Hello everyone. I'm Bonnie, from New Orleans and I'd like to share my
encounter with Kenny Irwin.
June, 1999, me and a couple of friends headed to Charlotte for 2 weekends of
racing and 10 days in that holiest of racing places -- Charlotte, NC.

Getting to the point, I'll skip all the normal details.

We had a connection who got us passes into a function held by STP for the
Pettys. Yes, I met, shook hands and received smiles from The King, Kyle and
Adam. So, you see, that visit now is very special to me. My observations
of them were that the King is the King, very thin, almost gaunt and just
about totally deaf. He is tall, but then again, I'm only 5' and provides
you with the standard issue "Hello. Nice to meet you"-demeanor. Kyle has
that Petty smile, is a little shorter than the King and has twice the charm
of his father. He looks you right in the eye, asks your name and has a very
firm handshake (I didn't care to let go so fast, but didn't want to appear
like a star-struck fan or something). Adam is/was young and looked even
younger and is somewhat taller than his father and I believe even taller
than the King. He has that Petty smile and his father's charm. His youth
belies his demeanor. I'm glad I had the honor of meeting the Pettys and
will forever be a Petty fan.

One night during the week we came to know that Kenny Irwin would be hanging
out at this particular bar in Charlotte. We pilled into the car and headed
to town, driving like Cup drivers in training, made it to the bar and just
about knocked the door down with our excitement to get inside. Meandering
around the bar, we spotted Kenny over near the pool tables, with a crowd of
people around him. We quickly surmised that it must be part of his crew and
tried to devise a plan that would help us get through the crowd and closer
to Kenny. Several tries were unsuccessful and decided to just stand around
admiring him from afar....After an hour or so, Kenny and the group appeared
to be leaving....they had to walk right by us and, as they passed, he turned
toward us and gave us that wily smile.

I know, its not a personal handshake and/or autograph, but I can hold that
memory close to my heart and hopefully it will help to ease the pain over
time.

Thanks for listening.
Bonnie
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