Pen Argyl man, whose dying wish was to get to Daytona, to be featured on ESPN

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/

FROM KEITH GROLLER

The Daytona 500, the Super Bowl of NASCAR racing, is on Sunday.

And to get the day started ESPN has a very special feature on its 10 a.m. SportsCenter about the late Mitch Zanette of Pen Argyl who was dying, but had a final wish of getting to experience a Speedweek in Daytona.

Zanette got to do this one last item off his bucket list last February, and while he didn't make it long enough to see the 500, NASCAR and Daytona gave him the very last thrill of his life. Certainly, Zanette, who was just 50, went out on his own terms.

This segment, entitled "The Final Lap," is part of the very good "SC Featured" series and will be shown several times throughout the day.

Here's a little clip from the feature:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bK3h8JbEISU

And, the official ESPN press release:

The Final Lap
SportsCenter (Sunday, 10 a.m., ESPN)

SC Featured tells the story of terminally ill NASCAR fan Mitch Zanette who had but one item on his bucket list – to spend a Speedweeks at Daytona. In February 2013, at the age of 50, Zanette fulfilled his final wish by road tripping from his home in Pen Argyl, Penn. to Daytona Beach, Fla. – where he then died on the infield.

“He didn’t want to be told when he was gonna go out. He wanted to go out when he was ready. And, granted, he didn’t make it to the 500, but I think he did what he wanted to do.” – Mitchell Zanette, Mitch’s son

“He knew what he wanted. He didn’t wanna die in no hospital. So, I wasn’t gonna let him. He wanted to die at Daytona track, if he’s gonna die.” – Joe Zanette, Mitch’s brother