Venerated sports facilities are often described as hallowed grounds. That vaunted level of respect comes through decades of historic moments unfolding in front of generations of spectators, not because it’s a final resting place. However, Sebring International Raceway is one of the few venues that is both. The legendary Florida racetrack allows people to scatter the ashes of their loved ones across the racing surface.
Sports podcast “Pablo Torre Finds Out” investigated the growing trend of people having the ashes of their sports-fanatic loved ones spread across stadiums and arenas. The idea mortifies most sports teams. Not only will franchises reject all requests for accommodation, but they will arrest anyone who attempts to scatter ashes on their own.
Sebring is the exact opposite. The World War II airbase-turned-racetrack is welcoming to all requests, even hosting as many as three cremation ceremonies during a weekend. Sebring Raceway President Wayne Estes told the podcast:
“It’s a tremendous compliment that a place has that kind of passion, that people have that kind of passion for the event. That first time, I didn’t ask anybody. I just said, ‘Yeah, we’ll make that work. We’ll go where we have to go. Where do you want to go.’”
“How do you turn somebody away that makes that request? It’s just a phenomenal honor that anybody would ask to make that kind of a gesture at the venue where you’re promoting events.”
Sebring connected the podcast with Edna Smith, a woman who decided to spread half of her late husband’s ashes down the start-finish straight. She had already spread the other half skydiving. Her husband Ron was a racing fan who volunteered as a corner worker at Sebring and Daytona. The gesture was her way of honoring his memory. She enjoyed every moment of tossing Ron’s ashes on the track from the back seat of a convertible provided by the track.
All sports, including motorsports, offer the opportunities to build communities and emotional relationships that will last lifetimes. Deciding for a racetrack to be your final resting place is the ultimate act of devotion that a racing fan could make.