I've waited awhile to respond, and it hasn't helped make it any easier. I must say I feel bad for those who only knew him from the internet, and never had the chance to have a real conversation with him. Face to face he was kind, sincere, warm, genuine, and funny in ways that didn't always translate on this website.
Through our many debates on here, he always challenged me to become a better writer, and a better person. He never allowed it to get personal, and would scold me if I got too chippy or biting with my comments. While our views and opinions may have differed, I appreciated and respected his ability to defend and explain his outlook, while allowing me to do the same.
I cherished our interactions on Drag Week for the last six years, and we had a wonderful visit this past year while they were loading up the injured Vette. Our bench racing sessions were similar to two old friends meeting at a favorite corner store in that the topics would jump around on many different subjects, sometimes racing, sometimes just life.

Many people have speculated as to why he quit racing and driving, and put most of his efforts toward tuning. I can say unequivocally that his passion, the very thing that drove him was helping others go faster and achieve more. In this quest he didn't just talk the talk, he walked the walk. The list of people in the racing world that he affected in a positive way is vast and varied, that alone could be used to measure what a special person he was, but that doesn't even begin to define him.

Godspeed, my friend.