Racing on the Right Track: Steering Toward the Eternal Victory Lane

DAY 1

The Push from Heaven

Welcome race fans! The start of a new book is like the start of a new racing season. Excitement fills the air! Colorful readings with new information line the corners of our minds like colorful cars with new paint schemes line the infield! Awaiting the thrill of information from a new book is like awaiting the thrill of competition from a new racing season! It’s like our own version of the emotions felt down at Daytona as the Sprint Cup Series gets started each year in February.

Speaking of Daytona, there is a move from the 2008 Daytona 500 which has become known as The Push from Heaven. It happened on the last lap of the race as teammates Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch worked together to propel themselves to a one-two finish in the Super Bowl of NASCAR racing. Neither car had been picked to win that day by all the so-called experts. Neither driver’s car had been particularly dominant throughout the race, nor had neither driver ever won the Daytona 500 before. In fact, Kurt Busch had even been awarded the honor of starting last in the forty-three car field due to his being placed on probation for reckless driving during practice earlier in the week! Needless to say, he had been humbled, and his reputation had been a bit tarnished before the race had even begun.

Throughout the race, teammates Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch led most of the laps and were first and second with one-half of a lap to go. The fact that Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch were near the front at all was a miracle in itself, but what chance did either of them have of actually winning? Their only hope was to work together and hope that Tony and Kyle did not. And, lo and behold, that’s exactly what happened! Kurt sacrificed his chance of winning the biggest race of his career by lining up directly behind his teammate Ryan and aerodynamically pushing him to victory. Tony and Kyle only looked out for themselves and finished third and fourth respectfully.

Jesus sacrificed His own glory and honor in heaven for us as well. He left His throne in heaven to come to earth and willingly give His life as a ransom for anyone who would line up with Him! Our ONLY chance to get in the winner’s circle of heaven is to cooperate with Jesus and allow Him to push us toward the checkered flag that waits for us at Heaven’s finish line! There is no other way to achieve salvation. In the Bible, Jesus boldly proclaims:

I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 NIV

DAY 2

Preparing Is As Easy As A-B-C!

Jimmie Johnson, one of NASCAR’s most outstanding champions, made an interesting comment to a former Motor Racing Outreach chaplain. He said, "We all need to discover the similarities between the preparations we make for a race and the preparations we all need to make in life." As all members of race teams know, there really is no such thing as an off season. From the end of one season’s final race until each new season’s first practice session, plans are formed, equipment is purchased, and tons of work is done to prepare for upcoming racing seasons all across America. As a little boy when I inquired about all the long hours my dad put into preparing his car from November to March, I remember him telling me, We don’t just show up at the track you know! Even the Bible speaks about this subject.

All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. Proverbs 14:23 NIV

Therefore, whatever good you seek to do with your life, whether it’s in racing, simply making a living, improving your personal life, or serving God, always give it your best effort. You expect no less from others, so why not demand it of yourself? Hezekiah, one of the kings of Judah, loved God and is described in 2 Chronicles 31:20-21 NKJV as:

… doing what was good and right and true before the Lord his God, and in every work that he began, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered.

Oh, wouldn’t it be great if we all showed this same kind of effort in pursuing the things we love? All of us are born with the innate ability to make good decisions in our lives. The problem is that mankind also is born with the ability to make bad decisions in their life. This is called sin, and sin is a powerful force that eventually overcomes even the best of us. By God’s perfect standards, sin cannot be allowed to pollute the holiness of heaven. It must be PAID for by a perfectly sinless and holy sacrifice of blood that is totally unblemished. Since all of mankind has sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, the only suitable sacrifice was for God Himself, the only perfect One, to become that sacrifice. But why would He ever leave the glories of Heaven to redeem the wretchedness of mankind’s sin? The Bible tells us the answer in John 3:16 KJV:

For God so LOVED the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believed in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

The New Testament is written in the Greek language, and the Greek word used to attempt to define the type of love that God has for each one of us is agape. It means unconditional love. God’s ways are sometimes hard to understand, but one thing is for sure: He loves you so much that He sent His Son Jesus to take the horrible punishment we all deserve for our sin even though He didn’t deserve it. In doing so, Jesus prepared the only way possible for you to live with Him forever! Yes, it’s very important to prepare for the racing season, but it’s infinitely more important to prepare for eternal life! Why don’t you start now? Preparing is as easy as A-B-C. Admit that you’re a sinner—Believe Jesus died for your sin—Commit your life to Him.

