Loyalty Isn't Dead

I am elated by today's announcement that Carl Edwards has re-signed with Roush-Fenway Racing to continue doing backflips in 2012 and beyond. My excitement isn't simply because I am a big fan of Edwards, but because the renewal of his contract speaks greatly about a little-recognized personal attribute that I feel is all but forgotten in NASCAR today; Loyalty.

When questioned early on about his pending decision, Edwards remained vague; not showing his hand. He rightly reinforced the notion that he needed to make a decision based not only in performance, but what was the best for his family in the long run. Sure, this was most likely a significant bargaining tactic, but it was also a reflection of the responsibility any father / husband has to his family. After all, Edwards is participating in a sport that is always performed under the specter of potential death.

But, back to loyalty. Sure, Edwards had the potential to be just as competitive in a race car fielded by Joe Gibbs Racing as he has been with Roush-Fenway. Whether or not he would have jelled both personally and professionally with potential teammates Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin would have been interesting to see. But he has an existing professional relationship with his fellow RFR teammates Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle and David Ragan.

Jack Roush gave Edwards a killer opportunity, first in the truck series and eventually to NASCAR's top-tier Cup Series. Edwards rewarded Roush's belief in the young driver with a second Busch Series title. (Greg Biffle gave Roush his first.) Now Edwards is on the verge of giving Roush his 3rd Cup title, and the signing of this latest contract reinforces that dedication.

Edwards' decision reflects his belief that his relationship with Roush-Fenway will lead to many more shots at the Sprint Cup title, and the more shots you have, the greater chance of hitting that target. That comes through loyalty and dedication.

Okay, so what does this have to do with my novel, HIDING BEHIND THUNDER? (Notice how I snuck that in there?) Well, a significant facet of the story centers around the loyalty the young Davey Sutherland has to those who give him his greatest shot at rebuilding a life. This loyalty, however, isn't driven solely by the need to achieve more racing wins or championships. It's critical to the relationships Davey has with those who have accepted him into their hearts and lives. It's loyalty for his chance at redemption. It's loyalty built on a foundation of trust, and even love.

HIDING BEHIND THUNDER can be purchased through CreateSpace, downloaded to Amazon's Kindle reader, and purchased for downloads for Nook, Kobo, and many other ePub formats through Smashwords.com.