I stopped by Honest Performance in Federal Way a few days ago and saw a bumper sticker on a RaceCals display rack that read: “Remember when racing was dangerous and sex was safe?” Sometimes watching a NASCAR 18-car pileup or NHRA Dragster disintegrate as it careens off the retaining wall, you get lulled into that sense that modern technology has made racing safer than the drive to the track.

Every so often, fate steps in and reminds us of the inherent danger of pushing man and machine to the limit on a weekly basis. There have been a few instances already this year. The Northwest racing community was still facing the tragic passing of open-wheel veteran Rory Price, when it was stunned again by the loss of Fred Brownfield at Grays Harbor Raceway.

The memory of that night in Elma still stops me in my tracks from time to time. The heavy silence that fell over the stunned the crowd and lasted for what seemed like an eternity before the ambulance slowly made its way from the infield.

But I hope my strongest image of Grays Harbor always will be the grandstands filled with friends, family, employees, fellow promoters, racers and plain ol’ race fans on June 26. I estimate about a thousand people turned out on a Monday afternoon to pay tribute to “Fast Freddie” and the impact he had on them.

I am proud to have known Fred since his days at Skagit Speedway, seeing him at the tail end of his racing days in the No. 92 Sprint Car and watching him build Grays Harbor Raceway into what it is today. I’m glad I had the opportunity to watch him in action, not at the race track, but conducting the real business of race track ownership while at the RPM Workshops in Reno. Anyone who wants to know what made the Brownfields so successful through the season need only to have seen Fred and Debbie meticulously organizing everything during the winter months. And Fred was a darn good blackjack partner, to boot.

As I discovered during the memorial service at the track, Fred clearly had touched everybody with his friendship and unceasing fairness. He had the respect of so many because he warranted respect in his actions, attitude and love of family. It was if my feelings, and the feelings of everyone in attendance, rolled forth in the words of Fred Rannard, Dick Wilskey and others who shared fond memories at the services.

It was my wife’s first trip to Grays Harbor Raceway, though she had met Fred and Debbie a few times at the annual workshops in Reno. I’m glad she was able to take part in the show of support for Debbie and the whole extended Brownfield family, which turns out to be quite a clan when they all get together.

I’m glad we were able to be part of that huge crowd that gathered, on a workday, in unusually high heat at this time of year. The news reports had the Olympia area pushing the mercury to 92 degrees during the services.

Funny it should reach exactly 92 degrees. I see that as a good omen that “Fast Freddie” Brownfield has found a niche calling the shots at that ‘Big Dirt Track in the Sky.’