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Tom Paterson, I nominate you for the most outstanding observation in recent years. You perfectly sum up what it means to get out there and compete.
In these days of easy electronic communication, I often bite my tongue when I read comments from people. Yes, people on the sidelines are passionate and they love the sport, but sometimes they have no idea of which they speak. When I helped Speedy Bill Smith write his autobiography, he said something quite profound: When he retired from officially owning a race car, he suddenly realized how easy everything looks from the stands. No truer words have ever been spoken. But I also believe that most racing people don't mean their words to be hurtful; they just don't realize what they're saying.
If somebody has the guts and sweat and gumption (and yes, money) to put a car together, he deserves a chance to race. This year's Little 500 featured a top-notch field, maybe the strongest in the history of the event. To make the race was a major accomplishment and something to be extremely proud of. Nobody--NOBODY--can say the people on the race track last night didn't belong.
As an aside to Tom: I was relieved to see you crawl out of your car last night. That was a rough ride and I was more than a little concerned as I watched everything unfold. Thankfully you are okay, and I hope you can sort through the bent stuff and find a way to put another car together. The sport needs guys like you, people who race for the joy and passion and competition.
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