Confessions of a Car Girl...Part 6

We all make mistakes in life and racing - it's time for people to own up to them

by Nika of Racerchicks.com

One thing we must always remember is that we are human and make mistakes. In our life times we will make both good and bad decisions and deal with the consequences. If a racer ever says he or she never has, I would call them a liar. But how to deal with mistakes and move on is the question. And the answer is – with integrity.

Recently Shawna Robinson made a couple mistakes in her race. She jumped the start of the Craftsmen Truck race and was given a stop and go penalty and later in the race she exited pit row too fast and was penalized again. Instead of excuses or hiding behind a veil, Shawna freely admitted to her mistakes, congratulated her crew for a fine job and affirmed that it was not their fault.

I sit back and look at the bravery it took for her to do that and I commend her. Today integrity, honesty and accountability are becoming rarer and rarer both on and off the track. How many times have we seen racers being interviewed after an incident and listen to them blame the other.

We can blame the car, blame the crew and blame the weather but it won’t change what happened. Focusing on the positive when a wrench gets thrown in your plans for racing or life even may not be the easiest but it allows us to go on as better people.

And when an apology is deserved give one – but as my wise Mom always said is “mean what you say and say what you mean”. It’s to be given right away as it loses it’s strength and purpose as time drags on.

Although Shawna came in 18th and five laps down – I think she's a winner. Living life and racing with integrity makes you a winner off the track.

For comments, feedback and just plain greetings, feel free to e-mail me at nika@racerchicks.com or AOL IM  "racernika"