How I Became a Racing Fan, and Why I'm So Sad

(The first photo I ever took of Dan Wheldon, in Richmond, 2005)

Joe has been a fan of open-wheel racing all his life. Me? I never paid any attention to any of it. Every Sunday during the warmer months, Joe spent many hours watching Formula One, Indy, and Kart races. Even though I really wasn't interested and didn't watch them with him, it wasn't long before I could distinguish between a Formula One and an Indy Car race just by the sounds the cars made.

Then the Indy Racing League came to Richmond. You have no idea how excited this made Joe. He went to the race there every June with a friend who is even more of a die-hard racing fan than Joe. One year Joe decided that Larry was old enough to go with them to the track to see the qualifying, meet the drivers, and maybe watch one of the minor races that are usually held the day before the main event. They had so much fun that the next year, Joe wanted to bring all of us to the festivities. Reluctantly I went along, and it wasn't nearly as awful as I thought it would be; in fact, it was kind of fun. The race was the next evening, and Joe and his friend went together as usual; I stayed home with the kids, having no desire to watch it on television.

Fast-forward to the following year, Memorial Day Weekend 2005. I decided to watch the Indy 500 with Joe, since the previous summer I had seen some of the drivers and their cars, and was somewhat familiar with who most of them were. That was the first auto race I watched from start to finish, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was exciting to see Danica Patrick come so close to be the first woman to win that race, and equally exciting to see Dan Wheldon finish first, since I remembered seeing him in Richmond the previous summer. After that, I watched every race for the rest of the season. When it was time to go to Richmond for the qualifying and (my favorite part) the autograph session, I was actually looking forward to it. Imagine my delight when, after the qualifying runs, we were lining up to enter the building where the drivers were signing autographs, I looked over and saw Dan Wheldon standing quietly to one side, with a set of headphones and a mic, and a cameraman nearby. He looked like he was waiting to be interviewed or something. I quickly snapped his photo, and went inside only slightly disappointed that we wouldn't be getting his autograph that day.

(At first I wasn't going to post this photo, because it's such a goofy picture. There's a little story behind it: It was June 23, 2006, the day after Dan Wheldon's 28th birthday. At the autograph session in Richmond, when it was our turn to greet Dan, I wished him good luck, held up my little pocket digital camera and asked, "Did you have a nice birthday, Dan?" "Yes," he replied, "It was very nice, thank you." I made the mistake of snapping the photo while he was still speaking and I think I caught him just as he was forming the word "Thank." It's not the best picture of Dan, but it makes me laugh.)

When Joe went to the race the next night I decided to watch it on TV this time around. Mostly I was trying to spot Joe in the crowd, but I found myself paying attention to the race and was actually interested in what was happening on the track. The race winner that night was Helio Castroneves; he's known (besides winning three Indy 500's AND Dancing With the Stars) for climbing the track fence every time he wins a race. As I watched him climb that fence in Richmond, and saw how much crazy-fun everyone there was having, I decided right then and there that I was darn well going to the race with Joe next time, come hell or high water.

(Getting this picture of Helio in '08 was the highlight of our racing weekend that year, at least for me!)

The rest is history. We went to every race in Richmond after that, watched a lot of qualifying and practice sessions, and collected many autographs from many more drivers, including some from Dan Wheldon. Moe's first red hat is graced with his signature, as well as a flag with the Indy Racing League's logo that we have hanging in our rec room. When the race in Richmond was dropped from the schedule, we sought out others attend; a couple of years ago we took a trip with friends--the one Joe used to go to the Richmond races with and his family--to the Finger Lakes region of New York for the Watkins Glen race. (The series dropped that one from their schedule, too, unfortunately). We've been to the race at Mid-Ohio in 2010, as well as this year's Baltimore Grand Prix. We're hoping--someday--to take a trip to Indianapolis for the Indy 500.

(Dan Wheldon on a qualifying run at Mid-Ohio, 2010)

Last night we cranked up the DVR to enjoy the last race of the season (and in Vegas! What a fun place to go for a race!), which we had recorded earlier in the day. We speculated about who would win the championship, and remarked how great it would be to see Danica Patrick win once more before racing full time in NASCAR next year. We were pulling for Dan Wheldon, too, who was starting from the back of the field; and for his friend Tony Kanaan, who had pole position and hadn't won a race in a while.

