It has long been said the racing community is a tight-knit group that, unless you're part of it, most truly can't understand. For those of us who have the passion for racing, we have a tremendous appreciation for what the term "family" means. This has never been more evident than Friday night at the Bremer County Fairgrounds in Waverly for the Darren Ackerman benefit.
As I mentioned recently, Ackerman, a longtime Late Model driver at Independence Motor Speedway, was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer in November of last year. So many of us are familiar with the ugly disease, the fear it creates and the emotion it brings forth when it hits close to home. Whenever a potentially devastating situation affects our day-to-day living, it's often the support we receive from those around us that helps us make it through those daily struggles. If giving time, donations and expressions of friendship and support can help in any way, then it's no doubt Darren will soundly defeat cancer and return to be with his racing family in the near future.
Friday night was simply unreal. Throughout the night I heard people use numerous words in attempt to describe the outpouring of support for Darren and his family. Words like amazing, incredible, unreal, unbelievable, along with many others were expressed throughout the evening, although I don't believe any word could do it justice.
Prior to the event, I heard rumblings from a few of the organizers that they were unsure how many people would turn out. While tickets were available for purchase prior to the event, they were also made available at the door, which left me with the impression that pre-paid ticket sales were low. Although the festivities were scheduled to start at 5:30, a number of us arrived a few minutes before the doors officially opened. At that time, there were probably 30 or 40 people in attendance, many of whom were organizers and family members who were frantically organizing the hundreds, yes, hundreds, of door prizes, silent auction items and live auction items.
A short time later, the ladies working the ticket counter got busier and busier as the crowd started to arrive. A few arrivals turned into a dozen, which turned into a long line out the door. One hundred. Two hundred. Three hundred. The people kept coming. People were arriving at such a pace that dinner, which was originally scheduled to be served at 6:30, was offered prior to 6 p.m. While those in attendance were looking through the auction items, finding a seat or chatting with people they hadn't seen in months, if not years, the people kept coming. Four hundred. Five hundred. Not only was seating at a premium, it was difficult to find a place to stand. Then, they ran out of tickets... But people kept coming. Finally, after roughly another fifty people came through the door, they stopped counting, yet people still kept walking in.
The number of supporters didn't just bring their well-wishes for Ackerman, they also brought their checkbooks, credit cards, cash and any other means to help financially support the cause. A number of the larger ticket items went for hundreds of dollars and a few for thousands of dollars. The highest ticket item of the night was a Simpson adorned refrigerator (stocked with a couple cases of adult beverages from what I understand) that was purchased by Performance Bodies owner Scott Braun for a lofty $6,100.
I was standing near Darren as the higher ticket items kept selling for more than the item before it. Darren just looked on in amazement, seemingly in shock that this was all for him. He turned to me and asked the simple question, "How do I thank all these people?" So humble, so thankful and feeling unworthy of the outcry of support, the look on Darren's face throughout the night offered a glimpse as to why there was such a huge turnout.
For those who don't know Darren, he and his family are among the most genuine, soft-spoken and friendliest of those who race at Independence. In fact, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone more deserving of the support he received last night. I reminded him that a simple "thank you" was all anyone was expecting to hear in return, if even that. Everyone in attendance last night was part of something greater than helping one of their fellow racers, it was about supporting someone who we all consider part of our racing family.
Those who support a race track on a weekly or regular basis are probably familiar with the drivers who interact with and help their fellow competitors. Of course, not all racers know every other driver, let alone talk to them on a regular basis. Most drivers interact more frequently with those who compete in the same division, pit near them or, simply, who they've known for a long time. Last night, however, not only drivers from all divisions, but their own friends and families who may not regularly socialize with Darren, were on-hand to show their support.
Toward the end of the night, I spoke with Darren's parents, Mark and Carolyn, who were just as shocked at the support. So grateful and so humble, while at the same time determined that Darren will defeat the cancer and return to his #53 sometime later this summer. "The most important thing is getting Darren healthy again," Mark said, "but it will be great if we can make it back out sometime this summer. And, I tell you what, there will be one hell of a crowd there the night he comes back."
Without a doubt, I'm certain our racing family will make that a guarantee.
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