I never built or modified my cars growing up.  Oh, sure, I installed the best kickass stereo system you had ever seen.  (Believe it or not, it cost about $ 300, was built by Hammond Organ [via their Gibbs music division] and had speakers with 10 inch magnets- some 45 years ago.)   But, modifying the car for speed or paint- not me.

Nor was I fan of the Demolition Derby that was situated right next to the Meadowbrook Parkway on the outskirts of Freeport (NY).  I did catch the (very few) car races that didn’t involve destruction, though.

And, given the fact that the Statute of Limitations has come and gone, I can admit to driving my parent’s car the 20 or so miles between our house and my cousin’s (Lee and Roger).  Every Sunday.  Long before I would have the right to drive a car- even in Suffolk County, which had a much lower age requirement.

So, it shouldn’t surprise you that I was a very careful driver.  No need to garner the attention of the Long Island State or the Nassau County Police on these trips.  Because you know they would not be happy finding a very under-age driver behind the wheel.

Those habits continued until I was about 17 and 1/3.  By then, I was a perfectly legal (and very experienced) driver.  And, two (bored?) New York City cops decided that I was the fodder for their quota one Sunday.  They pulled me over for driving 52 in a 50 on the Cross-Island Parkway.  Really?  There was no way anything was that accurate back in those prehistoric ages.

Oh, I “beat” the ticket.  Clearly because I was right- and there was no way I could be expected to keep within 2 miles of the limit, when the speedometer accuracy back then was about 4%.  (In case you never mastered arithmetic, this meant a speedometer reading of 50 mph could realistically be as low as 48 or as high as 52.)

That was the last time I ever adhered to speed limits on highways and turnpikes, though.  I figured if I were going to be ticketed, I might as well deserve it- and enjoy the trip.  And, after a few life-altering moments (perhaps I’ll talk about them some other time), I decided that car racing would be a really fun hobby.

There was this 4^th Generation Howe.  And racing lessons.  And I drove and drove and drove.  Until I received another message and decided that it meant it was time to put away this hobby.    My team of friends continued (and expanded) their pursuits, in their own fashion for about a decade, winning more than losing.  Which is how they had enough money to keep up this expensive hobby.  (Back then, the expression was… “Who wins?  The one with the most [expensive] toys.”)

The Howe Racing Team is still making cars.  Unfortunately, this firm has not been finding drivers that will get them the publicity they are due.  (Trust me, Howe’s cars were fast, handled well, and were safe.)   Some of their newer generations of race cars adorn this page.

And, the Daytona 500 was held recently.  Before that race, the muckety-mucks were certain that the Hendricks team was going to sweep the race cards each and every week.  They certainly do have a great team- especially with this being Jeff Gordon’s last year on the circuit.  (The heroes of my racing era included Dale Earnhardt and Bill Elliot with the Labonte’s and Dave Allison not far behind; Jeff Gordon was just starting out when I was stopping.)

But, as was true in many of my era’s races, nothing was foreordained.  With a little luck, a lot of timing, patience, and skill, Joey Logano took the Daytona honors.  (By the way, Logano has the distinction of being dumped by Joe Gibbs, another racing team who hoped to have great teams racking up winning race positions.)  Now, Logano flies the flag of Roger Penske.  Penske was among THE teams to beat back in the 70s and 80s.

So, besides reminiscing of the good old days, these races serve to remind us that there is no foreordained winner- ever.  We need to run our companies with the same beliefs.  We need to be ready for any opportunity to find that tiny space between the leaders and slip on through to the finish line.

Because any one of us can capture the winner’s cup.  I’ll be looking for y’all in the Winner’s Circle.

(This past weekend, the Hendricks team- via Jimmy Johnson- did win.  Which also tells us that having resources help- but resourcefulness is the critical component.  Keep developing yours!)

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