T's NF Journey: February 2016

It's no wonder T identifies so well with Daytona. The Urban Dictionary defines Daytona as "a person with a real big heart. beyond the definition of kind, sweet, beautiful, radiant, etc. someone who never ceases, even when the going gets tough. so nice to everyone around, and you never want them to leave." Travis LOVED being back at Daytona for the Rolex 24 weekend and it showed. People commented how great T looks throughout the weekend (thank you MEK inhibitor AZD6244!)

Friday we traveled to the track for the Continental Tire series race to cheer on friends with Compass360 Racing and other teams. We saw Justin Bell (you may remember him from T's "Why you lose?" question at T's first R4R experience in Utah in 2012, recap here) on our way to meet up with Jill Beck and the other NF Hero families in attendance. Justin welcomes our NF Heroes and families with open arms and they remain in a special place in his heart. We walked out on the grid and to visit with the drivers of the 3 Compass360 Racing cars (Paul Holton, Pierre Kleinubing, Jim McGuire, Nico Rondet, Kyle Gimple, and Roy Block), Karl Thomson, Liam Dwyer, and made new racing friends along the way.

Travis and Justin Bell

T loved spending a few minutes with Liam again this year.
Two inspirational individuals.

T with CJ Wilson, pitcher for the Angels and CJ Wilson Racing

Paul Holton having fun with the NF Heroes before the race

The time arrived to clear the grid and the start of the race. We found the coveted track nachos for lunch and settled in to watch the short race of the weekend. The beautiful weather made it easy for us to find several great places to watch the race and cheer on our friends and teams. Congratulations to Paul Holton and Pierre Kleinubing for finishing P2 in the race and their division!! The NF families made their way to Gatorade Victory Lane to celebrate this podium finish. Justin Bell with Fox Sports interviewed Pierre and T as we waited outside victory lane. Fun memories. We walked to the Compass360 Racing garage after the podium festivities to see the cars and say "Goodbye" to those not staying the rest of the weekend.

Pierre and T being interviewed by Justin Bell

Paul Holton and T

Heather Gimple (Kyle's mom) and T

Friday night we enjoyed the dinner with the NF Heroes and guest appearances by a few of our favorite supporters including: Compass360 Racing team, Patrick Lindsey, Justin Bell.

Travis, Patrick Lindsey (Park Place Motorsports), Nolan, and Barrett

Saturday morning arrived none too soon for Travis and the rest of us. This year 4 cars across 3 teams (Turner Motorsport, Magnus Racing, Park Places Motorsports) carried the names and autographs of our NF Heroes in attendance around the track during the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona. This year Travis' name traveled the track on the No. 97 Turner Motorsport BMW M6 GT3. You ask Travis one of his favorite parts of spending time at the track and he answers meeting the drivers. Naturally, T enjoyed knowing he would meet more drivers. :)

Travis placing a part of him (his autograph) on the
No. 97 Turner Motorsport BMW M6 GT3
You can see our friend Halston taking pictures.

Pure joy after signing a race car

T circled his name again, keeping the "no scrape" luck going

Travis met Michael Marsal and Markus Palttala, 2 of the 4 drivers of the No. 97. Travis enjoyed talking racing with Will Turner, Team Owner of Turner Motorsport. We are not kidding when we say T is a racer trapped in a kids' body. He lives for these moments. :) Travis also added Turner Motorsport stickers to his power chair.

Travis and Michael Marsal

Travis and Will Turner talking racing and cars

In addition to meeting drivers, T also loves meeting the crews for the teams. This kid loves all aspects of racing. Over the years, many friendships started at the track and many conversations regarding racing soon followed. We continued to be amazed by the generosity of others.

Willie (Park Place Motorsports) and Travis

Brian (Magnus Racing) and T talking racing

Stefanie (Magnus Racing) and Travis as it neared midnight

Travis collected many autographs during the mid-day session and soon the grid opened to fans. We traveled to the start/finish line to leave our notes and signatures, watched the driver intros, and visited with the teams one last time before the race started.

Travis wanted me to sign this on the track

Selfie with Dad

Always great to see Ryan Eversley at the track.

Travis enjoyed spending time in the Pit Road Patio Suites during the race as he has great views and opportunities to race cars while watching racing. He also spent time exploring the fun activities offered at Daytona International Speedway. Thank you Traceann and Paul for taking our NF Heroes on rides around in the golf carts! :)

Travis and Paul, I'm not sure who's having more fun

Saturday night brought a unique opportunity for Travis as he and Jill Beck participated in a radio interview during the Taste of the 24 thanks to The NASCAR Foundation and Jeff Hanson winning the 2015 Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award. Travis did great on air and enjoyed spending time in the new area of Daytona and Daytona Rising. He requested I take his picture by the Kyle Busch picture.

Travis and Jill being interviewed

Travis with the Kyle Busch pic

Travis remains determined to spend the entire 24 hours of the race at the track one of these years. This year he easily lasted until midnight.

Bright and early Sunday morning we returned to the track. Lots happen overnight and fortunately no 'possum incident in the early morning hours. Unfortunately the No 73 Park Place Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R experienced mechanical issues overnight, yet they remained determined to finish. The No 97 and No 96 Turner Motorsport BMWs and the No 44 Magnus Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 continued throwing down laps on the track. Travis spent the morning playing, racing his cars, and hanging out at the track. Daytona International Speedway remains his home away from home.

Racing cars during the Rolex 24

T cheering on the No. 73 Park Place Motorsports car,
both examples of enduring what life throws at you

As the clock etched closer to 0:00 remaining, the No. 44 Magnus Racing car provided a thrilling finish as they crossed the finish line first in the GTD category. To see the pit erupt in excitement brought chills to all who watched. Congratulations Magnus Racing! We headed to Gatorade Victory Lane for a second time in a weekend. Thank you Magnus for sharing time in victory lane with our NF Heroes!

Podium!!! (T's in the middle in front of the drivers)

After the celebration, we traveled to the garage for T to check on the state of his name after racing 24 hours. The picture below tells the story...

T LOVED seeing his not-scraped name!!!

Another Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona completed and another year of amazing memories created. The smiles on Travis' face indicated to us another successful escape from what NF throws at T. This truly remains his happy place filled with his favorite things. How can words express our gratitude to all those who share their passion and love with our NF Heroes? Thank you for helping create these memories for Travis and our family as we navigate the unknowns of NF. Travis reflects on these track experiences during the difficult times and I know they provide the necessary motivation he needs to endure. Thank you for these moments for T to be a kid, a racer among fellow racers, some time away from NF! None of this would be possible without Jill Beck and no visit to the track would be complete without this...