Due to that tragic accident in the pits at Calistoga on September 5th, Jeff Stich has left our world way too soon. There are no words that can express my feelings properly about the man I treasured as a friend. Yet there are some words that come to mind like stunned, shellshocked, loss, sorrowful, unbelievable, sad, painful and many more, but I can’t relate to his passing easily, it is so grievous.

To me he was the epitome of nice. His smile and attentive attitude he gave me, and many others I am sure, is irreplaceable. His dedication to racing and life was immense. Everywhere he went, he left a good feeling behind as he went along his merry path. He was the guy who was ready to help when others didn’t notice. His smile and warm greetings were good to receive. You felt connected each time you crossed paths with him. He had time for others as he made you believe he was yours during brief meetings with him. If you didn’t have a brother, he would be your pick. How can he be gone? My heart is in great pain from this loss, and I am not alone. OMG!

Jeff was dedicated to Damion Gardner and worked on his teams for as long as I can remember. It will be a major loss to the Alexander team just because of his being there with them for so long and what he meant to them. Win or lose, he was there to help, every race.

In addition to seeing him in the pits at all CRA races, I had occasions to visit him when he was crewing for a famous San Francisco front motored top fueler at the Bakersfield Old Timers events. He was always giving me the scoop on that car and it’s success there.

To say he was one of a kind hardly covers his life. His great people skills will be missed by all who knew him and will be in our hearts forever. My thoughts and prayers go out to all who knew and loved him. May he rest in peace as we are better people for having known him.