A “fun fact” showed up on Facebook describing how racecar drivers can lose 10 pounds during a single race. It’s all about the heat, exertion, sweating, maybe spontaneous, fear-induced discharges….

Anyway, it brought back my experiences with races. It was when I was a rookie photographer. I think it was “The Warren Times Mirror and Observer” then. I worked Friday nights, Saturdays, and Sundays. Saturday night was race night at Stateline Speedway.

It was opening night and it was a demanding assignment. It didn’t realize it at first since my guide was “Aggie Val, the Racer’s Pal,” a neat lady who covered the races for the paper. She had pit passes so we checked out the cars before the race. She knew all the drivers and they all loved her. We got the “inside scoop” from several drivers and photos of the shiny, as yet undented cars.

Then race time rolled around. A seasoned photographer whose name will come to me right after this column runs, invited me to join him on the infield. He taught me that “the buddy system” was advisable.

It was noisy from the first minute I got there, but when the starting flag dropped, the roar was deafening. After a couple laps, the cars were spread out around the track. Somehow it was dusty and muddy at the same time. Clots of mud were flying all over the place. Occasionally, a driver would lose control and run through the infield. Occasionally, a tire would roll by.

Under the buddy system, I would take pictures while my buddy held my jacket at the shoulder, scanned the area for rogue cars and tires, and was prepared to yank me to safety. Then we’d switch roles. “Always run toward the middle,” he said. Crazy time.

This reminded me of the legendary, iconic, stock car driver Emory Mahan. Emory was a car guy through and through. Sometime in the early ’60’s, before the four lane was built north of town, Emory had a dealership, Chryslers, I think, perched on the cliff above the Conewango. He took a huge chance and took on the “Datsun” line way before foreign cars were widely appreciated. He was in Starbrick for many years after that.

In addition to his business, he raced stock cars. He was nearing retirement from racing when I started, but there were some stories….

His number was “8” and it was painted in a big black circles all over the car. It was know as “8 Ball” and his competition was regularly and literally “behind the 8 Ball.”

There was a story about the time he and his crew spent the off-season building a new car. A Dodge, as I recall. The shiny, new, likely winner, took off on its “maiden voyage.” After a few laps, the engine started to sputter. Then it ran smoothly. Then it sputtered. It didn’t take Emory long to figure out that the gas tank outlet was on the left side and in a hard left turn, with limited fuel, the gas sloshed away from the fuel pump. Back on the straightaway, when the gas was level in the tank, the engine fired up again. By the next week, Emory and his crew switched outflow to the right side of the tank and Emory and the 8 Ball roared back to their winning ways.

I never heard that straight from Emory, but it’s a great story. And, of course, some great stories are true, some are partly true, and some are just great stories.

Be that as it may, 50-some years later, the story came to mind and I realized that there’s a moral.

We should “design” our lives the way a driver and crew might design a racecar. The racing crew is made up of welders, electricians, motor guys, frame guys, tire guys…. Our life design crew includes parents, grandparents, friends, advisors…. But no matter how hard we try, there can be glitches. Our “motors” can “conk out.” That’s the time to call on the pit crew.

There is simply no way we can be prepared for all the glitches that come our way. But rest assured, others have been through similar situations and most are happy to share the experience. Sometimes it’s enough just to see such a survivor. They show us that it can be done. Sometimes we need to reach out to someone who’s “seen it all” and ask for help. There’s nothing wrong with that. You’d help them if they asked, right?

I doubt there’s a single racer who would claim winning all by him or herself. They rely on their crew. If we surround ourselves with those helpful people, we raise the odds of taking the checkered flag.