Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Daytona Speedway

My father, who would have been 65 this month, would have been over the moon to see this photo of me on the track at Daytona Speedway. Given that, and given that I've had more bad to say than good of late, I thought I'd share this awesome experience I had.

The last weekend of January was the Rolex 24 at Daytona Speedway. The National Federation of the Blind, along with Virginia Tech, has created a blind-drivable car which we unveiled on the track at Daytona that weekend. Our blind driver successfully drove over a mile and a half of track—avoiding obstacles, navigating turns, and dodging boxes that were thrown out in front of him. This photo is of Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, and me immediately after the successful completion of this historic event. It was a thrill to be there, for many reasons.

Love, -Kristina
The car on the track: a normal Ford Escape hybrid equipped with specially-designed nonvisual technology