Dirt from the Stands" by Greg Cybulski
A PRAIRIE DIRT CHRISTMAS (2005)
Well race fans, here I sit in my comfortable chair with my favorite glass of
holiday cheer, taking in the sweet musical stylings of Manitoba jazz pianist
Michelle Gregoire's CD, "Reaching". Yes, ol' NOSAfan's taste goes much
deeper than dirt. Jazz music is as much a part of me as dirt track racing.
What's the connection? Michelle Gregoire's brother is local racer Dan
Gregoire. Having said that, "Support Your Local Outlaws" has applied to
many aspects of my life.
You can find Michelle Gregoire's website at http://www.michellegregoire.com
With your kind permission and patience, I would like to give you a little
inside look at my life in and out of dirt track racing.
My wife Heather and I are Sunday school teachers and one Sunday in early
November, the lesson for our class was about talents. The theme was how God
gives everyone a special talent and how it is up to each one of us to use
that talent to share with others. The more we got into the lesson with the
children, the more I realized that what I am doing right now by writing is
indeed a special talent to be shared with people.
In 2001, my ride began with the creation of a small website simply called
NOSAfan's Website. For whatever reason, I decided it would fun to write
some of my race experiences down on the homepage. The writings were short
and sweet but it was enough to catch the eye of fellow Winnipeg webmaster
Don McAuley of SprintsNMidgets. Don asked me if I would be interested in
writing a periodic racing column for him. I agreed and the rest as they say
is history. Eventually I got a few more requests for my column and "Dirt
from the Stands" became part of the scenery on racing websites from all over
North America.
In 2003, I came to a crossroad of sorts as I decided to give my website a
new direction and purpose. On March 17, 2003 the website's name was changed
from NOSAfan's website to Prairie Dirt. I wanted to give myself and the
website it's own identity. "Prairie Dirt" not only represents racing on the
prairies but is also a reflection of who I am as a person. I was born and
raised on the prairies of Manitoba and ultimately I will most likely leave
this world as a Manitoban. To me, "Dirt" is symbolic of my love of the
great outdoors and prairie life, my mortality and my Christian faith.
2003 had a big impact on my life. In the spring of that year, my
mother-in-law passed away suddenly and following a very frustrating summer,
my family and I were about ready to burst. Heather and I agreed that the
summer had to end on a good note, so we decided to travel to Knoxville and
Huset's Speedway to take in a weekend of Sprint Car racing and visit with
friends.
On our way back to Sioux Falls, I had made arrangements to meet with Hot Rod
Pattison and be part of his pre-race radio show from Huset's Speedway.
During my interview, Hot Rod asked me if NOSA raced up in Winnipeg and I
awkwardly told him, "No". I offered a brief explanation as to why they were
not racing there and I added that hopefully with time, they would come up
and race at Victory Lane Speedway again one day.
One month to the day of that interview, I received an email from Estevan
Motor Speedway board member Darcy Walker. Estevan was kicking around the
idea of hosting a sprint car show in 2004. He wanted to know what I
thought. Well, what I thought ended up turning into organizing a sprint car
show in Estevan, Saskatchewan. I put my writing to the test with press
releases, emails, and columns all aimed at one date, August 14, 2004. The
experience left me emotionally drained but feeling very satisfied about what
I had accomplished.
In November of 2004, I had resolved to take a year off from writing so I
could turn my attentions to other aspects of my life. Within one week of
that decision, I was contacted by Guy Budel of Victory Lane Speedway and the
cycle began again. Some of my efforts have been very successful while
others have failed, but that has never stopped me from trying my best.
Let me say here and now, I didn't go looking for any of these opportunities
in my life. None of this is about notoriety, monetary gain or ego. I have
no personal ties or interests with anyone involved with racing. Everything
I've done so far with regards to racing has always been and will always
continue to be about one thing and one thing only...
God has given me the gift of communicating with the written word. I do not
know where this journey will ultimately lead me, but I do know that it is
not over yet. I have faith that He will guide me every step of the way.
The one thing I do know to be true is that I have made many good friends
along the way.
On behalf of the Cybulski family, I would like to wish you all good health
and joyful hearts through the holiday season and in 2006.
Merry Christmas,
Greg Cybulski
