One town cried. The people in Spartanburg swapped racing stories about their native son Pearson, whose new boulevard was christened Saturday. They talked about the way the Silver Fox was so cool in a race car that he would sometimes pass another driver in the race while simultaneously lighting a cigarette. Petty died Friday after crashing his car during a practice session in New Hampshire. Saturday was racing at its starkest.
Death is the undercurrent running through a sport that is both glorious and savage.
Death hides for months or years at a time, but it never disappears. Racing families make a truce with death. The truce allows them to continue in a sport where every left turn can be your last. Any racing veteran can tell you several stories of good men who have died in their prime. Yet the show always goes on.