So, the 55th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals are over. The stands have cleared, traffic is probably jammed up all along the surrounding roads, and everyone here in the press room is tap-tap-tapping away on their keyboards working to meet deadlines. My work here is done, except for you, my last little Indy blog.
 
 

I do tend to struggle with this moment each year, because after the build-up to the event and then living high on adrenaline for every day we’re here watching the event and running around talking to as many folks as we possibly can, all of a sudden it hits you like a big old over-sized fluffy pillow. Wha-bam! Fluffy pillow to the face. Stops you in your tracks. It doesn’t knock you over but for sure it stuns you for a minute. The event is done. Over. Pack up. Go home.

All we have now are the memories. Well, some of us have trophies. That’s pretty cool.

As I was transcribing Jeg Coughlin’s winner quote for the NHRA.com story, I looked up and saw Robert Hight walking on the deserted, hallowed track with his little girl, Autumn, on one side and Jack Beckman’s son, Jason, on the other. He had their little hands in his own, and Jason’s mom, Jenna, was crouched down taking a photo of the three of them walking down track. It was poignant, for sure. Not just because it was a pretty picture (I do so love a pretty picture), but also because it reminded me of how real our heroes are. I would guess that he’s just been through one of the craziest weekends of his racing career, but he still has enough in him to hold the hands of those little kids, and not worry about any kind of a tough-guy exterior. It’s something of a dichotomy, isn’t it? Wrapping those hands around the steering wheel of a 300+ mph Funny Car and then holding the tender hands of small children just a couple of hours later. Strange. And awesome. A fitting end to the long weekend for me, seeing that.

And now, on to Charlotte, where the Countdown to 1 begins. It’s a tremendous consolation to know that although this highly-anticipated, exceptionally exciting, whirlwind weekend has come to a conclusion, the road to determining who will come out on top and walk off with the Full Throttle Series championships has only just begun.