Friday, June 27, 2014

Let's go to the tape


In 1992, I learned
 from a college friend that she was tutoring a 9-year-old blind boy who was a huge fan of Kyle Petty.

I was on my second Winston Cup Media Tour that year, and Kyle was doing a "This Is Your Life" program with his father, Richard. So I took a tape recorder and a blank tape.

After the program, I went up to the front and told Kyle the situation. Kyle talked for several minutes, and I soon mailed that tape to Virginia.

I learned later that young Travis McCauley listened to that tape over and over and ... When I talked to Travis over the phone, he asked if Kyle really wrecked Davey Allison at the finish line of The Winston all-star race in '92. I had to say, yeah, he probably did.

My wife Holly and I later met the McCauleys near Martinsville Speedway, and I kept up with Travis for a long time via the Internet.

It's been a while. Travis is in his early 30s by now. I wonder if that tape still exists.

UPDATE: Travis recently found me on Facebook, and we're FB friends.