Hey Everyone..this is just a simple page, that I wanted to make, and dedicate to Wes Blakeslee. Me and my dad used to race against Wes, we became sort of close with him and his pit crew. We would park beside him whenever we were at Greenbush. Wes was a good racer, but an even better guy. He was always really nice, kind, funny, and he always gave us advice when we needed it. It was usually just me and my dad who went down to Greenbush, we never had anyone else to pit for us. Wes had a couple guys with him, as well as another guy. They told their guys that if we needed help during the race, that they should help us.
Wes was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrigs disease in 1998. I didn't want to believe it, Wes is such an avid race fan, of dirt track, and Snowmobiling. Even still, he is found in the shop when he's at home. He can only dream of racing the #42 now, the one he raced just 2 years ago. His son it seems, is starting to take over the racing for the family. I can remember going to the track 2 years ago with my dad, on our way to Les Pritchards pit. On the way through the pits, the number 42 caught my eye, so me and my dad went over to see. It was Wes, with his son. We talked to him for awhile, he was doing alright. We exchanged email addresses but I never did get around to emailing him. I haven't heard from him since, and I was getting quite curious. Today while working on a project for school, I was on the NOPA site, and saw they posted information about the NOPA awards banquet. It turns out that they awarded Wes with the first ever Hall of Fame award. He got a standing ovation, and made a heart-touching speech. Wes is a great man, I am hoping to hear from him soon, and I am hoping to hear he is doing good. The doctors said if he lives 5 years or more, than he has beaten the odds. I think Wes will surpass that mark, afterall..on the hood of his car, it is written "Never Surrender"...
