The racing community often acknowledges the passing of our heroes and participants. Those individuals who devote so much time and effort to the sport we love while they entertain us fans certainly deserve to be recognized. However, there is another faction that we tend to overlook or take for granted, and that’s the fans. Shame on us.
The name Ernie Grubb was one of those devoted racing fans that attended races on a weekly basis at Bedford. I doubt many others at the track had the opportunity to meet Ernie, he was not one to draw attention to himself. He would find his seat with a group of friends and would enjoy his night out at the races. Ernie would stop by our Museum of Speed table with a smile on his face and a kind word to share. I’m not sure he ever bought anything from our booth, but our weekly conversations were many times the highlight of my night. We need more Ernie Grubbs in our life.
Ernie passed away on Wednesday, November 25th at the age of 82. I know Ernie was a man of God so he’s reaping his just reward. But I’ll sure miss sharing his friendship at Bedford Speedway.