Wish Stories

NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon once said: “When you’re in a race car, you’re going through so many different emotions throughout that race.”

Twelve-year-old Caleb’s life has been like a race – full of different emotions. Though Caleb has had to deal with the pain and uncertainty of his battle with an ailing kidney that resulted in a transplant, Caleb’s heartfelt wish to meet his “favorite buddy,” Jeff Gordon, brought him happy memories that he can cherish for a lifetime.

"I really like to watch him race," Caleb explained to his Make-A-Wish Foundation^® volunteers. “He’s a great, safe driver; he wins a lot and he is nice to other drivers.”

So, the Foundation arranged for the Florida boy and his parents to travel to the Kentucky Speedway and enjoy the Speedway’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events in July – and meet Jeff, of course!

The Speedway rolled out the red carpet to make Caleb’s wish a memorable experience. “The track workers were exceptional, they were very nice,” Caleb’s mom, Shelley, wrote.

The family met Darrel Waltrip and Jeff Hammond before the Trackside Live Show aired, and they sat in the VIP viewing area during the show.

Caleb was a very important person during more than just the show. The drivers, crew members and Speedway workers all went out of their way to make his wish magical.

Chris Biby of Motorsports Management International escorted Caleb on a tour of the garage, and introduced the fourth-grader to every driver they saw. Plus, the teams’ mechanics even gave Caleb lugnuts from the cars. Chris also introduced the family to Sam Bass, the artist that designed the program for the inaugural Kentucky NASCAR race and got a signed, numbered poster of the same print for Caleb.

Then it was time to fulfill Caleb’s wish … not only once, but twice! Jeff Gordon met with Caleb twice during the day, once in the drivers’ lounge and once by Jeff’s hauler. At first Caleb was star struck – he was a little shy around his “buddy”. But Jeff stayed focused on the Wish Child, and even made sure to speak with Caleb’s parents, too. Jeff signed everything Caleb had with him and gave him a bag of goodies.

Jeff Gordon, Chris Biby and the Kentucky Speedway put a smile on Caleb’s face, something his parents hadn’t seen in a while.

After the trip, Shelley shared her appreciation with the Foundation:
“Caleb had such a great time; he is still just as excited as he was at the track! I want to express our gratitude for a job well done. I know this was a dream come true for Caleb, and it truly was better than we could have ever dreamed of. Make-A-Wish did an exceptional job! I want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts. It was such a blessing to see Caleb so happy!”