The decision to retire hit Dennis Fetter during a turn, but it might as well have come head-on.
The longtime Tucson driver was in the middle of a May 31 race when he slid around a corner gingerly and winced.
"I kept thinking about the different wrecks I'd get into, and what it would cost me to fix the car," he said. "I thought, hey, this isn't right. I've always been a very, very aggressive driver, doing whatever it takes to win. I began to think, if I'm not here to race — if I'm just here to protect my car — why am I here?"
Fetter, 63, didn't finish the race. He pitted, "made up an excuse to my crew," and walked away from 40 years in the sport.
"Probably the toughest decision I've ever made in my life," he said.
USA Race Park will honor Fetter's long career before Saturday's races. Here are some of Fetter's career highlights, in his own words:
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His first race: "I was 22, 23. I bought a car from a guy named Junior Cass — he's dead now — and went out to the old Corona Speedway. I guess a bunch of old-timers decided they'd team up on the new kid. In the main event, the first lap, they pushed me off the racetrack on purpose. The second race, the motor broke. That car, a '57 Oldsmobile, was gone after three races."
His wedding: "I raced Saturday night — the crew wrote, 'Almost married' on the side of my car in shoe polish. I didn't notice until the race was over — and then got married on Sunday. Barbara and I took off to California for our honeymoon, but came back in time for the next Saturday's race. That was 1970."
Asphalt fun at TRP: "At Tucson Raceway Park, they held Winter Heat Series races in super-late model cars. The first year, I ended up sixth in points, even though I had a homemade racecar. The second year, I finished fourth. The third year, Greg Biffle won a championship and we finished second by a few points."
NASCAR: "Turn on the TV, and you'll see a bunch of those guys who raced in Winter Heat with me. Actually, watching all those guys get recognized is what made me get out of super-late models. I did as well or better as all those guys, and my phone didn't ring. At the time, I was in my 50s. I knew, hey, my phone's not going to ring. I went back to modifieds. Figured I could have more fun."
How racing's changed: "It used to be that we raced cars that came from Detroit, and figured out how to beef them up. If you had a junkyard for a sponsor, you had it made. Now, everything is racecar-manufactured. You just order it from a catalog."
His legacy: "I've won 10 championships in 40 years, almost 25 percent of the years I've raced. I probably have about 150 trophies, but money? I wouldn't have any idea. I have a better idea of what I spent. I didn't race for money. I raced for the fun of racing."
If you go
• What: Tribute to Dennis Fetter
• Where: USA Race Park, 4300 E. Los Reales Road
• When: Gates open at 5 p.m. First race is at 7.
• Tickets: $12 for adults; $9 for seniors, kids 12-16 and military; free for children 11 and under.
• More info: 574-8515, www.usadirttrack.com
