Tonight was the Daytona 500 and it was an interesting race to say the least. At my house, the fiance and I watched as our favorites pushed, clawed, and battled their way to the final lap to see who would be champion. We sat on the edge of our couch and watched as Hamlin would go onto win what will be a classic finish. Yet, all while Hamlin passed Blaney at the line to win back-to-back Daytona 500 victories, I couldn't help but watch and think, "this is bad," all before seeing the replay that showed the 6 car of Ryan Newman crashing into the wall, going airborne, being struck in the drivers side window by another car, plummeting, and flipping multiple times across the infield.
From that moment on there was an uneasy feeling that we witnessed a horrific scene similar to the Dale Earnhardt tragedy nineteen years prior. I sat and watched as the broadcast turned off and it was visibly noticeable that the broadcasters weren't sure of the situation and that indeed our worst fears were playing out in front of the viewers on live TV. Becca, my fiancé, and myself scoured social media for any shred of information on the situation and we were finding nothing. Finally, the good news came that Ryan did not have life threatening injuries! Both of us took a breath of relief and said a quick prayer for his kids and him.
While it's clear that Ryan is far from being OK from this wreck but he will survive and that is the important aspect. The one thing that was unspoken but extremely noticeable from this is that we as a whole are a family. What I mean by this is that the motor sport world came together and held a collective breath for Ryan and his girls. What made this interesting to me was that it wasn't just dirt track racers or fans who were posting and praying for Ryan but it was everyone from demolition derby drivers, Indy Car fans, Drag Racing, sprint car drivers and fans. It also included people who I know who don't follow racing at all.
So what did tonight teach us?
In the grand scheme of life, there is a bigger picture than who won the night's feature. Tonight taught us that we should put aside our petty differences and be more appreciative of what is given to us each day. I know for a fact that I saw people who don't see eye to eye on things pray for the same cause and person. We all need to go to bed tonight and be thankful for what we have and make sure that we take time out of our day to let our loved ones know that we care and appreciate them.
This taught us that life is fragile and precious and it truly can all change in a blink of an eye. So we can't let disagreements get in our way of enjoying our lives and being happy. Tonight also taught us that at the end of the day we all want to go home and be with our loved ones.
Racing is dangerous and everyone involved is indeed in some form of danger and we can't overlook that. This also hammers home the fact that racing is just racing and as hard as it is to look at it like that, there are more important things in life than racing. Thankfully, Ryan Newman will get another chance at life. Keep praying for Ryan and his family as they are in for a long road of recovery.
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