Sayonara, Daytona Beach, you've been a dream come true | Ryan Pritt
At first, my 12-year-old daughter was against the idea.
But it was because of her, I knew that we had to go.
It's difficult, isn't it? Having to put what we preach into practice?
And in this house, I try to convey just two, simple values to our kiddo:
You can be anything in this world, just don't be a bad driver.
Never stop challenging yourself. Never stop trying new things. Never stop exploring new possibilities. Never stop miss an opportunity due to the fear of change. Never stop dreaming.
Never. Stop.
And so, even though the good Lord has blessed me far beyond anything I could ever deserve, and even though this post I've been so fortunate to hold for nearly two years has already been a dream come true, I am moving on.
As of Saturday, I will officially resign as the sports editor here at the Daytona Beach News-Journal as the family and I prepare for our second major move. We will head to Concord, North Carolina, where I will join the team at Hendrick Motorsports.
NASCAR, newspapers and Daytona Beach are all in my blood. They brought me here, where the promise of covering the biggest, baddest race and racetrack was far too much to pass up. Not to mention, as a bonus, the biggest, baddest rock festival of them all!
The opportunity to join the biggest, baddest NASCAR organization in the world, one that is gunning for its 15th Cup Series championship in the last 30 years, is now calling my name. This passion of mine started when I was 9 years old, watching Jeff Gordon hold off the field in the inaugural Brickyard 400.
Now we'll work for the same company.
It's surreal.
But this change also brings to an end a 16-year full-time career in newspapers, one that began back in 2008 when I answered phones and took box scores on the desk at the then-Charleston Gazette in West Virginia.
I have so much respect for the men and women who continue to keep this industry afloat. It's a near certainty that if you know someone who works for a newspaper, he or she has a passion for their career. There's just not much incentive to do it otherwise. Find me another occupation with that kind of hit rate.
And for 16 years, I've loved my job. It's what I dreamt to do long before that.
Somewhere buried in my mom and dad's storage building back in WV, there's a "career day" worksheet I filled out in the seventh grade, where I listed being a sports writer in Daytona Beach as my career goal. We vacationed here every summer, I loved it here then and I love it here now.
If I had worked the rest of my days to retirement here, that would've been more than I ever could've dreamed.
But that brings me back to that little girl, who's becoming a little lady way too fast I might add. I hope she will always keep dreaming.
The good news? You guys are in great hands.
Chris Boyle is about to ramp up his UCF coverage, a program and team I believe will be a national power in the next five years. With Oklahoma and Texas gone, with the recruiting hotbed the Knights have in their backyard, and with the program's history of exceeding expectations far ahead of schedule, it's a perfect storm. Chris will bring that journey right to your screens and homes.
Chris Vinel remains one of the most promising young journalists I've ever been around and he's destined for great things for as long as he wants to be in this industry. Over the last two years, and especially as of late, he's unearthed some remarkable stories on the area high school front and he will only continue to grow and get better. I can't wait to see what this career has in store for him.
Oh, and don't tell him I told you this, but you have been so fortunate to have had Ken Willis around for the last four decades-ish. I've learned as much from him in the last two years as I have anyone in my career. He's my favorite columnist. He's the GOAT.
As has been common practice in newspapers since the COVID-19 pandemic, we often work remotely from our homes. I didn't get to know many people here, but these three guys were my co-workers, my golf partners and who I called if I just needed a beer and a chat.
They're my friends. I'll miss 'em.
But as for me, well, it seems this path is taking another sharp turn. From Country Roads to Tobacco Road by way of A1A, I'll keep following what's laid out before me and some day, it's going to be a heck of a journey to reflect on.
I just want to say thank you for reading, following along and supporting the hard work of this staff, this newspaper and the entire USA Today Florida Network. There's some amazing people and amazing work being done here, please continue to support local journalism. It's vital.
Oh, and I'll be back. I've never been able to stay away from this place for very long.
Daytona Beach, you've been a dream come true.
May you never stop dreaming.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: From Daytona Beach to Hendrick Motorsports, the NASCAR dream rolls on
