Sometimes in life, I believe that going back "home" and remembering the feeling that got us started on a journey is powerful and important for reigniting our fire. Over time, there are people, places, and things that develop great meaning to us, and in our busy day-to-day it is easy for those things to fall aside. For me, a recent trip to Indianapolis, Indiana, reminded me how good it feels to recognize and cherish what we love in life.
Indianapolis is synonymous with racing and in my opinion embraces the sport more so than any other city in the United States. I consider Indy one of my "home" cities, as I was born and raised right outside of Dayton, Ohio, (just two hours away) and raced all over Indiana during some of my most important developmental years. I also lived a few miles away from Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2010.
The Performance Racing Industry Show is a three-day event that attracts racers of all types from all over the world to do business at the Indianapolis Convention Center each December. I was fortunate to attend this year, the show's 28th, thanks to All Around Concrete.
Being back in Indianapolis was not only productive, giving me the chance to make great connections for the future, but it was also a huge motivator as I was reminded of my past.
Between re-connecting with a team owner I drove for in the past (Bob East and his wife Janice), and being at the inaugural Indy Invitational (an indoor dirt midget race), my fire was burning and the passion I had for USAC racing was again facing me front and center. It had been a few years since I went to a Midget race, and some unexpected feelings came up.
Now, I can't completely put it into words, but as a driver who wants to race more than anything, sitting on the sidelines watching the cars that helped me realize my passion felt like a cross between a healthy, passionate burning desire and an animal about to burst out of my body ready to fight.
Aside from the great connections and meetings I had during the week, the motivation of this internal fight made the whole trip worth it for me. When your passion requires making a lot happen before you can actually "do" what it is you're passionate about (finding funding!), the strength of your motivation can sometimes slip as heartbreak and challenges arise. So, hearing the engines and feeling the power of those badass racecars again reminded me of the mentality that helped make a lot of things happen, slapped me back into reality, and gave me more of the energy that I needed to keep going.
As Christmas quickly approaches and the New Year is almost here, I am thankful that I had the opportunity to "go back home again to Indiana" and look forward to the future as the light at the end of the tunnel begins to show itself.
Indianapolis is synonymous with racing and in my opinion embraces the sport more so than any other city in the United States. I consider Indy one of my "home" cities, as I was born and raised right outside of Dayton, Ohio, (just two hours away) and raced all over Indiana during some of my most important developmental years. I also lived a few miles away from Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2010.
The Performance Racing Industry Show is a three-day event that attracts racers of all types from all over the world to do business at the Indianapolis Convention Center each December. I was fortunate to attend this year, the show's 28th, thanks to All Around Concrete.
Being back in Indianapolis was not only productive, giving me the chance to make great connections for the future, but it was also a huge motivator as I was reminded of my past.
Between re-connecting with a team owner I drove for in the past (Bob East and his wife Janice), and being at the inaugural Indy Invitational (an indoor dirt midget race), my fire was burning and the passion I had for USAC racing was again facing me front and center. It had been a few years since I went to a Midget race, and some unexpected feelings came up.
Now, I can't completely put it into words, but as a driver who wants to race more than anything, sitting on the sidelines watching the cars that helped me realize my passion felt like a cross between a healthy, passionate burning desire and an animal about to burst out of my body ready to fight.
Aside from the great connections and meetings I had during the week, the motivation of this internal fight made the whole trip worth it for me. When your passion requires making a lot happen before you can actually "do" what it is you're passionate about (finding funding!), the strength of your motivation can sometimes slip as heartbreak and challenges arise. So, hearing the engines and feeling the power of those badass racecars again reminded me of the mentality that helped make a lot of things happen, slapped me back into reality, and gave me more of the energy that I needed to keep going.
As Christmas quickly approaches and the New Year is almost here, I am thankful that I had the opportunity to "go back home again to Indiana" and look forward to the future as the light at the end of the tunnel begins to show itself.
Sign in to post
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Continue