(Here's Dan and Tony signing stuff for the boys in 2009. We took Curly's picture with Tony; that was the highlight of his weekend.)

After that horrible crash that halted the race and left everyone in shock, we watched with increasing dread as little by little, it became clear that Dan Wheldon was hurt very, very badly. As we heard accounts of the accident from other drivers and saw team owners, crew members, and drivers alike praying, pacing, and even crying as they waited for news about Dan, we began to fear the worst. Part of me wanted to run and turn on the computer for a real-time update, but then there was the part of me that wanted to believe that all this hadn't already happened hours before, and that I still had time to hope and pray that Dan would be OK. If we pretended that this wasn't prerecorded and was in fact happening at that very moment, then there was still hope. If Dan was dead, I didn't want to know that yet. I could still pray, please, Dear God, let him be all right.

When the horrific news that Dan had been killed finally reached our ears, I cried. I cried again this morning when I saw a photo on TV of Dan with his wife and two little boys. I mean, really little. They will never remember their Dad.

I wondered aloud today why I keep watching this sport where a person straps himself into a rocket ship on wheels and drives around and around at unprecedented speeds. Sooner or later, what happened in Vegas is bound to take place, and someone is going to die. We've seen plenty of crashes, and even a few injuries, (and one driver, Paul Dana, died a few years back when he crashed during a practice session) but never one as grisly as that one yesterday. It's hard to fathom that a young, energetic guy, with two Indy 500 wins under his belt, a lovely family and his entire life ahead of him, can one minute be smiling and joking with reporters, gushing about how excited he is about this race; and in a second he's gone.

Dan was the first driver I was really excited about. (Joe once teased that I had a "thing" for him. Not true.) I'll keep watching races, that much is certain, but it won't be the same without Dan.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Random Nuttiness Regarding Birthdays and Persons of Interest

I don't like to reveal too many details about myself and my family on my public site, so I apologize for the vagueness in this post.

I was thinking about something this morning.

I have a strange knack for remembering the birthdays of famous (and even not-so-famous) people. They're not hard to remember, actually, because often times they correspond to birthdays of people I know, or important dates in history (I'll always remember that Harry Connick, Jr.'s birthday is September 11) and such like. For instance, if someone in my family was born the same day as Sandra Bullock (which is true), then I'll easily remember her birthday. I have another family member born the same day as Wynona Ryder; another shares a birth date with Julia Roberts. There is even one celebrity whose date of birth is the same as the date of my parents' wedding. I get a kick out of things like that for some reason.

Yesterday I ran across this video of Lino Rulli, the host of the Catholic Guy Show on Sirius/XM's The Catholic Channel. (By the way, have you read his memoir, Sinner, yet? You should.) I noticed that Lino's hair is turning gray, and fast. Which, by the way, is quite becoming on Lino; the gray around his temples (not to mention the hairline that is starting to recede) gives the boyishly handsome radio host a dignified, mature look. Now, Lino is only a few days older than a certain younger relative of mine who is about to turn forty. This relative's hair isn't turning gray yet, but it's only a matter of time until it does, and then I'll REALLY feel old.

And then last night we were catching up on our new favorite TV show, Person of Interest, starring Jim Caviezel. You know, the one who played Jesus in The Passion of the Christ a few years back. Anyway, I noticed that Jim's hair is the same color as Lino's. Great, I thought; someone else who is younger than me with graying hair. (I should talk. Every time I look in the mirror I'm reminded that it's time to make another appointment to have my hair colored.)

This morning I realized something else. I was born (and I'll admit I'm a little reluctant to even share this much about myself) sometime around Christmas of 1967, give or take. Mid to late December-ish. Jim Caviezel was born on the 26th of September, 1968, roughly nine months later. So, theoretically, Caviezel could have been conceived the day I was born. Which has absolutely nothing to do with anything, but the thought makes me smile.

And by the way, I don't know of any celebrities who were born the exact same day as I was; but Cuba Gooding, Jr. is the one--as far as I know--who is the closest in age as me. Another bit of useless trivia you didn't need to know.

I'm thinking of changing the title of my blog to "Ramblings of a Catholic Fruitcake," or something along those lines.

