MY
FRIEND & MENTOR HAS TAUGHT ME THE FINAL LESSON
by J.A Ackley
When I discovered that my friend Walter
passed away, all I could say was absolutely nothing, because
words can’t sum up who this man was.
The man meant a lot to me and I can only imagine how
much he meant to his family and closest of friends.
Walter DeMorris was one of the finest individuals you
could meet. Likeable,
friendly, kind, caring, and a lot of fun are all words that
you can associate with this man.
I’m glad to have known him and if it weren’t for
him, I wouldn’t have gotten involved in racing.
For those who don’t know my background,
I’m a relative newcomer to the sport considering how many
racers and race fans start when they are basically born.
I was playing in a band at the Nassau Coliseum car show
and stumbled upon racecars there and met a man named John
Matlach. I’ve
been looking to get into racing, possibly racing a Late Model,
but many advised me to join a team before actually racing
(glad I listened in hindsight).
Matlach advised me the same and told me this guy Walter
needed a ton of help. So
I get an e-mail from this guy Walt to meet him at his shop.
A few days later we meet and it’s the first time I
actually met a real racecar driver.
I was ecstatic and was happy to be on his team.
I agreed to even make a website for him so hopefully he
could get more sponsors.
This meeting began the friendship I had with Walt and
if you were a friend of Walt’s you were in good hands.
My first day at the races is one I will
never forget. Walt
told me briefly that all I had to do is check tire pressures a
few times and that’s about it. I’m like this seems easy.
At the end of the day, I was more tired than I ever
been my whole life. I
wondered how one man could do this, but he did.
He did it by not so much being a caffeine addict, but
he did it solely powered by his love of the sport, something
that I deeply admired.
Then he would tell me that if I had my
hands dirtier than his, I could be his crew chief (something
that really mattered to me, even though I would be the crew
chief of one… myself). Being the young and determined 17-year old, I worked my
hardest to achieve that (and yes, admittedly I wiped my hands
on the tires as much as possible to achieve this, but Walt
wouldn’t fall for it).
However, one day I did achieve this and the day I did
would be one of the most magical I ever felt.
Then again, Walt had a sort of magic that made anyone
feel good about themselves.
The times I spent on the DeMorris Racing
team were times I shall remember for as long as I live.
Walter taught me values in racing that I will take with
me as well. Hard
work doesn’t go unnoticed and being a nice guy is
worth it. Walter
would work double shifts as a corrections officer for the
Nassau County jail, just so that he could race the week ahead.
Sometimes it would take change from underneath the sofa
to just meet the pit gate fee, but in the end he would come
through and be there. He
did it all with no sponsors and very little help, he just
fueled his operation through his passion for racing.
His passion for racing is another thing that I shall
take with me as well as learning that radios work better when
they are turned on (in reference to my first and last attempt
at spotting).
This past weekend Walt made his first
attempt at racing off the Island.
Walt and I would often talk about doing a DeMorris
Racing reunion sometime at one track he visited quite a bit,
Tioga Motorsports Park. However,
the circumstances never worked out.
Instead he paid a visit to Mountain
Speedway, for the King of the Mountain race, a fitting title
for a gentleman like Walt.
The weeks up to Mountain, Walt was very anxious, as all
that Walt wanted to do is to win a race and Mountain presented
a new opportunity for him to do well.
He always would tell me if he would win, he would sell
the car on the spot, but I knew he would continue racing, as
he was as addicted to the sport as I was, but we both of us
denied our addiction.
From talking with his buddy James
Vaccaro, it seems like Walt did have a good time at Mountain.
He was fifth fastest in practice and during the feature
he had a shock go bad which hurt his chances for the win, but
at the end he had that trademark smile which is another thing
I will deeply miss.
As I write this, I am still in shock from
learning about Walt’s fate.
I was looking forward to talking with him about his
venture to Mountain, but ultimately our talk will have to
wait. Walt
provided me with not only good advice in racing, but also good
advice in life. Stand
up for what you believe in and don’t worry about things,
they will all work out in the end.
Things I try hard to do and now harder to do without
Walter’s great advice.
Walt was a great man, and I know his
family and friends know it and will miss him dearly.
Someone many looked up to, including myself.
Hell, I even bought a red Dodge Neon over the summer
which was partially due to my allegiance to the #93 (although
Walt would remind me, it’s not a sports car).
But on the positive side of things, Walt is in a better
place where he can relax and chill in Walter-style fashion,
probably sipping a few brewskis and listening to Jimmy Buffet
music with a few beautiful babe angels and racing to the
checkers.
In closing, Walt will be missed by many
of us down here as he was truly an angel but now he can party
for an eternity in Margaritaville.
Although he would never experience victory lane, those
around him knew that victory lane was being with him.
And
no story about Walt DeMorris would be complete without the
trademark Walt closing… PEACE…
