To say that this week has been hard is an understatement. For those of you who don't know, Jeff Byrd, the President and General Manager of Bristol Motor Speedway and Dragway, passed away last Sunday after a courageous battle with cancer. I had known for a long time that he had been sick, just not aware of how sick he had really become. After witnessing my grandfather loose his battle with cancer a little over a year ago, I knew it would be a long road for Jeff, but honestly (and I think this goes for every BMS employee) we all thought that Jeff would recover and would soon be back walking the halls of the office and leading us through many more race seasons to come. We even called him our "Superman" because we knew he could and would win this fight.
Reality hit though Sunday morning when I received a phone call that Jeff had passed away. I couldn't comprehend it at first, but walking into the BMS ticket office that afternoon to work made it all sink in. Jeff would no longer be back - and that's when it really hit me.
I've been a part of the BMS family for almost 6 years now - not a really long time, but long enough for Jeff to leave a lasting impression on my life. I don't think I even realized how much of an impression till this week. Guess it's true what they say - that you never realize what all you have till it's gone. Every article and story that I have read or heard about Jeff brings back my own memories of him. I'd like to share a few...
I remember the first time I met Jeff. It was in 2003 and I was job shadowing a VP at the track for a school assignment. I remember walking into Jeff's office and being a little nervous to meet someone with so much corporate power. As soon as I was introduced though, he insisted that I call him Jeff, not Mr. Byrd, and began asking me all kinds of questions about what I wanted to be when I got older, where I wanted to go to school, etc. I remember thinking how nice it was for him to be genuinely interested in what a high school junior would want to do with their life. He insisted that I get a private tour of the new office building that was under construction (so much so that I had to wear a hard hat to take the tour). Even then I could see the enthusiasm he had to make Bristol the best racing facility in the world and to know that he took time out of his day to share that with me meant the world.
Little did I know that a couple years later our paths would cross again. My first job at the track was as a souvenir clerk and tour guide. I had numerous encounters with Jeff both in the store and out on tours. I remember one time, I had a group of 15 on a tour up in the owners suite and Jeff popped in, checking on the set-up of an event they were having later that evening. Instead of just peeking in and walking out, he came and sit down with all the visitors, asked them all where they were from and what brought them to Bristol. He offered them samples of food they were preparing and even gave them race programs to keep. We were up in that suite for almost an hour - you would have thought all of them were best friends. I never will forget one of the visitors asking who that man was once we got back in the tour van. It took a little convincing to make him believe that Jeff would take the time to talk with them. The man then called his son and said "You're never gonna believe who I just talked with - the President of Bristol Speedway. He treated me like I was a VIP at the race!".
The racetrack wasn't my only job in college. I also did a year long internship with a local Economic Development Alliance of which Jeff was a Board member. I remember at the first Board meeting I was the greeter and Jeff came up, shook my hand, and just stood there a minute. He then jokingly asked if I had gotten lost on the way to the track. From then on, every time I saw him he would always joke with me and say he just never knew where I was going to "pop-up" next. He then proceeded to tell a few high profile community leaders in line behind him that BMS had the best, smartest, and most hard-working employees in the world. I'll never forget that.
Perhaps the funniest story I remember happened a couple years ago. Jeff was known to ride his bike around the BMS property on Sunday afternoons, which is a feat within itself due to all the hills. I was working in the souvenir store and was in the back room when the other girl I was working with (who was fairly new by the way) came in with a funny look on her face. She said "Um, there's a sweaty guy out here in the store with a bike who says he's Jeff Byrd. He needs to get upstairs to his office but doesn't have his key. I don't know what to do." Needless to say I knew as soon as she said it that it probably was in fact Jeff. When I went out to see, he was just standing there, holding his bike laughing. Any other person in his position probably would have been upset at the girl for not knowing who they were. Not Jeff. His simple reply was "Well, at least we know the security is good around here".
That last story in itself sums up Jeff Byrd. To me he was so much more than my boss. He was an exceptional leader and a man of deep faith. He always listened and made time for those who needed it. He genuinely loved people, especially race fans - evident today by a fan who drove 15 hours just to attend Jeff's memorial service. So thank you Jeff for reaching out and touching my life and the lives of so many others. I am so honored to have had the opportunity to learn from the best. You will be missed greatly but you will never be forgotten.
*photo of Jeff from Nascar.com*
