81 Speedway gives long-time race fan a special evening

Bobby Grider is a patient man. Every weekend for more than 40 years, he sat at 81 Speedway and watched turn after turn after turn.

The race track was a major part of Grider’s life until about two years ago, when the now 78-year-old was no longer able to attend races after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. The mental and physical effects of the disease hit him hard.

But on Saturday, Grider will return to the dirt track as an honorary guest, thanks to collaboration from the Glen Carr House — a Derby assisted-living facility where Grider has lived for the last 16 months — and C. Ray Hall, the general manager at 81 Speedway.

“He’d go out there at 5 o’clock, the races wouldn’t start until 7, and just watch all the warmups, and he’d be out there all night,” said Donna Grider, Bobby’s wife of 35 years. “He went out to the track out every week. Back then he could just sit there forever. Just sit there, and watch them go around the track.”

The Glen Carr House discovered Grider’s love for racing and the speedway itself soon after he moved in, just by talking to him and getting to know him. Teresa Hatfield — in charge of outreach at the facility — got in contact with Hall, who didn’t remember Grider, but certainly embraced the idea of having him visit.

“At Glen Carr House, we get to know our patients, and through getting to know Bobby, we learned of his love for racing,” Hatfield said. “C. Ray didn’t remember Bobby, but he said, ‘If it means that much to him, it’s the least we can do.’”

Bobby, who Donna says is “a good ol’ country boy,” will be given the VIP treatment at the speedway on Saturday. He’ll have his name and a short bio read over the public-address system, and he’ll get to ride in the pace car for one race. He’ll also get a t-shirt and a hat.

Saturday at the track might be a bit different than Grider’s past experiences. As with anyone diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Bobby has his good days and his bad days. Lately, it’s been more good than bad, his wife said, but he can hallucinate, get angry with people, and lose most of the short-term memory ability he has.

“People just don’t understand until you’ve gone through it,” Donna said. “You’re helpless, and there’s nothing you can do to change his mind. You can’t convince people with dementia that they’re imagining something, to them it’s just 100-percent true.”

But there are good days, too. On those days, he’s almost back to normal: joking, laughing, smiling, getting along with people like his old self.

“He’s got a great smile,” Donna said. “His good days, he’s upbeat, he’s teasing everybody.… He knows me, and we have good conversations.”

Hopefully Grider is patient watching turn after turn for one more day.

“I don’t know how it’s going to affect him,” Donna Grider said. “We’re hoping that things hang in there so he can go and enjoy the track; his favorite thing to do.”

This story was originally published July 17, 2015 at 6:47 PM with the headline "81 Speedway gives long-time race fan a special evening."