Yesterday good friend and race teammate (friend being the much more important word) Aaron Leinemann passed away suddenly. I have been fortunate enough to be on the same Lemons team for 11+ seasons now. We are a 3 or 4 car team, so we are a big family. He's been part of our family for about 8 years. For the past 5 seasons I've been truly lucky to be a full time driver for the car he co-owned with his uncle. The three of us were the Cressida crew, and we finished top 10 consistently. More important than that, we bonded like brothers and that's what I'll always take with me. Aaron portrayed the persona of crotchety tough guy, but we all knew he was a giant teddy bear at heart. Our driver order was biggest to smallest, making it easier for us to strap the next guy in. Aaron was first, his uncle second and I was the closer. Every time he would strap me in he would yell at me "Eat a f'ing cheeseburger you skinny bitch!!!" Every. Single. Time. It was our thing. He recently beat leukemia and give it a big middle finger. We were all so excited for him. He was only 40 years old. I'm at a loss for words other than what I just wrote, still just trying to come to grips with it.
No, I'm not asking you to go hug your wife and kids, not my style. What I will say is live every day for today, enjoy every moment you get with friends and family. And somewhere give a one finger salute today.
RIP Aaron 
