Column By: BOBBY CHALMERS / RPW – CATO, NY – For many in this sport, racing is about collecting checkered flags, shiny trophies and huge checks to hang on the wall.
That’s how some measure success.
While that’s all well and good, and the ultimate goal for every racer is to be a winner, sometimes, winning can also be defined by making a difference, especially in the lives of young children.
That’s exactly what took place on Wednesday at the Cato Meridian Elementary School in Cato, NY with “Race Car Day.” That’s when the HBR race team visited with kids from Pre-K through sixth grade to show them exactly this sport is all about.
Spearheaded by team member and former student of the school, Brandon Ford, the HBR team brought both Max McLaughlin’s #8H and Jimmy Phelps’ #98H for the kids to check out.
Ford, McLaughlin and crew member Emmett Waldron were all on hand to talk with the students (Jimmy wanted to be a part but couldn’t due to work commitments) and even let the kids tour the 98H hauler as they learned exactly what went into being part of a race team.
“My wife, Morgan, teaches fourth grade at Cato Meridian Elementary,” Ford said. “I actually graduated from the High School in 2014 so it was a lot of fun to get back there. The kids really seemed interested in the cars.”
What was the purpose of “Race Car Day” at Cato?
“The school’s been really interested in bringing in people from different types of jobs and from local companies in the area,” he said. “They want to show the kids what’s out there to do. This was a great opportunity for us as a race team and Weedsport Speedway to hopefully get kids to the track someday.”
From the looks on the children’s faces, that may happen. They really seemed into it.
“We had about 500 kids come through to check things out,” he said. “A lot of the kids, and even the teachers, had never seen race cars like ours or a hauler like we have. The whole time we were there was a pretty cool experience.”
What exactly did the children get to see on Wednesday?
“Unfortunately, with all the smoke in the air (from the Canadian fires), we had to unload the cars into the bus garage,” he said. “We did a presentation with both Jimmy and Max’s cars to show them the frames, the suspension, body work and the engine.”
Then, driver #8 got in on the fun.
“After that, Max demonstrated how to get in and out of the car,” he said. “The biggest question of the day was, ‘where are the doors?’ Many were amazed that the steering wheel comes off.”
With each class that came to the presentation, students were given hero cards and a souvenir from the Speedway, but that wasn’t all the kids got to see.
“After that, we walked outside and did a tour of Jimmy’s hauler,” he said. “We showed them how the cars are loaded as well as where all the parts and equipment get stored.”
For Ford, the trip back to Cato was especially fulfilling, knowing years ago, he was in the same position as these kids were on Wednesday.
“Going back was actually pretty awesome,” he said. “It was especially cool to show what I do for a job to some of my old teachers and to see the kid’s faces light up. The whole day was just really cool.”
The premise around “Race Car Day” wasn’t just to show kids a race car or two. It was to get them excited for the a sport that has given so much back to Ford, McLaughlin, Waldron and the members of HBR as well as probably everyone else in racing.
“It’s great for us to go do things like this,” he said. “Yea, it helps get our team’s name out there, but this was so much more than that.”
What was it about?
“We’ve been where they are,” he said. “We understand better than anyone that kids need to be involved in racing to help the sport continue to grow. It’s also a lot of fun to get out of the shop and show the community what we get to do.”
With the smiles on the kids face, Wednesday doesn’t appear as though it was a one-time event.
“Actually, the school invited us back for an event they put on in the fall,” he said. “I’m sure we’ll be back for that as long as Mr. Heinke and Betsy Angelone (Vice President of Mohawk Northeast) are cool with it. We’d be open to going to other local schools as well. This was a blast.”
Getting wins and trophies are a goal in this sport, but putting a smile on a kid’s face ranks right up there as well. That’s exactly what happened Wednesday at Cato Meridian Elementary School.
Great fun was had by all, especially the kids, and that’s a big win for the HBR team, but auto racing as a whole. Way to go!