A Racer’s Wife’s Perspective

When I became pregnant with our daughter, our first child, my sister-in-law kept telling me that having kids is the hardest thing I’ll ever do but the best thing I’ll ever do.  I did not understand what that meant, how that could be.  If it is the best thing I’ve ever done how could it be the hardest?  I couldn’t reconcile this thought in my head (I think this is because I’ve always tried to do things that were easy).  But, once I had Emma and felt the joy of happiness but then experienced the exhaustion and craziness (and not to mention the hormones) of a newborn, I started to understand.  As she gets older this understanding becomes clearer with each passing day.  Having to figure out how to discipline your child and then have her give you a hug and say to you “I love you Mommy” – hardest but the best.  Why am I telling you this?  Because this is also how I feel about being a racer’s wife.

To support your spouse’s racing career, which is supposed to be a hobby, is quite the undertaking.   You sacrifice quite a bit.  Time, money, help around the home, these are all things that you give up to “go racing”.  And the racing “season” is all year long.  Don’t let anyone tell you that they just race a few months out of the year.  You might only be at the track for a few months out of the year, but you have to work on that car (and other people’s cars so you can make money to buy more parts for your car) all year long!   Then when he’s not actually working on or racing a car, he’s thinking about working on or racing a car.

But I’ll tell you what, the minute you see the look on your loved one’s face when they’ve won a race, or had a good battle on the track, all of that sacrifice is worth it.   To hear the excitement in his voice when he recounts a race or takes you through the in-car video, makes you forget (for a few minutes anyway) about the Visa bill or the fact that the only vacation you’ve had that year was to Thunderhill.  The pride you feel when he spends most of his free time at the track helping out a fellow racer work on his car.  The excitement you feel sitting in the stands and cheering him on, watching him push the car to the limits and keep it on the track lap after lap.  Worth it.  

The other thing that makes it all worth it is the people we’ve met.  We have gained so many great friends and crossed paths with so many wonderful people over the years thanks to racing.  I’ve never been involved with something that has such a sense of community.  The comradery among the drivers is incredible; with guys helping out their fellow competitor to make sure they make it on the track (or to the track for that matter). 

You wouldn’t think being at the race track with loud and fast vehicles running around would be good once you have a baby, but as soon the SM babies started arriving, so did the Pack –n– Plays and strollers (along with the ear plugs and headphones).  It really is a family sport and a positive environment for children.  It teaches kids a lot about teamwork, sacrifice, and competition (besides how to take care of your vehicle).

Okay, so my only vacations the past few years have been to racetracks out of town (Topeka in October – woo hoo!), some weekends we don’t see Kenny at all, juggling the budget becomes a full time job and most times during the summer I can’t park my car in the garage because there are 2 Spec Miatas on jack stands in it (and one in the driveway).  But my husband is able to do what he loves, my daughter gets to see him work at something and succeed, and we’ve gained wonderful people in our lives.

See what I mean?  Hardest thing I’ve ever done but the best thing I’ve ever done.