When word spread that superfan Bruce Cantrell had stage 4 pancreatic cancer, the racing community came together. They honored him last Saturday at Duck River Raceway Park in Lewisburg, Tennessee. The community gave him a ride around the track, with a parade of race cars, and he received a special award.
A Big Fan
Bruce Cantrell, 59, of Hazel Green, Alabama, has been a fixture at Duck River Raceway Park for more than 30 years. There he cheers on his favorite drivers, John Whaley and Randy Gifford.
“Bruce is well known and has lots of friends,” said Whaley, a modified street driver from Flintville, Tennessee. “[I met him when] he walked up after a race and wanted a photo. Then, he kept coming back to visit week after week. As time went on, I started giving him my trophies. He’s been my number one fan for about 20 years. He has quite a collection of trophies now.”
A Chance Meeting
Whaley’s wife, Courtney, works at a local office for Clearview Cancer Institute. Three weeks ago, she noticed a familiar face in the waiting room. It was Cantrell.
“At the cancer center, a local guy brings in his Lamborghini to give rides to the patients,” John Whaley said. “He wanted to go for a ride in the Lambo, and they made it happen for him.”
Cantrell confided in Whaley that he had two more wishes. One was to ride on a Harley. The other was to ride in a race car at Duck River Raceway Park.
“We organized a benefit ride for Bruce,” said Whaley. “At least 114 bikes showed up and took Bruce to three different locations on two wheels.”
The benefit raised more than $2500 in donations. Cantrell didn’t want the money. He directed it to Clearview Cancer Institute.
His Second Wish
Whaley then called Duck River Raceway Park promoter Russell Boothe, who had access to a two-seater late model. Boothe obliged. He offered the car typically driven by Gifford.
“Y’all should of seen his face when he realized he was going for a ride, not only in a race car, but also with one of his favorite drivers,” said Heather Parker Sullivan, whose family owns the car. “It was an honor for us to get asked to take Bruce for a ride.”
Unlike Whaley, Gifford didn’t know he was one of Cantrell’s heroes until crew members lifted Cantrell and put him into the passenger seat.
“I didn’t know Bruce, but I got to know him,” Gifford said. “He was very excited to get into the car and take a few laps. It made his day — and his dream come true.”
The Rest of the Memorable Night for Bruce Cantrell
At the end of his victory lap, Boothe presented Cantrell with a large trophy and the checkered flag. Drivers lined up on the frontstretch and presented him with the “Number One Fan Award” — a giant poster with drivers’ autogrphs, courtesy of Jeff Bennett, of Sign Here Graphics.
“I’ve been going to Duck River for a long time, and I never thought I would get the chance to ride in a race car,” said Cantrell. “I am at Duck River whenever they race.”
To top it off, Whaley won his feature. When he arrived in victory lane, he presented the trophy to Bruce Cantrell, who wore a John Whaley T-shirt.
“I do all I can to make Bruce smile,” Whaley said. “He knows he has cancer, but he doesn’t know how severe it is. He had 60 people — friends of his who don’t normally go to the races — show up in support of him on Saturday. They even set up a fan to blow on him to keep him comfortable.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
