To see the original article: http://www.scenedaily.com/blogs/bobpockrass/Lessons_learned_from_Harry_Davis.html
Sometimes the term “racing dad” brings thoughts of crazy, driven-at-all-costs pops whose passion to see their sons succeed clouds their vision.
Marc Davis’ father, Harry, was not one of them. Harry Davis died Thursday, and for those who welcomed talking to him in the garage, he will be missed.
Harry Davis had all the passion of a racing dad, but he somehow maintained a clear head through the challenge of parenting a young, aspiring African-American NASCAR driver. He was enjoyable to talk to, whether discussing his son’s career or the state of diversity in the sport.
His son got a great opportunity as a development driver at Joe Gibbs Racing, but the spotlight shown brighter on Joey Logano, and Marc, now 19, spent last year trying to put together his own rides in the Nationwide and Camping World Truck series garages. Harry, a former NBC cameraman, was there every step of the way.
When his son and Brendan Gaughan got into it on the track earlier this year and one of Gaughan’s crewmen was suspended for alleged racially insensitive remarks, Harry Davis talked rationally about it. He didn’t want the situation to be a big deal, and he didn’t want anyone to lose his job because of the tough economic times. His perspective was that Gaughan was more at fault for inciting the situation by not taking responsibility for the accident, and that led to the crewman’s anger.
The last time I saw Harry was on pit road at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where Marc was trying to get up to speed in the family-owned truck. We chatted for a few minutes as Harry talked about the challenges they were having with the truck, but he was also optimistic about the weekend. Davis ended up qualifying for the race and finished 32nd after an accident ended his night.
Marc and his father obviously had hoped for a better finish. But moving on past a bad night at the track was probably easier for Marc because he had his father to guide him. Surely, Harry Davis’ lessons of perseverance and rationality will live on.
