We, sometimes, reserve the word “Hero” for set professions. A soldier, a doctor, a parent, or a helpful teacher … it’s one’s personal choice.

But a hero can come in many forms. It can be someone who shows courage in the face of adversity or simply a person you admire, like an athlete, friend or companion. There are no set rules, nor should there be.

Greg Hodnett fits this mold. If you spent any length of time with him, you would understand why people in the racing community, including me, held him in such high regard.

The news of Hodnett, 49, losing his life in a crash at BAPS Motor Speedway Thursday night spread through the racing community like a tidal wave. I received calls from drivers in California and other texts from around the country, and it only confirmed what I already knew about Greg Hodnett, the person.

We could list all of Greg’s big wins, his track championships, and racing accolades, but that’s not what sticks out to me.

Greg was all class.

When a racetrack needed a driver to represent the sport, he was their first call. Greg was well spoken, he was personable, and he was unselfish.

You can say that about a lot of individuals. But with Greg, it was genuine … Not a PR spin or commitment. He had a way with people, and you felt that with the way he smiled, shook your hand, and made time even when it may have been inconvenient.

I experienced that, first hand. No matter when I walked into the trailer, win or lose, he handled every question like a professional. The difference with Greg, it wasn’t a burden. He was just a likable, passionate guy making a living doing something he loved.

Greg was a true sportsman. When a controversial issue came up in the sport, he always put himself second. His opinion was for the greater good of Sprint Car racing, not that of Greg Hodnett the individual.

That’s why it was so easy to go to Greg for a quote. He was well thought out, diplomatic but not rehearsed, and honest.

Greg had the ability to see both sides of a situation, which made him so endearing as a professional. He understood what tracks and businesses went through, as well as the finances of teams and owners.

Not only was Greg well rounded, he was smart and humble. That showed whether he was in the pit area before the start of the race, or Victory Lane, fifth, or 10th in the running order at the end of the night.

There was respect in every way Greg approached his craft. There have been countless stories of his generosity and willingness to help out a fellow driver looking to make a mark in this sport.

I always chuckled about the way Greg diminished his talent to lift up others. There were times I walked in the trailer after he won and said, “I guess you sucked tonight.” He would laugh and say, “I could’ve been better.” Then, he would give credit to his team and other drivers.

Thinking about it now, I understand the reason. I get why he deflected from himself. It’s just who he was.

Greg was and is a Sprint Car icon, both in performance and demeanor. You didn’t see him bash tracks or take swipes on social media … it just wasn’t in his DNA.

That persona extended off the track. Greg had a strong affection for his father, Hoyette Hodnett, and tried to live by what he was taught growing up.

Hoyette Hodnett would be proud of his son. I believe that because of the Greg Hodnett I knew in the pit area and on the phone during the week.

What many people didn’t get to see in Victory Lane or on a weekly basis was Greg’s sense of humor and compassion. There were many times we discussed non-racing related topics — politics, sports, fitness, everyday life — and the conversation ended with a laugh.

Greg could sense something was going on in your personal life, and he cared enough to ask, “How are you doing? That made him easy to talk to and confide in, and he could relate because he admitted to not being perfect.

Those conversations are what I will miss most. That, and Greg was a guy you couldn’t walk by without exchanging a “Hello.”

It’s hard not to remember the victories and first-place checks Greg racked up over his career. They were so numerous, and at times, hard to fathom.

Greg had a Hall of Fame career that featured over 250 wins, 20 of which came against the World of Outlaws. There were track championships — five came at Williams Grove — and five Speed Week titles, the last of which came this season.

If there was big money on the line, Greg was near the front. He captured the prestigious Williams Grove National Open, the Tuscarora 50 and Selinsgrove National Open multiple times, had wins at Eldora and The Dirt Track at Charlotte, and sat in Victory Lane this year at Knoxville Raceway during the Knoxville Nationals.

None of that surprised me over the years. I first saw Hodnett in 1989, when he was on the road with Doug Wolfgang and the Danny Peace team. Wolfgang got held up in transit, and Greg swapped his wrench for a helmet and jumped in the car for hot laps and qualifying.

Wolfgang made it to the track, and Greg didn’t get to finish what he started. Still, his talent was evident, and it’s something he used to become one of the most accomplished dirt-track drivers in central Pennsylvania history.

But that talent and his resume never trumped the person in the in the helmet and racing suit. That is Greg’s true legacy.

As tragic as this is for the racing community, I can’t imagine what his wife, Sherry, and the rest of his family, is feeling. The same can be said for Mike Heffner, Ryan Hand, Ben Engle, A-Rod, Sean Michael, and the rest of Greg’s extended family.

My heart goes out to all of them.

Greg was a husband and family man first. He was a friend to many and a true ambassador to Sprint Car racing in the way he performed and the way he treated people in the sport.

In my business, we are trained to not have favorites and to remain unbiased. I believe I’ve done a good job with that in my career.

But, I’m also not afraid to admit that Greg Hodnett was one of my heroes in racing. And he will be truly missed by all.