It was a warm August afternoon when eleven year old Lendsay Zimmerman arrived at Shady Bowl Speedway for her Racing for Smiles event. As she and her parents approached our pit area, I noticed that she had a wonderful twinkle in her eye, and her smile lit up her whole face. She didn’t seem to be bothered by the fact that all of her hair was gone due to the chemotherapy she was receiving for her leukemia. It was particularly sad that she was fighting such a serious disease because she was the only child her parents would ever have, after trying for so many years to conceive. It was obvious that they loved her very much.

After I introduced Lendsay to the other Racing for Smiles crew, I presented her with her official Racing for Smiles shirt and hat. After putting on her shirt, she flashed us an ornery grin and put her Racing for Smiles hat on backwards. I knew then that this was going to be a very special evening.

I advised Lendsay and her parents of the activities they could expect throughout the afternoon and evening. Lendsay seemed particularly excited when I informed her that she would be taking a "Victory Lap" around the racetrack in my race car! I explained to her that before taking her ride, I was going to take her around the pits and introduce her to all of the drivers. I explained that we would take a "Sharpie" marker with us and have the drivers completely cover her Racing for Smiles shirt with autographs! It was a great night for autographs, because on that particular night, in addition to the Shady Bowl regulars, the ARCA drivers were at the "Bowl", which meant we were in for a great show!

As I took her around to meet the drivers, I noticed that she seemed to charm each and every driver with her radiant smile. They not only autographed her shirt, but they lavished her with countless gifts! At one point, one of the ARCA officials was so captivated by Lendsay’s positive attitude that he asked her if she would like to wave the green flag at the beginning of the ARCA race! She accepted his offer with no hesitation and he told her he would stop by our pit area later to teach her how to wave the flag. Judging by the look on Lendsay’s face, I figured she was having the time of her life; and I hadn’t even taken her for her ride around the track yet!

After we finished meeting the drivers, I noticed that Lendsay looked pretty tired, so we decided to sit for a while and give her a chance to rest. Sometimes, the children who participate in a Racing for Smiles event become somewhat overwhelmed by all of the activities that take place. We often have to make them pace themselves so that they can make it through the entire night. Lendsay was no exception. We sat and watched as some of the local Shady Bowl drivers ran their heat races, and Lendsay informed me that she had never been to a real race track before. I asked her if it was what she had imagined it would be, and she exclaimed that it was much better than she had ever dreamed!

After all the heat races had been run, it was finally time for Lendsay to take her "Victory Lap". All of the children who participate in a Racing for Smiles event are taken for a victory lap around the track, because we feel that by virtue of their fight against their illness, they’re already winners! Lendsay climbed into my race car, which had been specially designed to carry youngsters, and we drove up to the flag stand. There, the flag man handed Lendsay the official checkered flag that is waved at the end of each race at Shady Bowl Speedway. We began our ride around the track, with Lendsay vigorously waving the flag with all her might, grinning from ear to ear! It was incredible! The track announcer explained to the crowd about Lendsay’s difficult battle against leukemia, and as we rounded every turn we saw everyone--spectators, drivers and crew members--on their feet giving Lendsay an unbridled standing ovation! There wasn’t a dry eye in the place. The track photographer snapped numerous pictures of Lendsay during her victory lap. We wanted to make sure that Lendsay and her family had wonderful memories of their experience at Shady Bowl.

Lendsay’s face was still flushed with a happy, but exhausted smile, when the ARCA official, who had spoken to Lendsay earlier, stopped by our pit area and began to show Lendsay how to properly wave the green flag. After he left, Lendsay seemed to be getting weaker, and the track paramedics gave her some oxygen to help perk her up a bit. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. Lendsay was worn out and needed to go home and rest. Her parents packed up all of her gifts and they said their good-byes. Before leaving, Lendsay’s parents gave me and the entire Racing for Smiles crew warm hugs, and thanked us all profusely for what we had done for Lendsay. We told them that it was our profound pleasure to watch Lendsay enjoy herself so much. We promised to keep in touch. As Lendsay and her parents walked away, I remember thinking that even though this little girl had already been through so much in her short life, she still had the ability to smile and enjoy life. To me, she was a hero.

Tragically, the day after Lendsay’s Racing for Smiles event, she entered the hospital, and a week and a half later, with several of her Racing for Smiles gifts at her side, she died. We were heartbroken. My husband and I went to the funeral home to pay our respects. As we entered the room where Lendsay was laid to rest, I noticed a table beside her casket. On that table, neatly folded, lay her autographed Racing for Smiles shirt and hat. And beside her shirt and hat was a framed picture of her in my race car, smiling from ear to ear. Apparently, the pictures that we had taken of her on that special August night were the last ever taken of her alive. Tears rolled silently down my face. It was at that moment that I realized what our Racing for Smiles program was really all about. Through our program, we were able to provide Lendsay’s family with their last good memories of her. Their last memories won’t be of her lying in a hospital bed, surrounded by cold, impersonal machines. Instead, they will remember a happy, smiling little girl, who blessed their lives, and whose smile will never fade from the hearts and memories of so many.

–Sue Sutton

Lendsay Zimmerman 1988 - 1999