“I came back this year to prove a point. I can still
win and run as good as anybody. I'm not going out on their terms, I'm going out
on my terms.”
“I don't look at a racing paper
or the internet. I don't need critics. I'm my own critic. I don't need approval
or disapproval. I know when things are my fault. I'm my own toughest critic.
It's the only way I know. If people don't think racing is mentally draining,
they aren't a competitive person.”
“The only reason this happens is because of
the great people I've been around. I've enjoyed racing for a lot of great
owners, a lot of great mechanics and people that have been around the car.”
“I just never gave up, and that's what I'm trying to
teach my boys. I never quit and that has paid off.”
-Fred “Fast Freddie” Rahmer
Hello Everyone!
Whenever a living legend retires from his or her
sport, it is always a big deal. It’s even bigger to you personally when that
person is your favorite athlete. I am a sprint car racing fan. My favorite
driver is Fred “Fast Freddie” Rahmer, and he is hanging up his helmet.
With more than 500 career wins and 25 track
championships, the Salfordville, PA ace has nothing left to prove. He is arguably
the best driver in Central Pennsylvania history. He was inducted into the
National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2009. This season he is going out in style
with 55 top-10 finishes and six wins in 60 starts as of the time I am writing
this. He has also claimed his 11th Lincoln Speedway championship and
is fighting for a 9th Williams Grove Speedway championship.
Sometimes called the “Flyin’ Fossil”, Rahmer is definitely
past the age where most drivers would have retired. People have been saying for
years that he is washed up and past his prime, and you might have believed that if
you looked at his 2012 season. He left the high-profile CJB Motorsports team late
into the unsuccessful year, and people were thinking that it was the end. Not
true. He joined a low budget team owned by Rob Sell, a team that had never won
a race. It seems like there couldn’t have been a better match. Now in 2013, Rahmer is proving he can still
race as well as anyone. He has the best consistency of any driver in PA, and
another championship or two is the icing on the cake. Now that he has proved
his point, he wishes to quietly go off into the sunset. The legend is retiring
on his own terms.
I know what you’re thinking: So what? Numbers are only
numbers, right? It’s how a person is off the track that makes a champion. This
is true, and I’m happy to say that the biggest reason that I am a Fast Freddie
Rahmer fan is that he is a class act on and off the race track. He will always
take time to talk with fans. I was lucky enough to talk to Fred before I left
for college in August. I shook his hand, and thanked him for many years of
great racing. He asked me about college and, just like he does with every fan, he
made me feel important.
We can learn a lot by looking at Rahmer’s career. He
was old school. Any lucky breaks he had came because he created them. On the
track he raced hard but clean, and he was known for putting the car in places
where no one else would go. He didn’t always have the fastest car, but he made
up for that with tenacity and a will to win. In the journey of life, you can’t
expect to be handed opportunities, you have to work for them. Treat others with
the respect they deserve, but don’t be afraid to go outside of your comfort
zone to get the job done. Don’t make excuses, and hold yourself to a high
standard.
Whenever you feel discouraged and knocked down, look
at the above quotes. They are simple, basic thoughts that anyone can live by.
It doesn’t matter if you are a sprint car driver, a student, or an officer in
your club, strive to be the best you can be.
Going to the races won’t be the same without cheering for Fred Rahmer. I
am thankful that I got to experience a part of this racing legend’s great
career. Thank you, Mr. Rahmer.
Nathan Repetz
2013/2014 PA 4-H State Council
President
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