Whew, Gainesville.

First of all, I am so dang happy to be back. I’ve missed racing and racers. I’ve missed my friends. I’ve missed the center point that this is for me. Even as I’ve often felt as though things can get so out of control, there is a grounding to knowing what to expect at the core. From showing up just before sunrise with throngs of cars already lined up to enter this grand facility, to having a walkabout as the sun rises over the top end and the fog dissipates. For nearly 20 years, I’ve been showing up on Sundays at racetracks across the country and doing pretty much the same thing.

But as I sat in the stands this morning watching the fog lift and the sun rise ahead of the first raceday of NHRA’s 75th anniversary season, I started thinking about the little sticky note I affixed to the front of my planner last month. It’s a short phrase meant to nudge me to be open to possibilities, to see things from a different perspective, to consider and reconsider that change is not only good but necessary. The end of last season was brutal, for no reason other than I just wasn’t doing it right. I was trying to do what I’d always done but at a higher volume and faster pace in order to make room for what pulls on my heart. I found myself fully depleted in a way that only I can do to myself. That’s not the move, guys, and so I’m working to do it differently this time around. It’s a new year, another shot, and I’m here for it.

That being said, I think some things are meant to stay the same because they provide stability, a foundation. That place where we’re grounded and comfortable can be a breeding ground for confidence, a greenhouse for ideas and new ways to germinate, grow, flourish.

I see this as a year of celebrating the past and honoring history — both personal and professional, on and off the racetrack — but I also see it as an opportunity to be open to new ways of doing things. Step outside of the comfort zone. Imagine that something ridiculous might actually be possible and then…. fricken GO FOR IT, man. What if it actually works? What if it’s better than it ever was before? It can’t hurt to try. Right?

See you out there. xo