Get Thee To the Church: Our Lady of Victory, State College, Pennsylvania

I've been here once before, the last time we made a pilgrimage to Joe's alma mater for a football game. Actually, it was Joe and his buddies who went to the game; I stayed behind at our friends' house where we were staying to entertain two-year-old Larry, and baby Curly. Moe wasn't even a gleam in our eyes yet. When we arrived at church on Sunday, it was crowded, and the priest invited families with young children to visit the "children's chapel" upstairs, a glassed-in balcony of sorts where there were comfortable seats, a changing table, and an unobstructed view of the goings-on in the church. Well, this would have been fabulous were it not for the families who let their kids use it as a playroom. One family in particular had two boys who clearly were old enough to know how to sit still in church, and they were crawling around on the floor playing with toy trucks, making loud truck noises. Every so often the unhappy-looking mother handed them MORE trucks. I didn't hear any of the Mass, and left church that day frustrated and annoyed.

That was twelve years ago.

It was much better this time around!

A very unusual sanctuary, but I didn't find it unattractive. I wonder if it's supposed to represent a grotto, like at Lourdes or someplace like that? (See all those organ pipes? We went to the folk Mass, so we didn't get to hear them. They played the guitar instead.)

I wasn't one hundred per cent certain that this was the tabernacle at first, to be honest, until one of the eucharistic ministers opened it up after communion. I've never seen one that looks like a golden egg.

I *think* this is their baptismal font. They've got it in an alcove in the back of the church.

I finally found the Stations of the Cross along one wall in the same area as the baptismal font.

Mass was crowded this day, too, and we ended up sitting in the front row. At this Mass, they were already singing the new translations of the Gloria and the Holy, Holy, Holy. I heard later that some parishes were already doing this, since the new translation begins in Advent when we don't sing the Gloria. I asked one of our priests about this the other day, and he said he hoped we would start using the new Gloria soon; otherwise we'll all show up on Christmas Day and be hit with something we've never seen or heard before.

(By the way, what's your take on the new translation? Personally, I love it, but at the same time I find myself feeling a little sad every time we say "and also with you," or some other phrase we won't get to say anymore. In Religious Ed, we're working with the kids to teach them the new translation, and I'm hoping to start sharing more here about the things I'm doing with my CCD class; maybe even starting this week--stay tuned for that!)

On any given weekend, Mass is the most important thing we do. Of course, it's also fun to visit other holy sites, like the Cathedral of Saint JoePa;

...or wait in an hour-long line at the Creamery Chapel;

...and, of course, to stop by the Shrine of the Nittany Lion.

We Heart Racing

I've been trying to convince my friend L. and her family to come with us to an Indy Car race.

You'll love it, I tell her. I was a reluctant race attendee at first, after all, and now I'm a huge fan. It's one of the highlights of our summer, going to the track; watching practices and qualifying runs and other races leading up to the main event.

Sometimes we get to meet and talk to the drivers,

or watch the mechanics working on the cars.

The races are fun and exhilarating, I assured my friend.

L. is a football fan. We go as much to socialize as we do to watch the games.

"Isn't racing loud?" she asks.

Yes, you need ear protection.

"So when do you talk to each other?"

You don't.

"But, doesn't it...smell? Like fumes?" she says, wrinkling her nose.

Yes.

It smells like exhaust and fuel and motor oil and rubber.

We love it.

But it also smells like popcorn and funnel cakes and French fries and pizza.

You get to meet all kinds of people, too; NASCAR fans, open-wheel fans, and folks who show up knowing nothing about racing but just want to have a good time.

There's always at least one fellow sitting near you who, every time Danica Patrick drives past, stands up and pumps his fist and yells, "WOO-HOO!"

I'm told that the Indy Car crowds are more subdued and laid back than NASCAR crowds.

Someday I'll go to a NASCAR race and find out for myself.

Soon racing season will be over. We'll be planning our next trip to a race.

Perhaps the Indy 500? We'll see.

(All photos taken by yours truly at Mid-Ohio in August 2010, and Baltimore in September 2011.)

Get Thee to the Church: St. Jude Shrine, Baltimore, Maryland

Every summer we attend at least one Indy Car race, and this year it was the first ever Baltimore Grand Prix on Labor Day Weekend. I was hoping to get something up on this blog about that before now, and I hope to post a few photos and thoughts about it sometime this week. Anyhow, since this was the first Indy Car race in Baltimore, and the first street race we've ever attended, we decided to splurge and get a hotel right beside the track. When we went down to the lobby for the continental breakfast, we could hear the race cars on the course.

