Many of you have had the fortunate experience to have someone at the track donate a crucial piece of equipment, part, or time in order to get you back out on the track. Let me tell you about my Friday night, and how 75% of the NASA officials wouldn't have made it to the track without the generousity of two kind people.

Long Version:
It started out as any normal race weekend for me, I got off work and headed to the meeting point where a few other NASA officials and myself would carpool up to the track. Since I had driven us all down to CMP last time we agreed that JJ our Race Director would drive us all up this time. After dropping my truck off at a friends house we all headed out of Winchester. In the car was Race Director, Race Control, Chief of T&S, Start, Chief of Grid, and the T&S assistant, basically 3/4 of the Officials for the Beave Run event. Well not 15 miles north of Winchester, his engine starts making some HORRIBLE knocking noises and the oil pressure drops to nothing. We are able to pull into a Shell Station/Local Market before the truck completely cuts out. While half of us pretend to know what the hell we're talking about when it comes to the the engine problems the other half go into the store to try and make arrangements to get us to the track. Calls go out to numerous racers/officials/friends, but all are within an hour or so of the track and it makes no sense for them to turn around to come get us. Since it's so late all the rental car companies are closed, and there's no way my truck that's 20 minutes away will hold all 6 of us plus all the gear we have with us. Mr. Whittaker (the part owner of the store) comes out and says that they may have come up with a solution that will solve our problems. He tells us, "Well you know, we have an extra van that could fit all of you and your gear in it". Of course I assume he means for us to take to drive down to Winchester and pick up my truck, but then he finishes his statement "Lisa's (the other part owner of the store and his daughter) inside on the phone with the insurance company right now seeing about adding a couple of you to our policy so that y'all can take it for the weekend." I truly cannot believe my ears, this guy who's known us for less than a couple hours is just offering his van up to us to take. Lisa comes out and tells us that everything set, her insurance rep, whom she had called at her home, said that as long as she gave us permission to drive that the insurance company would cover the van. Lisa takes myself and Linda to her house to pick up the van, and on the way Linda gives her a business card so that they at least have some info on us. If Linda hadn't given her that card then they wouldn't have had anything at all that let them know who we are. We get back to the station that's staying open past it's time just to make sure we get off ok, load up the van, thank, thank, and rethank Mr. Whittaker, and then are finally on our way out of VA up to Beave Run.

Short Version:
Truck carrying a bunch of Officials for race breaks down, noone we know is able to help, persons that we've known for less than two hours GIVE us a van for the weekend to use without asking for anything in return (collateral, copies of licenses, anything).


So anyone travelling on 522 just north of Winchester, VA, stop off at the Shell station and buy pies, jams, jellies, snacks, gas, whatever. These people are truly one of a kind.

 

thats awsome! its cool that people that nice still exisit!!!

 

 

amazing....

were was this so i can make sure and stop and get gas there everytime i drive through!!!

 

It's a Shell station 12 miles north of Winchester on 522. It's called Shawnee Springs Market. http://www.shawneesprings.com Awesome people. I'm still dumbfounded that they just gave us the keys.

 

Hey I live about 20 minutes from there, I will make sure everyoen headed to Summit Point will get fuel there

that's what country people will do for you

 

holy **** that rules!

 

nice

 

wow.....amazing story

 

Thanks Mark, since y'all had gotten all the info for us to send the thankyou gifts to them I didn't get it.

A funny addition to this story, the woman's husband is an Allstate insurance agent, when she mentioned what she was going to do, he went through the roof!!! "You're going to do what?!?!?!?!?!?!" It was her and her dad's decision though so there wasn't anything he could say. Then when Linda and I were pulling out of the driveway the woman's daughter asked her "Mommy, why are they taking our van?"

Upon telling this story to a couple others I am thinking though that spot is a black hole for trouble. My girlfriend went off the road right around there a year or so ago and needed to be towed out. I think even our Cobetto had some problems there a few years back because he rememberd the Shell station. Maybe they're conspiring to spread their niceness out to strange passers by.