"Isn’t it amazing what can happen when no one cares who gets the credit for the results?” I can’t remember the first coach to say this, but its manifestation was clearly evident this past weekend in Madison, Ind.

For those not familiar with Madison, this little town of 13,000 people on the banks of the Ohio River—about an hour south of Cincinnati—has been holding an Unlimited hydroplane race for 60 years. The town has also owned and campaigned an Unlimited hydroplane for 50 consecutive years. I’m blessed to have been the team’s driver for 10 years now in the Oh Boy! Oberto/Miss Madison U-1.

Over this past July 4th weekend, more than 50,000 fans (paid attendance) watched one of the most competitive Unlimited races in modern history. Although we won the race, the fact is everyone won this race. Here’s a sampling:

• On Thursday evening, some of the drivers were guest waiters at the Boneyard Grill restaurant. All of the tips—totaling more than $1,000—were raised for the Boys & Girls Club of Madison.

• Lucas Oil came on board for its first sponsorship of an Unlimited hydroplane race. Morgan Lucas (of top fuel dragster fame) visited the teams on Saturday and his father and mother, the company founders (Forrest and Charlotte), were with us all day Sunday. They served as the official Start/Finish flag people for the final heat.

• Madison Regatta Inc., the volunteers who stage the event, paid off a $150,000 loan they had to take in 1994 when the event lost that amount due to poor weather. On Sunday after the race, they had a mortgage burning ceremony.

• This year’s race was successful in not only paying off all debt, but it generated significant profit to fund next year’s race.

• The people who run this race are volunteers.

• Two rookies became qualified Unlimited drivers and did an outstanding job—Jon Zimmerman in the U-25 and Cal Phipps in the U-13.

• Several of the heat races were won by less than 2 seconds, and that’s after racing for 7.5 miles.

• The Ohio River was virtually debris-free due to the cooperation of several government agencies, including the Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Coast Guard, Indiana watershed agencies, and a volunteer staff of boaters who cleared the river of surface debris round the clock.

At the outset, I mentioned what can be accomplished when no one cares who gets the credit, and I just credited several people and organizations. And that’s because not a one of them—not one—said the success of this event was because of their effort, but rather a combined effort of everyone involved.

The word “WE,” for one beautiful weekend in Madison, Ind., replaced the word “I” at a boat race, and magic happened.

See you at the races.