As I write this, it is race day.
That’s a big deal around here.
Eight years ago we moved to Charlotte and I became a race fan. I was hooked!
It’s high octane fun.
It’s even more fun if you have a driver and race team that is your favorite.
I quickly learned that no matter who else you cheer for, you gotta be a Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan. It’s a law…no, seriously.
Fortunately, it’s easy to root for Junior, he seems like a pretty cool guy.
I just read an article about Dale Jr’s childhood.
It wasn’t charmed or cushy.
His Dad make choices that didn’t include his family.
That can mess up a boy.
Junior seemed to spend a lot of years trying to earn the approval of a distant Dad.
Every husband/father has a choice…every single day.
Who comes first?
Your self, your career, your dreams…
Or…
Your family.
In a lesson from NASCAR, it’s all about your team.
Victory depends on your crew. No one wins alone.
In life, being a winner really means nothing without a crew to share it with.
Junior got married, he seems to have found an amazing forever kind of friend and partner.
So the choice becomes:
Choose the family business…
Or…
Make family your primary business.
Every husband/father has to choose.
His Dad cast a huge shadow.
It’s hard to come out from the shadows.
You get used to the shade.
But, in a classic NASCAR tradition, Junior is making his own shine.
He has stepped out of the shadows and he has cast his own far reaching shadow.
And now, he has made a truly championship choice.
This is his last season.
Junior is retiring from the sport that has tried to define him.
He has taken the steering wheel and redefined his race.
He has decided he wants to hang out with his wife! He has chosen family.
He seems to have realized you can honor your father without being your father.
He is putting family first.
THAT is the mark of a real Champion.
Mr. Earnhardt, I salute you sir!!
Thank you for showing the world what matters.
carbonated joy 