A 'Good' BeatingKeith Altig is a proud dad, and he should be. His 15-year-old son, Joseph, is a three-sport athlete who is a baseball pitcher, a football quarterback and a budding driver who has shown his dad a thing or two on the track this season.
Keith sent SCR a photo of Joseph (see Readers' Racers, page 87) and a letter detailing his racing career. Father and son finished first and second, respectively, in their first race this year, a Street Stock event. They then reversed the order, with son and father finishing first and second, respectively, in the next race. Keith, the father, calls it "the beating I never knew I wanted."
Here's how he describes Joseph's first win, one in which Joseph started from the pole and led by a wide margin most of the way: "With two laps to go, we get a caution," says Keith. "There is one lapped car between us. The green is in the air and I make a bonsai move on the lapped car going into Turn One and make the pass. As I slide off Turn Two, I have a great view of Joe as he drives off and leaves me again. As the white flag comes out, it starts to come to me; not only is this kid about to win his first race but he has taken me on and showed me what he has."
The two celebrated together in Victory Lane, and word quickly spread about Joseph putting in on his dad.
"As I roll into work on Monday," recalls Keith, "the radio comes alive. 'Hey champ, I heard you got your rear handed to you by your 15-year-old on Saturday night.' Everyone laughs, including me. So the moral of the story is that I thought I loved to race, but I didn't realize how much till I got beat...what a great thing."
Keith's letter struck me on two fronts. One, he refers to his son as an athlete. I won't go into detail on the age-old argument about whether race drivers are athletes, but more and more it seems that kids who excel in stick and ball sports are finding their way into motorsports. Drivers today appear to be getting better and better, younger and younger. I'll let you decide whether they're athletes. I happen to think they are, more so than ever. Look around any local track and you'll have no problem agreeing with me.
The other thing that struck me was the bond between father and son. Racing is perhaps more family oriented than any other sport. It's an undertaking where a mother or father in their 30s or 40s can compete against a teenage son or daughter. And there's the opportunity for all family members to take an active role, whether scoring races or changing tires or decaling a car.
Ask Tom Busch about family participation in motorsports. Tom was a racer whose sons followed him into the sport. You may have heard of them-Kurt and Kyle, two of the top young drivers in NASCAR.
Even if you're among the many who appear to dislike Kyle Busch, you have to love what he does for the sport. Yes, he's cocky, often irritating, and seems as if he couldn't care less about who or how many people he offends. But, man, can this kid ever drive a racecar.
Busch's emergence as the consummate bad guy came at a most opportune time for the sport. NASCAR's popularity seems to have peaked in recent years, but the early part of this season had an energy level-supported by improved TV viewership numbers-that was sorely needed. Compelling drama is the lifeblood of good theatre and good theatre sells tickets and draws people to their TVs. So what if Busch gave the one-fingered salute to Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s legions of fans earlier this season? At least he's not afraid to show his true side.
Among the top promoters in motorsports, there's H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler and then there's everyone else. Since taking over what was then known as Charlotte Motor Speedway for owner Bruton Smith in 1975, Wheeler has established himself as the top pitchman in the game. But after 33 years together, Wheeler and Smith parted ways in May.