. For one thing, racing is a very expensive avocation for the non-wealthy, even in a limited class. Not racing will definitely make my financial life less stressful. Not racing will also make it easier for me to attend out-of-town rock and roll shows this summer, in terms of both funding and available time. And it will free up time to work on my neglected house and do a variety of other things that would have been forced to take a back seat. I'm currently in the process of getting back into photography after an extended hiatus - it will be nice to have more time to devote to that effort. I haven't done much hiking lately either - I'd like to make a couple of those trips this year. Finally, my dad loves fishing but he hasn't been able to do much in recent times, and I haven't really been very helpful in that regard. I'm going to try to change that and make sure we go on some fishing expeditions this year.
So, all in all, I don't think this is the worst thing that could have happened. That doesn't mean I don't still miss racing and very much want to get back into the sport at some point, but we have to play the cards we're dealt and if we can get my dad back to his old self again, I think my 2007 hand actually looks pretty good.
