One of the most enjoyable things to witness is people following their dreams. When those dreams enhance the world around them, it’s all the better.

That’s the best way to describe the 10-year anniversary of DirtonDirt. | Complete 10th anniversary coverage

A company is nothing more than the people who make it work, and the product they offer to consumers. In the case of DirtonDirt, the company is based on the vision and effort of the three founders, Michael and Amber Rigsby and Todd Turner. Ten years ago they believed that offering news and coverage of Dirt Late Model events was not only viable, but essential.

I’m glad they thought so, because in the process they changed the way the sport is covered. In a sense, they changed the sport itself.

Full disclosure: this is a sappy commentary not because I’m a contributor to the website; it’s a sappy commentary because I think the world of Michael and Amber and Todd. They are good people with a good heart and they are fueled by the conviction of doing things right and treating people well.

And I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone more eaten up with racing than Michael and Todd.

Michael is the ultimate fan of Dirt Late Model racing. When he wakes up, he thinks about the sport. When he engages with people throughout the day, they talk about the sport. When he makes business decisions, he is thinking about the sport. His passion is both real and intense, and at this point it appears to be an incurable affliction.

Todd is more methodical, and more reserved. He is an excellent journalist, with a mind that is instinctively focused on the story and how to best convey it to the reader or viewer. He too is severely smitten with Dirt Late Model racing, and his years of professional work in the sport have not dampened his passion or enthusiasm.

Amber brings a more nuanced perspective to the table. Her experience in the sport is much less tenured than Michael and Todd, and therefore she is able to see things through a different lens. With her quiet, steady presence she helps balance the passion of the other two, and helps with pacing and guiding the product.

Michael is the magic, the bubbling cauldron of ideas and energy and enthusiasm. Todd is the experience, the knowledge, the rock-solid master journalist. Amber is the smooth, steady presence who can interact with people and make them happy.

The beneficiary of all of this, of course, is you. You, the viewer and the reader. DirtonDirt has helped you connect with the sport you love, and helped you get to know the personalities and the tracks and the stories. It’s a simple transaction: you want to know and see and enjoy more of the sport, and Michael and Amber and Todd — and their growing staff — enable you to do so.

People often look at those of us in the motorsports media and assume we have the most charmed life in the world. And, to be sure, it is wonderful to make your living doing what you enjoy and being around a sport you love. Of course! But motorsports media is a matter of one’s passion and excitement being interwoven with long hours, endless highway miles, lousy food, difficult conditions and limited financial prosperity. This isn’t bragging or complaining; it’s reality.

So when I speak of my respect for Michael and Amber and Todd on the 10-year anniversary of DirtonDirt, I am sincere. I’ve watched what they do, and I know — absolutely know — how much effort and sacrifice it has taken to reach this milestone.

Congratulations to DirtonDirt, and particularly to Michael and Amber and Todd. It’s been a privilege to watch you grow and prosper. Way to go, guys!