#LEFturn 

Has Left the Building

Nothing gives you such an ache in the pit of your stomach than hearing of the death of a racer during an event.  I experienced that punch this morning when I woke to the news of Jason Leffler losing his life during a dirt Sprint car heat race at Bridgeport Speedway in New Jersey.

Dirt Sprint cars can reach amazing speeds and with their open wheel set up, they often times can create some horrific tangled accidents, when things go awry.  That's exactly what happened last night for Leffler.  Sources indicate that perhaps something broke on his Sprint car, unleashing a horrific chain of events.  He had to be extricated from his machine, which flipped several times and hit the retaining wall at least twice.  A retaining wall that was not of the "safer barrier" style that we have become accustomed to with the NASCAR sanctioned events.  

I haven't seen any footage of the accident. It's probably for the best.  My heart goes out to the racer(s) who may have tangled with Leffler in the incident.  That has to be a tough thing to wrestle with in your mind, long after the accident.  

And obviously, thoughts and prayers are with Leffler's family--particularly his 5-year-old son, Charlie Dean who will likely have plenty of questions and struggle to understand why his daddy isn't going to celebrate Father's Day with him this weekend.  

That's heart-wrenching.  Leffler was only 37.  And he took his son to many races with him.  I hope that little Charlie doesn't grow to resent racing because it's ultimately what took his dad from him.  Life is short.  Hug your kids.  Appreciate all you have, rather than dwell on what you don't--as things can change in the blink of an eye.