With heavy hearts we turn back to our sport

By Jim Huber, Turner Sports Interactive
September 18, 2001
12:08 PM EDT (1608 GMT)

COMMENTARY

Jim Huber

It is rare that I have no words. Rare when I cannot summon at least something. It may not be much, may not be worthy of the space it takes, but I rarely have trouble finding something.

This, then, is rare.

I should, by all rights, be filled to overflowing with substance. I’ve been away since mid-August, here, there, everywhere, halfway around the world, and so much has happened in the racing world in those five or six weeks.

Hasn’t it?

But here I sit, stumped. I even wore a NASCAR shirt today for inspiration. Nothing. Everything that could be said, has been. You know the rest. We have cried far, far too much this year, from the very beginning until now. From that horrible moment late on a Sunday afternoon until the worst Tuesday in our history, we have seen death, smelled it, tasted it, feared more to come.

And so what more can be said?

Death in February only brought us to our knees. Death in September brought us face-down. We never stopped racing in February. We stopped for only the second time in history last weekend.

But in the last few days, there has come a great awakening. We have taken baby steps back. Clad in red, white and blue, we have gone back to both work and play. Now we stand on the verge of returning to our track, as well. And with all respect to the other clans, I have a feeling this weekend will be the most dynamic of them all for there is nobody who shows his colors any more proudly than the racing fan.

So take a deep breath, collect your tears, grab a flag and head for Dover. It could be the most remarkable rebirth anyone’s ever seen.

NOTE: Jim Huber's column appears weekly on NASCAR.com. The opinions expressed here are those solely of the writer.