Well, guess whos the new gas man for a Patrick Dempseys race team?

My dad exclaimed while he came to the kitchen table to dinner. What did you just say?! I wasnt quite sure if I just believe what my ears had heard. It was a Saturday evening somewhere in January or February of 2010 and my mom had just called everyone for dinner. All I can really remember about that day was that I wasnt having a terribly great day, but this news changed everything. Now youre probably wondering, Patrick Dempsey, as in the actor Patrick Dempsey? Yes, that is the Patrick Dempsey that this is about. You see for about 5 or so years my dad has been the fueler for the professional race team I-Moto which runs in the Continental Series for Grand Am Racing which is a step down from NASCAR racing, but instead of just running in circles the Grand Am series runs various road courses across America and in Canada. My dad has also been on other race teams like Freedom Road Racing and other well-known teams in the series. Dinner that day went from the usual eat and run to sitting at the dinner table for more than an hour trying to figure out if my dad was just bluffing or if he was completely serious. Turns out he was serious. Just a few hours ago Patrick Dempsey had signed on to his team and luck would have it in just a few short weeks my dad was going to be fueling his race car. The next race was at The Virginia International Raceway in Virginia and my friend Jenni and I were going to go and meet Patrick Dempsey! That day was full of screams and giggles, mostly from Jenni being a huge fan and all. I remember walking down pit road to go and see him and on the way we passed all the drivers and fans and men with cameras. Now Grand Am racing is very different from NASCAR. Here you can actually meet every single driver without a special pass, you can sit in their race cars and pretend to drive them, and you can just wander down pit lane before the actual race starts. From my experience NASCAR is really uptight about people wandering and meeting drivers unless youve paid a ridiculous amount and have the right credentials. Nope, here you can go anywhere you please. Jenni spotted him first; Patrick Dempsey was all suited up

in his Race suit standing behind Pit wall waiting for the last hour or so before the race started. Now unlike how everyone thinks celebrities act is not how they all act. Patrick Dempsey is super nice and not at all jerks like other actors. We both got to meet him and around talking with him for a few minutes before the cue for everyone not on a race team to exit pit lane and stand on the side lines while the race teams prepare to start. The rest of the race went by in a blur, Jenni and I couldnt believe that we had just met Doctor McDreamy and that he was unbelievably nice.

Do you know Boris Said? My best friend Zach, Cupcake, shouted in the band room after a long night at a football game with the Marching Band now in my junior year of high school. Word was known about my dad knowing Patrick Dempsey and other famous drivers and people were starting to ask questions. Needless to say a lot of people were jealous at first and then their reaction went to a more TAKE ME WITH YOU TO MEET HIM! outlook. The fact that my dad knew Boris Said just made Cupcake ecstatic ( Zach is a huge Said Head, which is the Boris Said fan club) and now every time he saw my dad hed always ask him about his last race and all the people hes met and of course if he talked to Boris Said while he was there. My dads response of course is, Yeah, Boris is great. I was talking to him on the plane; hes a riot. Pats hilarious too! I swear I thought Cupcake was going to faint when my dad invited him to VIR to meet Boris Said as well as Patrick Dempsey. Cupcake had been planning on going to the race, but never even thought that meeting Boris was an option because he was so used to NASCARS strict regulations. However, by this time my dad had changed race teams and was back racing with IMoto racing and no longer on Patrick Dempseys team, but he still saw him on his flights and around the paddocks. It was April again and we all piled into my moms car to drive the race track. Cupcake and I took turns driving because my mom at the time had broken her wrist and was in a blue cast which I had nicely

decorated with world monuments all the way up over her elbow. The whole way up to Virginia Cupcake was just going on and on about how he couldnt believe he was going to meet Boris Said and that his life was now complete. Honestly, Zach was just a jumble of nerves that day and when time came to meet Boris Said in person he completely froze. That day was pretty calm except for when we got there our tickets were at will call and the man at the gate checking our tickets just waved us on after giving us very confusing directions to will call. We never found the place, but then once youre in VIR no one asks questions because everyone is there to have fun and watch a good race. A few hours passed and Zach got to meet everyone on my Dads race team and for some reason they all thought Cupcake and I were dating. We werent, but we were such close friends its easy to see why people thought that way. WE started to roam around weaving in and out of other teams paddocks and made our way back down to pit lane. I got to see Patrick Dempsey again and he remembered me (probably because he knows my dad and my dad is one of those guys who arent easily forgotten). He signed my moms cast and complemented on my art work that I had scribbled all over it. Zach got a picture with him and then we were on our way to find Boris Said. The look on Zachs face when my mom found him was priceless, it was a combination of fear and oh my gosh I cant believe Im doing this. Am I still alive? Someone pinch me looks. Hello, Zach. Its so great to meet you! Boris stuck out his hand and smiled. Zach just stood there for a second, unsure what to say. Finally he found his words and started off on a conversation with his favorite driver. The two of them continued to talk for about 20 to 30 minutes before it started to drizzle and Boris excused himself to go cover up his race car down on pit lane. Once he was out of sight, Zach embraced me in the most startling and happiest hug that I had ever received from him. Zach still couldnt wrap his mind around the fact that he just had a conversation with Boris Said. I believe his exact words were, I cant believe it Allison! I just talked to him! A whole

conversation! I didnt know what to talk about at first, but then I just started to talk about racing and then we were talking! We were talking Allison! How great is that?! Zach also couldnt believe how close he could get to the cars and that he could actually sit in them. That day was just full of surprises for my best friend and I think he quite enjoyed having the freedom to do anything. Allison, I think Patrick Dempseys waving at us. Zach whispered to me while poking me in the side. Yeah he tend to do that, just wave back and smile Cupcake. I returned the wave and then noticed the large sign used to stop the car in its pit stop that held Ellen DeGeneress face. Hey look! Ellen! That year Patrick Dempsey had really been pushing fundraising for a childrens hospital as well as other celebrities were and I suppose he had teamed up with Ellen or just had her face on his pit stop sign. A few hours later after roaming pit lane and Zach taking picture of every car he saw like a tourist the rain had begun to come down so hard we had to stand under the pavilion on the side of the race track in the serpentine turn next to the straight away. Even though the rain slightly dampened the mood of the race, it was still one of the best days of my life. Did Cupcake meet Boris Said? My dad asked when he got off his plane a few days later. Yes. He did! And he had a great time, thanks to the best dad in the world. You know, now that I think of it, I dont think I actually told Boris his real name. I always refer to him as Cupcake like you do. Does that mean Boris Said was looking for some guy named Cupcake instead of Zach? Yes. Cupcakes never going to believe this.

Jenni and I with Patrick Dempsey

My dad at work ( The one playing with the trunk)

Zach and Boris Said Zach and Patrick Dempsey

Being on Pit lane

My dad is the man in the middle