As I was sitting in the stands at the Sprint Unlimited Race Saturday evening I observed an act of teamwork which you could not see at home.  The act came from none other than Tony Stewart as he dropped back to pick up Danica Patrick who had lost the draft.  Now as much as I am a hometown fan and root for Clint and Carl, I appreciated the talent and strength of Tony Stewart.  His dedication to the team, putting the team ahead of himself, was noteworthy in and of itself.  His ability to lead Danica back into the thick of things while not settling on doing what everyone else is doing (running the high line) proves he has taken the reigns from Dale Earnhardt as far as racing talent on the track.

Teamwork is an amazing thing, much can be accomplished if we work as a team.  A team starts with a leader who values everyone’s input and talent and does not put him or herself above any other team member.  A team wants to do work to accomplish a dream.  A team is unified working towards one goal.  A team does not allow for the word “I”, instead it starts with we.  Now with that said I am going to use the word I to say I have worked with some of the best teams in the nation over the last several years.  Let me list a few:

FAA: This team moves traffic in and out of the airports nationwide safely and efficiently everyday.  On 9-11-01 this team landed and grounded the fleet in record time doing it safely and efficiently to protect our country under attack.  To all the controllers, staff, and management nationwide this was a display of teamwork to be honored in our history.

Lakeside Speedway:  For the last several years from the asphalt to the dirt, the officials and management at this track have been a team.  While a few individuals have come and gone, in particular those who use the word “I”, this has been a team.  It is a team from the moment you walk in the gate and the team arrived early to prepare for your walk though the gate until you leave back through the gate it has been a team.  A team which works together to promote our favorite track, from track prep, to concessions, to officials, to fans, to racers.  As we work together we continue to grow our track.  This same thing can be said at other tracks, Heartland Park, Valley, I-35, it is the same it all starts with a good team.

C.A.R.B.:  For the last several years this organization has grown simply because of a team.  This team created the annual bowlathon, the golf tournament, the Ride for the Victory, the Hall of Fame all because of their love of our sport.  It took a team to accomplish all these events.  It takes a team having fun to keep them going.

So as you watch the Daytona 500 this week watch the racing as a team, because remember as much as teamwork works there is only one winner at a race, unless you look at it as a team effort, then there are multiple team winners.