For you Alex, and those who loved David, a story or two:

I first met David when I moved here from Pa. to work for Precision Southeast, Inc. David was a production floor manager, and I was to be the new Tool Room Manager. I did not know anyone down here, being I left all I knew back home in Pa. I got to know David a lot better during a managers retreat. You could say the rest was history.

He and I both were rockers, loved Harleys, Ram trucks with Hemis and had a huge passion for NASCAR. He was probably the biggest Mark Martin (#6) fan I ever met, and I was probably the biggest Dale Earnhardt Sr. (#3) fan he ever met. Yes, we liked to rib each other every Monday morning after Sunday's race. 

We didn't want to be just armchair quarterbacks when it came to racing; we wanted to jump in headfirst. We did just that. We met and applied for Tim Lee's race team that ran the local series at Myrtle Beach Speedway. We were like two kids in a candy store that got to play with real race cars. We were the team with Tim. You can just imagine the grins on our faces the first time we hit pit road as a race team and ready to win ! 

Not only were we co-workers striving for a goal, but we were team mates on a real race team. A friendship was born. Yes, through blood sweat and tears (sometimes super glue and duct tape for wounds), countless days and nights under a racecar in the shop to long Saturdays at the track, we were bonded together. We became brothers. We had something in common. Yes, we had families, we were father's, our kids played together but the real story is, I had a friend in David.

We were fortunate enough to take it to another level when our driver Tim accepted the invite to race in the parts pro truck series televised on Speed TV in 1999 for Tim's friends Neils and Dorothy. Tim had David and I and Neils had two other fellas willing to be on the team, so there we were, so called real racers...lol. We would be on TV, we had to wear uniforms, we traveled all the way from Concord, NC to Opp, Alabama to Lakeland Florida and yes, the season ending race at our home track of Myrtle Beach Speedway.

David and I spent many hours laying in the back of the race car hauler as we traveled from Atlanta Ga. which was Neil's home base to wherever we were racing that week. David and I would just laugh and how lucky we were to be on this team and being able to travel the east coast racing. How awesome that was. We'd open the back window while sitting next to race car rear ends and engines smoking cigarettes happily going down the highway to the next racetrack.

When you speak of getting to know someone, David and I really got to know one another. We ate all you can eat riblets at Applebee's in Tampa, were chased by a so-called preacher man that told us we were on the wrong side of the street in Opp Alabama, to pitching our tent in Talladega Alabama next to the chapel tent hoping we would survive the weekend with the Lord on our side (smiles), to walking on the rocks of the infield at Anderson Speedway, to sitting on the grass along pit road of Charlotte Motor Speedway laughing at our love to hate Jeff Gordon.

Probably one of the best stories Alex, and trust me there are many, was the time we were rained out at Lanier Speedway in Ga. we were supposed to race on Saturday, then drive back to Atlanta in the race hauler, then get on our plane to Myrtle Beach on Sunday morning so we could be back to our families and work on Monday. Being we got rained out the officials of the Parts Pro Truck series asked all of the teams if they would be willing to race on Sunday being our schedule was so tight. We all agreed, called our families and cancelled our flights.

Well, on Sunday after the race around 4 pm, we rented a car to get David, Tim and me back home. Tim was exhausted and heat stroked from driving the race truck, so he fell asleep in the back. David said, "I'm driving" so I rode shotgun. When David hit the gas on I-20 leaving out of Atlanta, he put it to the floor. We were running down the highway which was basically empty at 120 mph (no lie). David was giving that rental car all it was worth. The funny part came when Tim woke up in the back seat and freaked out at how fast we were going. Ok think about that one... race car driver freaking out about going fast!! David and I laughed and laughed, and we shared that story so many times. don't tell anyone but, we made it from Atlanta to Myrtle Beach in 4 hours and 15 minutes.

To you all that loved David,

In Romans 8:28 it says, and we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.

David battled demons for sure, as did I, as do all of us. Yet, David was called by God, and he had the courage to place his trust and faith in him. That is why he is not only a friend but a brother, not only are we sad but we can rejoice in knowing God called David's name.

I can say that I saw David's heart as well (he wore it on his sleeve). When he and Jennifer became foster parents. I often asked David how many more kids he was going to put in that house and he simply said, "as many as it takes". 

David was obedient to God and in fostering, David followed scripture: James 1:27, Isaiah 1:17, Psalm 82:3, Matthew 25:34-40. 

David knew our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and Jesus knew David. In knowing that, even though we struggle in losing him, we know that God is working all things for the good. David's precious children, those he loved, those he cared for, those he befriended, those he worshipped with, those he defended, those he picked up, those he taught are all of the good that God intended for David and his legacy will live forever.

God speed my friend, I love you man, turn left...

Peace,

Jim Brown