Lucky and good
There’s a popular saying that “it’s better to be lucky than good”. My view, however, is that “it’s best to be lucky and good!”. Just ask Aric Almirola, winner of the rain-shortened Coke 400 at the Daytona International Speedway this past weekend. He put the #43 Air Force car of Richard Petty Motorsports in Victory Lane after a hiatus of 15 years since that famous number last won; further, it was exactly 30 years and 2 days since Richard Petty himself collected win number 200 in the #43 car at this same race and in this same place.
The race itself was a jumble of rain delays, plus a couple of spectacular wrecks. The first one collected 16 cars, although somehow Aric Almirola steered through the carnage undamaged. Many would consider that a lucky break. Later in the race, another massive 26 car pile-up took out many more cars, but this time Almirola was driving out ahead of the melee.
As Almirola led the field of remaining cars to the restart, he suddenly found himself in a position to win. With some skillful driving in the face of more looming bad weather, he held on for the win as the race was called after 112 of the scheduled 160 laps. Aric Almirola had just won his first major NASCAR Sprint Cup race, in a fast and steady car, for a storied brand.
To be in the position to win on that day and in those circumstances required much more than luck. It required countless hours, days, weeks and months of preparation by his race team. They equipped Almirola with the tools to win; he used them to the best of his ability and skillfully navigated treacherous conditions. In consultation with his crew chief, they planned when to pit, what to do and where to run on the track.
The legacy of Richard Petty’s famous #43 was there with Aric Almirola on the track. But legacies don’t win races; talented drivers and well-prepared teams do. Luck doesn’t win them either, but being in the right place (or the wrong one) at a certain moment can definitely affect the probabilities. In that sense, luck can create sudden opportunity; what happens in the next moment and the ultimate result are heavily influenced by the preparation that preceded the moment of truth.
Preparation and skill have a knack for creating “luck”. The better-prepared you are, the luckier you tend to get. Yes, it’s much more fun to be both lucky and good. Enjoy the Journey!
The race itself was a jumble of rain delays, plus a couple of spectacular wrecks. The first one collected 16 cars, although somehow Aric Almirola steered through the carnage undamaged. Many would consider that a lucky break. Later in the race, another massive 26 car pile-up took out many more cars, but this time Almirola was driving out ahead of the melee.
As Almirola led the field of remaining cars to the restart, he suddenly found himself in a position to win. With some skillful driving in the face of more looming bad weather, he held on for the win as the race was called after 112 of the scheduled 160 laps. Aric Almirola had just won his first major NASCAR Sprint Cup race, in a fast and steady car, for a storied brand.
To be in the position to win on that day and in those circumstances required much more than luck. It required countless hours, days, weeks and months of preparation by his race team. They equipped Almirola with the tools to win; he used them to the best of his ability and skillfully navigated treacherous conditions. In consultation with his crew chief, they planned when to pit, what to do and where to run on the track.
The legacy of Richard Petty’s famous #43 was there with Aric Almirola on the track. But legacies don’t win races; talented drivers and well-prepared teams do. Luck doesn’t win them either, but being in the right place (or the wrong one) at a certain moment can definitely affect the probabilities. In that sense, luck can create sudden opportunity; what happens in the next moment and the ultimate result are heavily influenced by the preparation that preceded the moment of truth.
Preparation and skill have a knack for creating “luck”. The better-prepared you are, the luckier you tend to get. Yes, it’s much more fun to be both lucky and good. Enjoy the Journey!