There were several churches withing walking distance (including the Basilica of the Assumption; I hope to visit that one the next time we're in town); and the closest was the Shrine of St. Jude.

The morning Masses were back-to-back, and we arrived just before the first Mass ended. You can see the priest blessing folks on the left.

My favorite Station of the Cross.

One of the lovely stained-glass windows

A close-up

Mary Queen of Apostles

There was a lovely side chapel dedicated to St. Jude, but I didn't get any photos because there was a steady stream of people going in there to pray and I didn't want to disturb them. During Mass, Larry and Joe got to bring up the gifts!

After Mass we headed downstairs to their gift shop. While we were there a lady asked Joe if we were here for the Grand Prix. Yes, we were, he told her. The woman then asked, "Are you one of the drivers?" Joe (laughing inwardly) said, no, we were just here to watch the race. The nice lady told him that if he was a driver, she would say a prayer for him.

Someone must have been praying for the drivers that day; take a look at this:

This crash happened on Sunday morning during practice, right in front of the grandstands where we sat during the race. We weren't here for this because, well, we were at church. Tony ended up finishing in third place.

And look what we stumbled across on our walk back:

Pretty cool.

Seven Sorrows of Mary for LIfe

Since today (September 15) is the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, for my Seven Quick Takes this week I want to share something I've been working on for a while now. Last spring after meeting Immaculee' Ilibagiza and reading her book, Our Lady of Kibeho, I started praying the Our Lady of Sorrows Rosary. (Mind you, I don't pray this on a regular basis like I should--Our Lady recommends every Tuesday in addition to the daily Rosary which I don't always say either--but it is a devotion I turn to every so often. Actually, I think it was when my cousin Greg died that I first started exploring the Seven Sorrows of Mary devotion as a way to pray for my Aunt A. who had lost her only son.)

Then last spring during 40 Days for Life I went over to Priests for Life's website to see if there was a pro-life meditation on the Seven Sorrows of Mary. When my friends and I pray in front of the abortion clinic in Richmond, we pray using Father Frank's pro-life mysteries; and I've seen his Stations of the Cross for life as well. I wanted some pro-life reflections on the Seven Sorrows of Mary; and when I couldn't find any of those, I decided to write some. How hard could it be?

Harder than you think. It took forever. I'll probably tweak them a few times. (And I was hoping to get them out in time for the Seven Sorrows Novena, which ended today. Or maybe yesterday, I'm not quite sure.)

PRO-LIFE MEDITATIONS ON THE SEVEN SORROWS OF MARY

(To pray the Seven Sorrows Rosary, start with the Act of Contrition, and after announcing each sorrow, pray the Our Father and seven Hail Marys.)

First Sorrow: The Prophecy of Simeon

Simeon took the baby Jesus in his arms and blessed him. He told Mary that a sword would pierce her heart because of the sufferings of this child, and Mary was deeply troubled by this.

Mothers are often told that their unborn children will cause much suffering for them. They are told that their babies should die because they will be forced to quit school, because they will cause shame in their families, because the child will be poor, because the father is a criminal, because the child has an abnormality.

Pray that mothers facing pregnancy and difficult circumstances will be given the grace and courage to choose life for their babies. A sword may one day pierce her heart, but abortion forever pierces the hearts of both the mother and the baby.

Our Father... Hail Mary... (7x)

Second Sorrow: The Flight into Egypt

Mary was sorrowful when Joseph woke her and the child Jesus and immediately took them to Egypt. Herod had learned of the child and wanted him killed. Mary had to leave her home and the people she loved so that her child would be safe.

Many mothers are faced with difficult circumstances, and the pressure to abort is great. Pray that there will always be a place for a mother to go for help when she needs it. Pray for pregnancy resource centers, that they will have the support they need to help women bring their babies into the world. Pray for the establishment of new centers, and the expansion of existing ones. An unplanned pregnancy can be frightening; let us pray that help will always be available.

Our Father... Hail Mary... (7x)

Third Sorrow: The Loss of Jesus in the Temple

When Mary discovered that Jesus was left behind in Jerusalem, her heart was filled with worry. She and Joseph searched for three days, and with each passing hour they were more and more anxious. Mary could not bear to be separated from her Son.

Mary's separation from Jesus was temporary. Abortion forever separates a mother from her child. Pray that women who have had abortions will find peace and forgiveness and healing. They are permanently scarred from the choice they have made. They will never hold their children or see them grow up. May God give them peace, and the courage to help other women avoid this great sorrow and choose life.

