Chief Warrant Officer Scott Lathram poses with an Apache helicopter in this undated photo. Lathram later went on to become a helicopter pilot for Tony Stewart. Credit: AP

Stewart on Lathram: 'I got really close to him'

HAMPTON, Ga. -- During Friday's special press conference to remember the 10 people who lost their lives in last week's tragic plane crash in Martinsville, Va., Tony Stewart sat on his stool and stared at the floor.

Tony Stewart at AMS on Friday Credit: AP

Dressed in a firesuit prior to Busch Series qualifying, he was somber and still. If he hadn't been sitting in the front row, you might not have even known he was there.

That is, until he was asked to remember his friend Scott Lathram.

He had plenty to say, and he said it eloquently and without reservation. Though he was asked but one question, his answer lasted four minutes.

Lathram, who worked for Joe Gibbs Racing as a helicopter pilot, was on the plane to bring Stewart an award from ESGR (The Patriot Award from the Employment Support for the Guard and Reserve).

That fateful Sunday was the final day of his leave from the military before being rotated back to Iraq.

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"He was one of those guys that no matter how bad your day was, he always had a way of making you laugh and making you smile and just forgetting about things," Stewart said. "You just had fun around him. The year he was with us seemed like five years.

"I got really close to him and his family. I guess the last couple of days, being able to fly back to Kentucky and be with his family, you hear more from Scott's side how much it meant for him to be a part of the program and how much fun he had with us.

"That is what made it a little easier for all of us. Knowing how much he enjoyed coming to work for us and how much he liked being with us and how much a part of his family he made us has been a help to everyone in our organization."

On Thursday, Stewart attended Lathram's memorial service in Kentucky.

Scott Lathram was a Kentucky State Trooper for many years. Credit: AP

"Yesterday I think there was between 2,000 and 3,000 people that came to the town in Kentucky to pay their respects for Scott and the family," Stewart said.

"And I know Scott's personality, I can promise you the time that they opened the doors from 2 until 9 o'clock, if he was standing there, he would not quit talking the whole time.

"To see the number of state troopers that were there, people from the military that were there to support the family, it just shows you what kind of person Scott was."

Prior to Friday, Stewart had been silent concerning the tragedy, preferring instead to deal with it and his own grief in his own way. He issued a statement through his public relations representative and that was it until Friday.

His attention, besides being on his job as a driver, was on Lathram's family.

"I went to bed every night thinking about Tracy and the three kids and that's the hardest part," Stewart said.

"The support that they have gotten, the phone calls, the amount of NASCAR people, NASCAR-related people that have sent flowers, that's meant so much to that family, and the whole Hendrick organization has been -- you couldn't ask for a better person than Rick Hendrick.

"He checked on Tracy three or four times a day to make sure that she and the family were doing well.

"That's something I want to do, and I thank Rick and his entire staff for their care and their concern, how much they have made Tracy and the kids a part of the Hendrick family and how much through his sorrow and his tragedy made sure he's looking out for them, too.

"It's just hard."

Stewart has seen his share of tragedy in racing, and while it is never something that you get used to, the sense of community mitigates the aftereffects.

"For everybody up here it's hard," Stewart said. "We have all got our reasons that it is hard for us, but in the big picture, I mean, this community, the racing community, is one giant family.

"I can promise you everybody in the garage area this weekend is feeling a lot of grief for the whole Hendrick organization and for Scott. It is just a hard, long weekend for all of us.

"You learn who your friends are. I have had more calls from crew members, from teams, drivers, car owners this week; friends of mine that I haven't spoken to for years all this week giving their condolences.

"That's probably what makes this sport what it is, it's all about how everybody supports each other and we all compete with each other on the weekend, but whenever we have a tragedy like this everybody, rallies around each other and are there for each other."