Super Heroes Never Die

Numb.

That was the first thought that I managed to compose in the moments after Greg Hodnett’s passing. I was numb. I felt hollow. Nothing was real. This isn’t real. The accident, my friends and fellow racers mourning around me in the BAPS Motor Speedway pit area…none of this…none of this is real. It can’t be. Greg is my friend. My driver. My idol. My super hero. This can’t be happening. This isn’t real. Super heroes don’t get hurt. Super heroes never die. This isn’t possible…

I have been a wreck for the last 36 hours…Rarely do I find myself unable to feel emotion, or compose logical thoughts, but that is the state that I entered in the immediate moments following Greg’s passing. I’m finally starting to feel like myself again, so I thought I would sit down and write this post….

I’ve spent the last few months working as a mechanic for Greg and the Heffner team. It was my dream job in racing, and I loved every second of it. I was at BAPS Motor Speedway the night of the crash. The car smashed the wall directly in front of me. A fellow crew member and myself were some of the first people to reach the car after the accident. As the medics tended to Greg in the moments after the crash, I was the one they handed his personal belongs to as they attempted to save his life. No words can truly describe my thoughts and feelings in those moments. I experienced true shock for the first time in my life. I was numb, and I still am to an extent…Less than 24 hours after the crash I sat down and wrote the following Facebook post to attempt to vent and come to terms with my experience, as well as portray the person that Greg was to me. This is what I wrote…

“The impossible happened last night. The side of this sport that we all know exists, but acknowledge only when we have to, reared its ugly head yet again. As racers we don’t think about safety nearly as often as we should. We worry more about running out of money, speed, and winning than we do anything else. It’s moments like these that put things back into perspective.

When I began working on sprint cars four years ago I sat down and asked myself where I wanted to go in this sport. What was my ultimate goal? For many, it’s the Outlaw or All-Star tour, but for me it was simple. I wanted to help Greg Hodnett on the #27 car. That was my goal. My dream job. If I could just find my way onto that team someday my life in racing would be at it’s peak. I took every job I could with every team I could in an attempt to develop my skills as quickly as possible. I went racing every chance I had. I knew if I ever wanted to work for an elite team like the #27, then I was going to need to educate myself and increase my mechanical skills and knowledge as quickly as possible. After working for Greg for a handful of races last year, things took a bigger step forward this summer. Through mutual friends and being at the right place at the right time, my dream came true. Somehow, someway I found myself working for Greg Hodnett on the #27 car. Unbelievable. My dream actually came true. Even now I still can’t believe it. As a result, I cherished every moment of every race because I knew I needed to. You don’t live out your dreams every day. I knew I needed to enjoy every moment, and I’m glad I did.

Greg taught me more than he likely realized, from our conversations about business and life, to the countless lessons that he taught me about sprint car racing. He taught me about grace, and how to handle people in a professional manner – always giving someone your time no matter the situation. His business advice and insight will linger in my mind with every decision I make with the company moving forward – he always found the fact that I am a poop man extremely intriguing lol. We had countless conversations about my interests in sprint car racing history, and always went out of his way to ensure that he read and provided me feedback on my articles and other works with my Vintage Sprint Cars social media accounts and news articles. I appreciated that more than I think he knew…

This victory lane picture now holds an even bigger place in my heart. It was the first and only win that I was a part of, and it will forever be my biggest win no matter where my racing life takes me from here. The happiness in this picture was a normal occurrence with everyone involved on the team. I’ve had the time of my life the last few months working with Greg, Roach, Doug, Ben, A-Rod, Mike and Sean each week. This is how I will remember my time with Greg and the team. Happy, smiling and having fun. Enjoying the sport we all love so much each and every night.

The world paused last night, but it didn’t stop. Time marches on. The lessons I’ve learned from Greg will carry on forever, as will his legacy. He was more than just a driver that I worked for. He was a friend, a mentor and a role model, and I will always cherish our relationship.

Rest in peace my friend, and thank you. For more than you will ever know…”

I cope with struggles in my life by writing. It clears my mind. Allows me to vent my true feelings in ways that I can’t verbally or physically. This is me coping. Greg always went out of his way to read and provide feedback on my writings for this website, so I thought that it was only appropriate for me to post my memorial to him amongst the posts that he enjoyed to read so much.

Super heroes never die. Even through the passing of time, their legacies live on. Greg’s will be no different.

The World of Outlaws and Heffner Enterprises have set up a Go Fund Me account to benefit Sherry and the Hodnett family. I encourage you to donate at this time.

Thank you for reading. God bless.

The featured image in this post was taken by Nicole Signor, Killer Mile Motorsports.