We as a drag racing community are very fortunate to have the network of support that we have. Be it with fans or racers or teams. We are all fierce competitors on the track, but most of us are willing to help one another to the very best of our abilities, especially in times of crisis, away from the track-side competition. That quality has been a cornerstone of the drag racing family since its inception. We at Kalitta Motorsports just like all NHRA participants and fans are trying to come to grips with what has happened to our friend Eric Medlen. There are moments of helplessness and frustration that are inescapable. Being a writer and spokesperson for our team, I have this blog as a medium to voice those frustrations. I set out this morning to write a personal tirade about my anger toward the way some of the online rumor mongering and speculation has caused immeasurable pain for our community and for Eric’s family in particular. I noticed that I began rambling and writing in circles because my thoughts were being fueled mostly by angst and not moving toward a productive end. After conferring with my personal network of support, Bob Wilber at Team CSK and National DRAGSTER/NHRA.com Editor Phil Burgess, I took their advice and tried to make a more concise point…

Unfortunately there are those among us walking hiding behind a keyboard that declare half-truths or totally inaccurate statements so that the spotlight of the cyber world will shine on them for a moment. Why else would anyone intentionally sit down to type statements of supposed fact that can be, and is most often the case, harmful to other people and organizations that they have absolutely no association with?

I’m not here to bash the Internet or the World Wide Web. Actions are made by individuals and not the computer they use as the conduit. Chances are the writer and the members of his audience will never cross paths, and he certainly wants and expects that lack of physical interaction.

I’m thrilled that we live in this era of ultra-communication in the new mass media. I want instant results to magically appear on my computer screen at my beck and call. Unfortunately the line continues to blur between fact and fiction to the point that we live in a grey area of information. It’s nearly impossible now to know with 100 percent assurance that everything you read on the WWW is correct.

Please don’t confuse opinion with rumor. I am very thankful that we as drag racing fans have some great venues like online message boards to voice our opinions and debate with other fans about concurring or conflicting ideas about our great sport. That access to debate is a wonderful outlet to have, but we should all be wary of letting our opinions evolve into speculation.

If you do not know the complete truth about what you are “reporting,” do us all a favor and take your hands off the keyboard and walk away. If you decide to proceed with disseminating unverified facts as truths, please do it somewhere else, our drag racing community does not need you.