SLOGGING THROUGH WINTER... Good & bad (Part 169k)

SLOGGING THROUGH WINTER… Good & bad (Part 169k)

We worked clearing a path so the desk I’d found could be moved. We’d agreed to quit when we heard the noon siren. I’d hoped that we could’ve completed it but was satisfied with what we’d been able to do. I led the women upstairs and let them out but returned to the cellar. I’d come up with a thought about the source of the sound that Meg had heard and wanted to check it out. The bank was located within about 150 feet from the river. All the businesses located in that area had been plagued with a rat infestation. The bank had numerous traps set in the area where the trash was stored and, according to Mike, the messenger/custodian had pretty much eradicated the problem. There were two sets of doors that led into the storage area where we were working… one from the old coal bin and the other from the furnace/boiler room.  Normally, they were only open for a short period of time each day. However, when Bret and I had taken the crates of old ledger cards into the boiler room we’d left one open and the three of us had just done the same thing. My guess was that a rat had darted into the storage area and that was the sound that had scared Meg. I immediately made a note for Mike to lay out traps in the storage area to eliminate that from being a problem when an employee had to go in there for some reason or another. That done, it was off to home and lunch.

Other than for the fact that schools had been closed for a few days, the kids didn’t  like the snow that had fallen. It was too powdery to do anything with so they had elected to stay inside and annoy Elle. She hadn’t done the grocery shopping for the week so assigned me the chore. Thankfully, there wasn’t too much on the list as it was my hope that I’d be back in time to watch my favorite sports TV show… Wide World of Sports. The co-creator and director of the show was a fraternity brother so I had a somewhat vested interest in watching it. I’d had a chance meeting with him a number of years prior and remember him asking what I’d like to see on the show. When I told him “auto racing” he told me they would be working some in in upcoming years. With the Daytona races going on and the biggest stock car race of the year I was looking forward to seeing how much, if any, of it they’d cover this year. I was excited that I was back in time to see the bulk of the show and after unloading the groceries went into the den to watch it. I turned the TV on and stood there waiting for it to warm up before taking my seat. We didn’t have remotes in those days so I had to stand there to change the channel to ABC. I was glad the program was on it as it was the one with the best reception for where we lived. I was about to take a seat when I heard the unmistakable voice of Chris Economaki, a sometime commentator for the show when they covered any kind motorsports. I didn’t particularly like his style as he was always ‘hyping’ the action even when there was nothing to hype. But I sensed something different. It was like his voice was muted. I stopped before getting to my recliner and took a look at the screen. What I saw took my breath away. It was the picture of a race car with the whole front end missing… and I mean everything, including the windshield. Then the camera did a close up of it and I could see inside the car and the driver still strapped into his seat. Then I realized Economaki was narrating the tape of the accident. I was still standing when I saw another race car heading straight for the open end of the wrecked car. I remember screaming “NO!”

I really can’t tell you what I did them. The next thing I remember was Elle lightly slapping my face. I was on the floor and felt like I was going to throw up. The TV was still on and there was some other kind of sport on the screen. I asked Elle if she’d changed the channel and she shook her head as if to say “No”. But, she wanted to know what had happened and why I’d screamed. I was trying not to vomit but it was no use. I remember half crawling to the bathroom which was only about 10 to 12 feet away.

After washing my face I made my way into the living room and the couch. Elle had shooed the kids down to the basement for which I was thankful. She sat next to me looking very concerned as I tried to explain… and it was hard. I’d only seen a few seconds of the clip and really hadn’t heard much of what Economaki had been saying. I had no idea who the driver of the wrecked car was but did tell her it was the most violent crash I’d ever seen. I told her that when I saw the other car headed right for the open end of the wrecked car was when I screamed. I told her there was no way the driver could’ve lived after that and in realizing it I just ‘lost it’. We were still sitting there when the phone rang. It was Bret. I could hear his voice was animated and before I could ask if everything was OK he asked if I’d seen the Daytona crash on TV. When I said I had I forget just what he said but he somehow managed to give me the name of the driver… Don Mactavish… the guy who Cliffy was helping in the pits. I know we talked for a few minutes but I have no idea what was said. The phone was in the hall and when I hung up I found I couldn’t stand without holding on to the wall. Elle helped me to the kitchen table but when she fed the kids I couldn’t eat. I still had the vision of the car spinning around like a top after hitting the wall, stopping with the driver fully exposed and then getting hit by the other car.
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I’ve thought about this wreck many, many times since that night and it always hits me hard. I did not know the driver although I knew who he was. Cliffy had raced against him a few times and he was considered to be a future star. In fact, the ride in the car was his first try in what was called the Sportsman Division at that time (now the Infinity Series), the then next to the top NASCAR level. The car was owned by a very influential man with deep roots in racing and the fact that he’d chosen Mactavish to drive his car was a ‘feather in his cap’. Like after so many fatal racing accidents, changes were made to try and prevent similar things from happening. This one really shouldn’t have happened. The track had a couple of steel “Armco” barriers covering an opening in the concrete wall so there could be access to the infield (pic 1, circled). Mactavish got spun into it, hitting at the most vulnerable spot. It gave way allowing the car to hit the butt end of the concrete wall and, at approximately 180 miles per hour, it ripped the whole front of the car right off. (pics 2 & 3) The motor ended up 100 yards down the track. Following the crash the opening was filled with concrete, too late for Mactavish. NASCAR eventually mandated upgrades in the roll cages for better protection of drivers (pic 4)
    

Beth usually called to check in on the baby sometime after 6pm but on this night it came and went with no contact from her. We were both pretty somber and had set the kids up to play by themselves. There wasn’t much to say. Elle finally called Beth’s sister to ask if she’d heard anything and was able to get some information. Because of the death the state police were involved and all NASCAR personnel had been gathered at their offices but that was all she knew. I think it was around 10pm or so when the phone rang. Elle answered and was only on for a short time. She told me she had no news other than what Beth’s sister had shared. I was too worked up to go to bed so went into the den and turned on the TV. I had no idea what as on but didn’t care. Elle had no interest so headed upstairs. I fell asleep and when I woke up it was deja-vu… the news was on and there was the crash on the screen. At first I was going to jump up and turn it off but just sat there and saw the whole thing again. Since I knew the end result it was much easier to watch. If there was one thing to take away from this version, the announcer did say that the driver, Mactavish, was already dead when the other car hit him. Since I’d seen the original version I’d been thinking of what it might’ve been like to see a car coming at me, unprotected, at 180+ miles per hour. Strangely, I was able to go to bed and get some sleep after seeing it again.

To be continued…