To know Bobby Lagana Jr. is to know he’s a glass-half-full kind of person.

Lagana epitomizes what is good with drag racing. He’s passionate, competitive, and, most of all, kind-hearted. The son of drag racer Bobby Lagana Sr. has endured the highest of highs behind the wheel of a race car and the lowest of lows when injured in a life-changing accident. He then took his talents in tuning to work in conjunction with Richard Hogan at Steve Torrence Racing on a three-time championship run.

This year has been a tough one for Lagana, but he sees the bright spots amid adversity. In our annual tradition, Lagana steps up to deliver a list of the things he’s grateful for in this year’s What I’m Thankful For Series.

I am THANKFUL for … Medical Personnel Who Serve Our World

It’s tough to imagine our lives without qualified, dedicated, and compassionate doctors, nurses, and rehabilitation workers. Especially to watch my brother’s recovery has been nothing short of a miracle. To see how they’ve worked through this whole COVID-19 and everything they do to keep everybody as safe as possible. It really means a lot to me, and I would imagine the rest of the world. 

I am THANKFUL for … Friends and Family

In our lives, we have good times and have hard times, and without our family and friends, either to help us through the hard or to enjoy the good would be hard to imagine. I know particularly this year, I couldn’t imagine how hard it would have been for myself in particular without my fiance Kim. She’s special, it’s hard to believe it is real, and I love her dearly. I am very thankful for my nieces and nephews as well. Kids just have a way of making everyone feel better.

I’m also thankful for everyone else in my life. Everybody knows who they are and don’t want to miss anybody. I could write a novel about the people who have impacted my life and how many people I love.

I am THANKFUL for … My CAPCO Team and Family

To say we have a family orientated team would be an understatement. We built this team with lifelong friendships and an emphasis on family. To accomplish what we have together, especially with Billy, Kay, Steve, and Richard Hogan and all the guys, is just a testament to our respect and trust in one another.

I am THANKFUL for … Our Team’s Families

It’s essential to recognize the families of all the guys in the team, and I’m extremely thankful for Steve and his wife, Natalie, and that beautiful baby girl she’s going to bring into this world and into our team. Also thankful for Billy’s ability to build CAPCO’s company and to have that same family atmosphere down there. This team is built off of CAPCO’s resolve, just what he’s been able to do his whole life.

I am THANKFUL for … “Mama Kay” Torrence

If you’ve ever met Mama Kay or a part of her life, you know why I’m thankful for Mama Kay. You know, Mama Kay is truly a mom to her race team. Some of us on her team no longer have our moms in our lives, but we are blessed to have Mama Kay. You know, Mama Kay’s restored a lot of people’s faith in the Good Lord, and Mama Kay is one of the best people I’ve ever met in my life. I always think that my mom would love to have known Mama Kay, and that’s special.

I am THANKFUL for … The Memories

I know I find myself reflecting all the time on our memories in our lives. Just so many memories to look back on, feel good about, or even try to emulate for the future. Just as well, some difficult memories linger around. Maybe if you can look at some of the tough memories and pull something positive out of it, it may even be a little more impactful than a good memory. I just hope you can move forward with it.

I am THANKFUL for … The Act of Forgiveness

To be able to forgive or be forgiven is probably one of the most difficult yet rewarding things you can do in your life. None of us are perfect in the world, and it’s so easy to make a mistake, and it should be just as easy to help someone make it right, or make yourself right and move forward and make everyone feel better.

I am THANKFUL for … The United States

Especially in these tumultuous times right now that we’re dealing with, with the COVID pandemic. No matter what side of the fence you’re on, you would call it our political mess in our country; even with all that, it’s still the greatest country in the world. If you just go back on history, the United States has done a lot of good for a lot of the world. Sometimes that’s under the rug a little bit, and people don’t realize the good heart that most people in this country have. We’ve been fortunate to travel the world racing, and you always get that sentiment that people look up to the United States of America and the type of upbringing that happens here. I’m just very thankful for that.

I am THANKFUL for … My Brother Dom

My brother and I have spent our entire lives together. We have had many ups and very few downs, but most importantly, we always had each other’s back. Our lives moving forward are going to be very different than we ever imagined. But we’re still going to stick by each other and make the best of whatever’s in front of us. I’m very thankful for his fiance, Sarah, as supportive as she is to him. She’s been by his side for long as they’ve been together. But especially these last four months, it’s just a beautiful thing to see.

I am THANKFUL for … The Outpouring of Support for Dom

It would be almost impossible to say thank you to everyone who has supported Dom during this time. To see the love and support across the world has just been the most humblest thing I’ve ever seen. Every little text, every little message, call, or anything has been so special, and I’m just so thankful for it. I love you all for that.

You go through life and times of disagreements, or maybe just have a little grudge. I for sure don’t want any of that anymore. I just want everyone to love and respect each other. All I could say is just God bless everyone and enjoy the holidays. Let’s just pray that the world around us becomes a better place again, and it’s something that we can look forward to and look forward to our kids being a part of.

I am THANKFUL for … Faith in God

I grew up in a very Catholic family, and we grew up praying every night and before every meal, and somewhere down the line, we still had our faith but lost a little bit of our trust in our faith. I think that happens to a lot of people in life. Being a part of this team, and to see my brother make it through this accident, has helped restore a lot of that faith for me. We’ve all adopted the phrase “God is love” recently. I know it has helped me in these last four months, and I’m definitely thankful for that.

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— Competition Plus (@competitionplus) October 27, 2020