In my Forest Gump-esque time in the world of drag racing, I have been fortunate to meet and interact with a great number of my heroes. I have been fortunate enough to work with some of the most noted pros that any sanctioning body has ever had and a few of those people have actually admitted to becoming friends with me. Gary Gerould is one of the best guys I have ever met not only in drag racing but in the span of my life. I remember being very nervous and meeting him for the first time in Gainesville, Florida a couple of years ago and immediately he was really kind and welcoming. It put me at ease and over the next few seasons we spent many Saturdays and Sundays together at the top ends of such exotic locations as Baytown, Texas, Indianapolis, Indiana, and the aforementioned Gainesville, Florida.
Few people realize how long Gary has been in the racing world, not just with drag racing but also with stuff that goes in circles. 37 years his race broadcasting career went and that’s absolutely a testament to just how good the guy is. Gary decided to retire at the close of the 2015 NHRA season but that’s just from racing. Outside of the drag strip, the G-Man is one of the longest running and most well respected NBA voices ever as well. Since 1985 he was been the voice of the Sacramento Kings and that includes more than 2,300 games! He’s known around the league and across the country as one of the best to ever put the headset on.
Rare is it to meet such an individual in life and have the ability to spend some time with them (in a “working” environment). I didn’t quiz Gary for advice or anything but I really paid attention to how he operated. I always think that’s the best way to see how really good people get to be that way. Observing someone doing something that they are damned good at is one way to learn yourself. To the way he interacted with drivers to the way that they interacted with him, it was awesome. He defined what it means (to me anyway) to be a professional. Smiling more often than not, I saw him get frustrated a couple of times and even then it wasn’t much more than a few minutes before he was bright and sunny again. He knew the stories, he knew the drivers, they were comfortable with him, and they knew when Gary was coming to talk, they needed to have something to say.
This is reading like a eulogy and it is not. Gary has lots of basketball miles left to travel and lots of hoops left to call. I’m no big basketball fan, let along a Sacramento Kings fan but I’m not going to lie. A couple times this season I’ll be tuning in just to hear his smooth voice and honest enthusiasm as he continues to do what he loves. We should all be so fortunate as Gary Gerould to find a calling and then follow it with such dignity, skill, and professionalism.
Oh, and this race video! Join Gary, Steve Evans, and Don Garlits as they bring you action from a boiling hot Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey. This is the 1988 NHRA Summernationals!
