
Date of Story-09/05/1996
Scene of Story-Oswego Speedway
By Bill Woods
The year was 1996. My son Brandon was 5 at the time. He took a big liking to Doug Didero. Doug broke down on this night and Brandon found a rubber band under the stands. When we went in the pits Brandon went right up to Doug and gave him the rubber band and told him “Here you can fix your car now.” I think that was the second race of the season.
From then on out every week Brandon would give Doug a rubber band and Cindy Didero told us that Doug went home every week and put the rubber band on a candle stick on his mantle. Brandon started drawing Doug photos of his car and giving them to him. Doug would hang them up in the hauler. We became very close to Doug and Cindy Doug won his 3drd track championship in a row that year.
Three weeks be for the classic Doug asked Brandon what we where doing for the International Classic 200. Brandon said to Doug, “Mom and dad do not have the extra money to take all 6 of us to the Classic so we where going to try to get it on the radio if we can from Syracuse.” Doug said, “OK I hope you can get it.”
On the last week before the Classic we went in the pits to see Doug and Cindy so Brandon could give him 3 rubber bands; 1 for that night and 2 for Classic. Cindy came over to me and said “Why don’t you walk around for a while then come back and see us when things calm down.” We walked around and talked to some drivers like we always did.
When things calmed down over at Doug’s hauler we went back over to say bye and good luck next week. We where standing with Cindy talking while Doug finished up with some people then Doug walked over to Brandon and knelt down to Brandon level then said to Brandon, “I cant race with out my biggest fan here for Classic.” He then took out of his back pocket an envelope and gave it to Brandon. Brandon opened it and there were six reserved seat tickets to the Classic.
Brandon, and well most of us, just started crying. I still can not believe that Doug and Cindy and Skip and Lois Matczak did that for my family. Well Doug went on to win his first Classic that year. When we went in the pits to see Doug he said, “Brandon thank you, I don’t think I would of won if you were not here.
I still talk to Doug and Cindy to this day. Cindy told me that Doug still has every rubber band and drawing that Brandon ever did for him.
The End
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