Guys behind the scenes make the sport special (cont'd)

Kevin did not go to Michigan. He spent Sunday doing something he had rarely done, watching the race on TV, with his dad, at the hospital. I remember him telling me it wasn't much fun watching instead of working, but Kasey had a good run and finished fourth.

Meanwhile, the prognosis for his mother wasn't very good. She remained hospitalized, and Kevin made the tough decision to go to the night race at Bristol. There was nothing he could do at the hospital, so he drove his mother's car to Bristol for race weekend. His team was in a desperate struggle to make the Chase. He knew where he wanted to be, but also knew where he had to be. Kahne finished 12th that night, he was 11th in points, 90 behind 10th place Dale Earnhardt Jr. heading to California with two events remaining in the race to the Chase. After the race, Kevin drove home to North Carolina.

A few days later, the week of the California race, Kevin and Michele made the drive up to Maryland, and on Thursday, Lou White passed away. Kevin and Michele stayed in Maryland. Kevin told the guys call me if you have any questions, if I can be of any help.

"They didn't call. They did not want to bother me," Kevin said.

Because of the Labor Day weekend, the viewing was held the following Tuesday. On that Tuesday, team owner Ray Evernham made his plane available to anyone in the organization that wanted to make the trip to Maryland for the viewing, to be with Kevin and Michele. Obviously, not everyone could go, the time schedule wouldn't allow it. But 19 people did. One thing about those guys on a race team, they will always be there for you.

They worked most of the day, got on a plane late in the afternoon, flew to Maryland, headed to the funeral home and ran into one of the longest lines you'll ever see. Thirteen hundred people had turned out to honor Lou. The viewing was scheduled from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. At 9:50 p.m. the funeral home asked those still in line to please come back tomorrow. They did. As Kevin put it, for the funeral home the attendance was a new track record!

Lou White was laid to rest on Wednesday, and Friday Kevin was back at the track in Richmond ready to help Kasey Kahne make the Chase.

Lou and Dave White were no strangers to the race track. You may have seen them at the track. They were outside victory lane when Kasey Kahne won at Charlotte last May. Now, that is a fond memory for Kevin.

They owned a diner in Pittsville, the Pittsville Dinette. And every Dover race there was Kevin's dad catering food for the crew in the garage. But he never really stood out at the track, always in the background, away from the high-speed hustle in the garage. That is the way he likes it, Kevin told me.

I introduced myself to Dave White that weekend in Richmond, expressed my sadness for his loss, then I whispered in his ear that his son was one of the nicest and hardest working guys in the sport. I whispered because if it ever gets back to Kevin, I'll deny everything.

Dave White smiled and thanked me. He was so polite. Imagine that.

Remember I said I had to talk to Kevin on Saturday afternoon before the Richmond race? Well, I had heard about his mother passing away and wanted to express my condolences on his loss. Kevin stopped what he was doing, and told me the whole story. I'm sharing his story with you now with his permission.

Kasey Kahne won the California race that Kevin missed. It was his fifth win of the season.

"I'll always believe that was for my mom," Kevin said that afternoon at Richmond.

"Now maybe tonight, we can make the Chase for her."

Kasey Kahne went into Richmond 11th in points, 30 points behind 10th place Jeff Burton. Kahne finished 3rd in the race and made the Chase, edging out Tony Stewart by 16 points.

Kevin White is a wonderful person that manages to find time to slow down in the whirlwind garage so people get to know him. The good thing about it is, the garage is full of guys like Kevin.

So when you see the guy you do know climb out of the car in Victory Lane on Sunday following the Daytona 500, take just a second to glance at all the guys standing behind him that you don't know. Those faces have a name, and now you know one more.

The guys in the garage. That's why I love the sport. A guy named Benny Parsons taught me that. Because, that's why he loved the sport, too.

Thanks, Kevin.

Thanks, BP.