Monday, September 3, 2012

When Speed Gets in the Blood


Racing is something that consumes you.  The first time I saw a race car flash past me, I was so happy, I laughed.  Toward the end of the race, I was so happy, I cried.  That was the unforgettable 2005 Indianapolis 500.  I was ten years old. 

That was the end of life as I knew it.  I’ve always loved reading, writing, theatre, and dance.  But that race awakened in me some gritty, ineffable thirst for speed.  Suddenly, this desire influenced nearly everything I did.  Even though it hasn’t been long since then in the grand scheme of things, the effect that race has had on my life is remarkable.  My pursuit of motorsports has led me to new people and brilliant experiences.
 
Racing is my passion and writing is my drug, so it’s natural for me to combine the two.  I’m writing to turn this passion into real words.  I’m writing to communicate with people who feel what I feel.  I’m writing to show how racing permeates every part of life, from the mundane to the extraordinary.  This is a place for people who understand that this sport is something deeper than a math problem—it’s an art form.

 “When speed gets in the blood, one must drive to live."            
--Rudolf Caracciola

3 comments:

  1. Shelby this is great! I can tell you I felt the same way at my first race. It's a drug that absolutely consumes your life. Not many people understand this.

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  2. Thank you! It is an amazing feeling, isn't it? And there's no going back once you get it.

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  3. Same as me course mine wasn't has big as the indy 500 but it was close if you wanna see my first injection of fuel into the veins and gasoline in detail ill post it on my new blog myself but everything you said I agree with even though you're into indycar and me NASCAR racing is racing

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