Monday, February 15, 2010

Trust The Spotter


The 2010 Daytona 500 was yesterday. 

It’s not always visible but if you look closely, underneath my hair, a part of my neck is red, what can I say.

I don’t follow the races or the drivers nearly as much as I did a few years ago when I could be found every Sunday afternoon in front of the TV with my dad; He in his recliner and me taking up the whole couch. During long stretches of green flag racing, I would skip a few laps as the sound of 800 horsepower engines made the soothing background for a nap… until the sound of a wreck jolted my eyes open. 

Yesterday, I watched the pre-race hooplah and part of the race, mostly for old times’ sake. The commentators were speculating about who would win and what it will take to be the champion at the end of the year and all the other stuff that is unknown at the start of a new season.

Then those commentators, some of whom are former drivers, said, “It’s critical to trust your spotter out there.”

The spotter is the guy the fans don’t see. He’s perched on top of the grandstands where he can see the whole track. He’s armed with a 2-way radio connection wired to the driver and a pair of high-powered binoculars.

When the bad-asses of NASCAR are driving 180+ mph, they have very little peripheral vision, large blind spots and at times, just inches between the car next to them. The spotter communicates when it’s clear to pass, what lane is fastest, when there is debris on the track, and how to maneuver through a wreck when all the driver can see out the windshield, is smoke.

Without the spotter, the driver has no chance of winning.
The spotter sees what the driver can’t see.
The driver must trust his spotter.


When I want to move faster, when I'm frustrated with what I see or when I can’t see at all, I must trust that there is someone who can see all the things that I can’t. It’s the only chance I have of winning. 

Let's Go #48!

1 comment:

Ang said...

so funny.. i'd read this i think the day before dad sent out that update email about blind faith... so strange. ps. your neck is seriously red. i can't believe you watch that crap.