The excitement was building as the season wound to a close. Pointbattles were tight, competition was heated; there was a lot on the linefor each race at this stage of the game.
Now it really doesn't matter as much. Life has a habit of getting in theway, drawing us back to what's really important.
In early October, a man who gave a lot to the sport died. GaryVercauteren may not have been well known beyond the Mid-American StockCar Series and the family of spin-offs that developed from it, as far asthe racing world is concerned. He was, however, well known in hiscommunity and well respected, too. When you have a man who has that kindof reputation, it makes death, the one element of life that is trulycertain, a little harder to contemplate.
Gary Vercauteren was 55 when he died. It happened right after he hadtaken part in one of his great loves--coaching football. You may not beable to fathom a connection between football and racing, but that'sokay. This man brought his passion to the activities he chose, whetherit be football, family, racing, publishing, or any other activity.
According to his obituary, Gary's passion for motorsports started in1967 when he submitted an article for Midwest Racing News. He worked forWisconsin International Raceway, had a hand in creating the Red, White,and Blue State Championship Series, and created the Mid-American StockCar Series in 1992. The MASCS spawned other groups such as the trucks,MARS, and Stock Car Classics, and the series played a key role in 2005in developing the American StockCar League.
It wasn't until he sold his business in 2001 that Gary took on racing asa full-time venture. Prior to that, he started as a newspaper editor andeventually purchased the publishing company.
On the gridiron, Gary coached several teams. His latest effort was theSevastapol JV team, which notched five wins, and he also was theschool's varsity line coach.
He was active in his community with civic organizations and receivednumerous honors for his work.
Gary Vercauteren was more than the founder of some racing series, butthat work allowed us to meet this man on common ground, a love forracing. The sport is better because of people like Gary.