NASCAR, drivers, track honoring Fort Hood's fallen

Friday, Nov. 06, 2009

FORT WORTH, Texas FORT WORTH, Texas — Ryan Newman stands out from the pack this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.

Trust me, he'd rather not ... certainly not because of some horrific crime that took place 170 miles south of here at the U.S. Army base at Fort Hood on Thursday afternoon.

Thirteen dead. Lone shooter. No motive.

A punch to the gut, Eddie Gossage called it.

But it had to be Newman, the driver of the No. 39 Chevrolet with U.S. Army as its primary sponsor, who addressed the Fort Hood shootings.

"The big picture ... we're thinking of everyone down in Fort Hood, with the U.S. Army and their families. They're going through some very difficult times," said Newman before taking any media questions on racing and wrecking.

Newman is more than just a 31-year-old driver of a race car with a black U.S. Army paint job. He's a driver who takes his sponsor to heart.

Newman wasn't directly connected to anyone involved in Thursday's Fort Hood tragedy, although he added, "I know people that know people that were involved."

Crew chief Tony Gibson put it best when he stood behind the No. 39 car and said, "We feel more privileged than anybody in this garage area. A lot of (teams) might have bigger or flashier sponsors, but they don't have any better sponsor.

"We feel close to the U.S. Army ... (and) to see someone take the lives of these men and women who fight for our country, it's just not fair. Every lap we make here will be in remembrance of the people whose lives got taken away at Fort Hood."

On Friday, veteran NASCAR owner Richard Childress reminded us this is a "patriotic sport." Just look at the crowds it draws.

Childress was in Houston for a Shell Oil event when the news broke.

"First thing you say is, how could something like this happen?" Childress said. "But more and more you listen to it, these are the kinds of things in America today that we've got to keep from happening."

Added Newman: "Unfortunately, ... whether it's in the U.S. Army (or) in a convenience store, it's a part of life."

TMS president Gossage has launched a full-scale plan to reach out to the Fort Hood community.

The words "GOD BLESS OUR FORT HOOD TROOPS" — complete with the U.S. Army logo — have been emblazoned across the infield close to the "pit out" area. The tribute measures 40 by 40 feet.

Flags are set to fly at half-staff. All TMS workers are wearing black ribbons. A moment of silence will be observed before the start of all racing this weekend.

Gossage knows one thing: "You can't do enough." But he'll try.

"Race fans bleed red, white and blue," he said. "Demographically, people who fight for our freedom are the same kind of people, with the same kind of values, who attend NASCAR races."

Racing is fun; observing a tragedy on a military base is anything but that. Gossage will try to strike a balance this weekend at TMS.

"It's why they fight for us to do the things we do as Americans," Gossage said.

Newman found it to be "an eye-opening experience to meet different generals, colonels and soldiers" during his association this past year with the U.S. Army.

"It's been special," Newman said.

Last April, Jeff Gordon took the checkered flag in the Samsung 500 at TMS. His No. 24 Chevy carried the National Guard paint job that day.

It marked Gordon's first win at TMS.

"This was a tragedy," Gordon said when asked to comment on the Fort Hood killings. "The National Guard is a significant sponsor of ours ... (and) our thoughts and prayers go out to all those families who suffered losses. I don't know any other way to comment."

The armed services are well-represented in the Sprint Cup series. The National Guard is a secondary sponsor of Dale Earnhardt Jr., although he declined to comment Friday.

Junior simply let it be known that he "didn't feel comfortable talking about Fort Hood," according to a PR person for Earnhardt.

The No. 39 car, with U.S. Army inscriptions on the rear quarter-panels and deck lid, had much more of an obligation to make a comment.

Ninety minutes after the Fort Hood shootings, Newman posted to his Facebook page: "Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of the victims and families of the Fort Hood tragedy."

Newman's emotions were being sent through a wringer similar to that which racked his body four days earlier at Talladega.

That's when Newman suffered a personal nightmare. He was trapped inside his car for nearly 15 minutes after flipping and crashing near the end of the race.

"I'm using some muscles I haven't used all week," Newman admitted Friday.

But the sick feeling inside his heart will probably take a little bit longer to heal. That's just my hunch.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

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