Our Father... Hail Mary... (7x)

Fourth Sorrow: Mary Meets Jesus on the Way to Calvary

Mary followed Jesus on the Way of the Cross, as He was forced to carry the heavy Cross to his death on Calvary. She wished that she could carry it for him, but with sorrow she knew that this was God's plan. As Jesus struggled to bear the Cross--after he had already been scourged almost to the point of death--Mary sorrowfully walked by his side to comfort Him.

The cross of an unplanned pregnancy can be a tremendous burden to bear, and there can be an overwhelming temptation to abort. Pray that Mary, through the love encouragement of others, will walk beside women who are struggling with this choice, and comfort them during their difficult time. Mary knew that Jesus' suffering and death would lead to eternal life for mankind. Pray that these frightened mothers will, despite the struggles they face, choose life for their babies, and that pro-life people will give them the support and encouragement that they need.

Our Father... Hail Mary... (7x)

Fifth sorrow: Mary Stands at the Foot of the Cross

Mary couldn't bear to see her precious Son suffering on the Cross. She stayed with him as the soldiers drove nails into His hands and feet and hung Him up to die. She stayed with him through the many hours of His unspeakable suffering as He hung on the cross, and as the life slowly left His body. She knew that this ordeal would end in His death, yet she stood beside Him and never left His side.

Sometimes a mother is told that her unborn baby is sick, or deformed, or abnormal, and that if her child is allowed to be born, he will only suffer and die. These sorrowful mothers face great pressure and temptation to end the life of their babies, because they are told that doing so will avoid "unnecessary" suffering for their children. They know that when their babies are born, they will be faced with hardship and suffering; pray that they will be encouraged to stay by the side of their children, and carry their babies to term, even if their suffering or death seems likely. As Jesus hung on the cross in agony, he felt the presence of His grieving Mother beside him, and was strengthened by Her love. May the babies who are faced with suffering be comforted and strengthened by their own mothers' love, even if their lives are made difficult, or even shortened, by illness or abnormality.

Our Father... Hail Mary... (7x)

Sixth Sorrow: Mary Receives the Dead Body of Jesus

Our Lady was overcome with grief as the broken, mangled body of her Son was placed in her arms. She wept as she looked at his bloody face, his pierced hands and feet, and the deep scourge marks on his body.

Abortion tells women that their babies are just blobs of tissue; that they have no arms or legs or head or heart. The mothers do not see their children's severed limbs, their bloody faces, their crushed heads and mutilated bodies. Pray that through the work of pro-lifers, the world will recognize the dignity and humanity of the tiniest of human beings, and that all mothers will, by choosing life, joyfully receive their newly born babies into their arms.

Our Father... Hail Mary... (7x)

Seventh Sorrow: Jesus is Placed in the Tomb

With a heavy heart, Mary wrapped her dead Son in burial cloths and laid Him in the tomb.

In this Culture of Death, aborted children are labeled "medical waste" and thrown away. A mother's womb, which is made by God to be a place of warmth and protection and peace, becomes a chamber of death. We know that Jesus rose again after three days, and His tomb was transformed from a dark place of death to a gateway to eternal life. Pray that abortion will one day be abolished, and a mother's womb will always be a place where babies can grow and develop and be given life.

Our Father... Hail Mary... (7x)

It seems there are several options for concluding prayers; some like to say three more Hail Marys and/or the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be. The one from Immaculee's pamphlet on the Seven Sorrows goes like this:

Queen of Martyrs, your heart suffered so much . I beg you by the merits of the tears you shed, in these terrible and sorrowful times, obtain for me and all the sinners of the world, the grace of complete sincerity and repentance. Amen.

Mary, who was conceived without sin and suffered for us, pray for us. (3x)

Father Frank Pavone inspired these meditations. These last couple of days, I've been reading about how his bishop, Most Reverend Patrick Zurek of Amarillo, decided to order Father Frank to stop his full-time prolife work and return to the Diocese of Amarillo. Bishop Zurek apparently has some concerns about the finances of Priests for Life, but doesn't accuse Father Pavone of any wrongdoing. It seems very strange; you can read Father Pavone's official statement about it here.

Father Pavone is a hero for all life. Please keep him and Priests for Life in your prayers!

And for more Quick Takes, check out Jen's Conversion Diary blog.

Have a blessed weekend!