Letters to the editor
NASCAR: It's more than just a sport
I will admit I am not an avid fan of NASCAR. However, an unfortunate situation in my life has changed my attitude. Just recently, my family was faced with the tragedy of losing our sister to cancer. It is the most difficult thing I have had to deal with. She was the youngest of seven children and appeared to be the healthiest of us all.
As she and her family dealt with this unforgivable disease, her husband was always at her side, giving her the support and care she needed.
Her husband is employed by NASCAR. Over the past year, my sister had to go to chemo and radiation treatments, and her husband was always by her side. She had to go to numerous doctor visits, making a 45-minute trip each way, and her husband was always with her. During my sister's final days, her husband was with her nearly 24/7, living at the hospital.
All during this time, his employer never gave him any concern about his job. In fact, NASCAR gave him all the support he needed.
In today's economic condition, I found this support and understanding to be rare. Some companies are too concerned with earning the almighty dollar and forget that employees have families to tend to in addition to their jobs. The balance between work life and family life can become extremely difficult to manage for not only the average individual but also when you couple it with a critical illness in the family.
At my sister's funeral, I was fortunate to have met several employees and owners of NASCAR. As I spoke with them, one person in particular said to me, “We at NASCAR are a family. And family is very important to us.” Since then I have the utmost respect for NASCAR and everything it represents. The owners are ordinary people just like you and me. It is not just the sport that people like about NASCAR, but it is what the organization believes in and represents that has made me become a fan. All the people associated with NASCAR are genuine and considerate individuals.
I personally want to thank everyone involved with NASCAR for their support, the comfort and the understanding given to my brother-n-law and his family during this difficult time.
K. Polston
