Confessions of a Racing Rookie

I am an educated person with an above average ability to grasp new information.  (Except for my cell phone.  And that is why I have a teen age daughter.)  In my career, I have written and edited publications for hospitals, steel mills, law enforcement, the military, engineering, education…well, you get the picture.  When my partner and I threw our hat into the publishing ring, so to speak, a year ago, I didn’t really expect to run into a subject that I couldn’t comprehend. With research and an ample helping of bull roar, I have been able to write and speak with confidence on every subject I have tackled.

Then we were referred to Pete Hylton, and the world of sports car racing.  I should have gotten a clue when, while we were still in production on his book, I emailed him to ask if he had or could refer me to information about our race track in Paducah, Kentucky.  We were talking to the management about doing a history book on that track. I figured a trackis a track. Pete has done research on tracks.  This has to be easy.

Pete wrote me the first of what I have come to know to be his “eye rolling, head patting” emails of explanation to me. This one pointed out that the Paducah track was an oval.

Well, yeah.  So?

Shortly after this, I began to comprehend the complexity of the subject at hand. (Read more.)