Sunday, February 2, 2003
Rolex 24 fans mix racing with sadness
By ERICA L. ANDERSON
NEWS-JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
DAYTONA BEACH — This wasn´t a day for sadness at the track. The sun shined brightly, cars and cookouts jammed the infield, spirits ran as high as the horsepower in the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
But rising above the sea of cars, the sadness showed. Flags flew at half-staff in every direction, honoring the seven astronauts who died hours earlier aboard the space shuttle Columbia.
“They risked their lives for the advancement of this country,” said Carmen Barker, 35, a Flagler Beach resident, as she adjusted the flag on the roof of her black pickup. “They are heroes, and they will never be forgotten.”
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Some fans had deeper connections to the fallen heroes. Nancy Patskoski, an aerospace inspector at NASA for 15 years who inspected the Columbia, was visiting friends on the Fils Motorsports team early Saturday morning.
“I was waiting for it to land,” Patskoski said. “When we didn´t hear the (sonic) booms, we went back to our RV to check the TV.”
Patskoski said she will try to enjoy herself at the race, but the sadness will hit harder when she returns to work Monday.
“We have astronauts in the space station and we have three orbiters that we need to process,” she said. “I´m not sure now if all of that will be put on hold.”
A nearly two-year delay in launches followed the last shuttle explosion.
“This takes me back to the Challenger disaster in ´86,” said Bill Fisher, a 43-year-old Ormond Beach resident. “That was a hard one to get over.”
Sandy Brooks thinks this one will be too.
“It´s a hard thing for the U.S. It really hits home, especially after Sept. 11,” said Brooks, 32, who drove from Tennessee to enjoy the races. “The astronauts were trying to do something to better the world, and they lost their lives in the process.”
Staff Writer Bob Pockrass contributed to this report.
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