I’VE GROWN UP AROUND RACING AND RACED SOME MYSELF WHEN I WAS YOUNGER. I CAN REMEMBER ONE YEAR WHEN I WAS WITH MY BROTHER IN LAW AT A RACE OUTSIDE WEST PALM BEACH. THEY HAD A REAL HIGH BANKED RACE TRACK THAT ALOT OF BIG NAMED DRIVERS RACED AT QUITE OFTEN….MY BROTHER IN LAW HAD A RACE CAR AT THE TIME AND HIS DRIVER HAD A CAR HE RACED AT THIS TRACK. I WAS ABOUT 13 AT THE TIME AND THIS REALLY IMPRESSED ME. I KNEW ONE DAY THIS WAS WHAT I HAD TO DO. YES WE HAVE ALL HAD THE FEELING….THE NEED FOR SPEED!!!HAHAHAHAHA
BACK THEN IT WASN’T AS RESTRICTIED IS IT IS NOW AND I WAS IN THE PITS WAITING FOR THE RACES TO START AND EVERYONE WAS GOING OUT PRACTICING.
I WILL NEVER FORGET THIS BUT OVER ALL THE NOISE OF RACING AND EVERYTHING ALL OF A SUDDEN A HELLICOPER LANDED IN THE INFIELD. I WATCHED A DRIVER AND SOME MORE PEOPLE GET OUT. LATER I LEARNED IT WAS “RED FARMER” AND BOBBY ALLISON”. I JUST SIT AND THOUGHT {WOW} THAT IS THE ONLY WAY TO COME TO A RACE. I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW WHO RED FARMER AND BOBBY ALLISON WAS AT THE TIME BUT LATER ON IN MY LIFE THESE NAMES SEEM TO POP UP ALOT…SOUTH FL. AT THE TIME WAS A HOT BED FOR ALOT OF BIG TIME RACERS!! I WATCHED BOBBY ALLISON BECOME ONE OF THE BIGGEST NAMES IN NASCAR AS I GREW OLDER.
PLUS IT WASN’T MY LAST TIME SEEING RED FARMER EITHER.
I LIVE IN JACKSONVILLE FL. AND AS MENTIONED EARLIER, I RACED EVERYTHING FROM GO KARTS TO LATE MODELS IN AND AROUND JACKSONVILE.
ONE YEAR IT WAS SPEED WEEK AND AS USAL ALL THE BIG NAMES CAME THRU GOING TO DAYTONA AND OTHER PARTS OF SOUTH FL. TO RACE.
RED FARMER CAME TO JAX. AND STAYED AT THIS FRIENDS OF MINE WHILE TRAVELING TO DAYTONA FOR THE ARCA RACE. LIKE I SAID IT WOULDN’T BE THE LAST TIME SEEING RED FARMER BUT THIS TIME IT WASN’T FLYING IN THE HELICOPTIER. HAAAHAAHA
MY FRIEND ALSO WAS RACING IN THE ARCA RACE SO WE ALL LOADED UP HEADED FOR DAYTONA. IT WAS LIKE A BIG DREAM BEING AT DAYTONA HAVING A CHANCE TO BE INVOLVED WITH A CAR RUNNING IN THE RACE… THE BIG DREAM ALMOST TURNED INTO A NIGHTMARE AS DURING THE RACE MY FRIEND AND RED FARMER GOT TANGLED UP OVER THE TUNNEL TURN AND IT WHIPED THEM BOTH OUT. BESIDED A FEW BROKEN BONES AND MINOR CUTS THEY BOTH WERE OK ….
I HAVE OFTEN SIT AND THOUGHT OF THAT DAY AND THE HELICOPTIER. SEE HOW IMPRESSIONS HANG WITH YOU AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE.
I’M GLAD I HAD THOSE TIMES TO LOOK BACK AND SEE HOW GREAT RED FARMER AND BOBBY ALLISON HAVE BOTH HAD SUCH A GREAT CAREER.