MERIDIAN, Miss. — Josh Putnam’s voice cracked as he talked about losing his close friend Mark Fields. Standing in his hauler in the Whynot Motorsports Park pit area on warm Saturday afternoon, Putnam, of Florence, Ala., had no problem taking a break from smashing springs in preparation for the 27th annual Coors Light Fall Classic later that evening to talk about Fields and the tragedy that unfolded in Lawrenceburg, Tenn., a week earlier.

Fields, a likable 43-year-old racer, husband and father MORE

I’d like to think that every time we go to the racetrack to compete we’re giving our best effort. Unfortunately, I know that sometimes, that just isn’t the case. It kind of takes me back to my early college years when effort often made all the difference in the world.

With my 18-year-old son now a freshman in college, I’m reminded almost daily of the struggles I had early in my college career. Riley is attending Motlow State Community College, which is only about 12 miles up the road from MORE