Where Has Time Gone?

Remembering the late, great, Steve Grebeck.

With the 2007 Spring Break Shootout just a scant 3 or so weeks away, one can’t help but to recall that it was 5 years ago this year that the Mustang community lost arguably one of the most influential people to build and pilot a race car. That person was the late, great, Steve Grebeck. Admittedly, I only came into the Mustang scene in the past year and a half, but even being a Bran X-er, I knew of Steve Grebeck, especially when he was teamed up with Pat Musi, whose old shop was a mere 30-minute drive from my parent’s house. Even though heads-up racing for me at the time was centered around the NHRA pro categories, I would still read about Grebeck’s exploits in a few of my favorite magazines. He was the type of guy that no matter the car, combination, or track condition, he would find a way to not only get the car to work and go down the track, but do it with relative ease and a high amount of success. In going through the MM&FF archives the other day, I ran across the coverage of the 2002 SBSO, and ultimately the tribute article written about the life and times of Grebeck. In the past 5 years, many a notable racer has been lost, with Grebeck’s untimely passing being one of the most sorrowing and, obviously, tragic. As much as everyone can say that he died doing what he loved, I am sure that everyone still wishes he was around making lap after lap down the quarter-mile. One can only imagine what kind of an impact his ingenuity and knowledge would have had on the racing scene today. Even 5 years later, there are those who still try to emulate his poise, posture, and creativity. He was truly a man well ahead of his time that passed away far before he should have. While the show ultimately goes on, there is never a day that goes by that someone, somewhere, remembers, even if it is for but a fleeting moment, something he or she heard or saw Grebeck do. While I didn’t have the chance to meet him, I do remember one thing from all of those event coverage articles I read, and that he was a winner both on and off of the track. Now if we could only have Steve Grebeck back…