NASCAR to Honor Virginia Tech Victims

Published 18 April 07 06:50 PM | scoutmom
For the next three weeks, all the NASCAR and Busch Series vehicles will display the Virginia Tech logo as a tribute to the victims of the horrific shooting at the school this week.  The logo will also be displayed on all entries in the Craftsmen Truck Series April 28 even in Kansas City. 

As reported by the AP, the logo will be seen displayed on a black background just to the right of the driver's side window net on cars in both the Nextel Cup and Busch Series at Phoenix International Raceway on Friday and Saturday, Talladega Superspeedway (April 28-29) and Richmond International Raceway (May 4-5).

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, their family members, their friends -- and the entire Virginia Tech community," said NASCAR chairman Brian France. "We wanted to make a simple, but strong, gesture of remembrance. We are grateful the university gave us clearance to display their logo."

Duane Cross, who normally does a very funny power ranking on each of the drivers, has chosen this week instead to do something very different, and very wonderful.  Where he would normally have put his line or two about each driver, he has chosen instead to make the entire page (read top to bottom) a way to honor the victims and the school.  He has included the school's fight song as well. 

Please take a moment to read Duane's 'column':

http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/features/power_rankings/08/phoenix/index.html
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Comments

# Zach said on April 19, 2007 05:50 AM:

I'm not a normal NASCAR fan but I might watch just because of this post.  Thanks!

# fleur_de_lis said on April 19, 2007 05:29 PM:

Thanks for putting this our way, otherwise, I would never have known. Way cool.

# scoutmom said on April 19, 2007 09:42 PM:

So many of the drivers are from Virginia.  And Darian Grubb, crew chief for Casey Mears studied engineeering at VT and his mom works in the building next to where the shootings took place.    Ron Denton on Denny Hamlin's team graduated from VT in 1994.

"It's a big deal for me and Elliott [Sadler] and Jeff and Ward and those guys that are from Virginia," Hamlin said. "It means a little bit more us than probably anybody else.

"Everyone feels it and I've obviously been a Virginia Tech fan for a long time and have talked to [head football coach] Frank Beamer before. Oddly enough, I just got a bunch of stuff in the mail from [him] the day after all that happened. It's amazing what the world's coming to. We've still got to press on and keep in our hearts the memories of the families of the victims."