DAY 3

Courage and Determination

It takes a great deal of courage and determination to become successful in racing no matter at what level a racer begins his or her career. The beginning of two-time NASCAR Champion Ned Jarrett’s career is a good example of the amount of courage and determination it takes to be successful. You see, the racing bug bit Ned in the early 1950s when construction began on Hickory (NC) Motor Speedway when he was only twenty years old. Since his dad was dead set against him driving a race car, Ned ran under a friend’s name until he won his first race and changed his father’s mind.

Ned was so determined to make it to the big time that he once bought a race car formally owned by racing great Junior Johnson late on a Friday while counting on winning a race at Myrtle Beach that night and another in Charlotte the following night to cover the check. He arrived at Myrtle Beach too late to practice but still qualified eighth. He worked his way up through the field to win the race, but someone had wound the tape on the steering wheel backwards causing the edges of the tape to dig into his hands like razor blades. The cuts in his hands were so severe that he ended up going to a hospital on his way to Charlotte that night. He started the race in Charlotte, but the pain was so great, he had to pull into the pits. Junior Johnson, who had built the car, was standing nearby and agreed to take Ned’s place in the cockpit. Because Junior knew the car so well, he was able to drive it to victory! Better yet, he did it free of charge! Ned was able to cover his debt to Junior and keep the car. Junior Johnson gave of himself and was indeed Ned’s salvation that night. In the years that followed, Ned Jarrett went on to win fifty NASCAR races and two Sprint Cup Championships, but he may never have known the success he did if he had not let Junior take his place.

It took a great deal of courage for Ned Jarrett to do what he did that weekend. He was helpless and had no other option than to let Junior Johnson take his place in the car. He had to put his full faith and trust in Junior to do the job he knew he couldn’t do. Life is like that also. If you have the courage and determination to truly believe that Jesus Christ is the only one who can cover your sin debt to God, you must let Him replace you in the cockpit of life. He has promised to be with you and guide you through life’s struggles (even if you have blood on your hands). If you simply call on His name, He will give you the courage and determination to serve Him as your Lord and Savior. In so doing, you can have victory over any sin in your life, and ultimately you can even have victory over death. The Bible says eternal life in heaven awaits those who place their complete trust in Jesus! Are you courageous? Are you determined? Let Him have your complete trust! Jesus loves you and gave Himself for you so that you may run the race of life with all the peace and joy He created you to enjoy!

"Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord." Psalm 31:24 KJV

… Choose you this day whom ye will serve; … but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15 ASV

DAY 4

Doing the Right Thing

On February 22, 1959, the Daytona International Speedway opened for its inaugural 500 mile stock car race, and boy oh boy, what a race the 60,000 spectators witnessed that day. As the race wound down, two hard-charging racers battled nose-to-tail for twelve of the final fifteen laps around the two and one-half mile high-banked oval. In this first Daytona 500, which has now become known as the Great American Race, Johnny Beauchamp in a Ford Thunderbird and Lee Petty in an Oldsmobile were entertaining the crowd with a fantastic battle. During the last three laps, the two cars ran side-by-side and crossed the finish line in a dead heat. After this heart-stopping finish, Bill France Sr. President of NASCAR and of Daytona International Speedway, made the decision that the race winner was Johnny Beauchamp. The Victory Lane celebration was held, the post-race interviews were conducted, and the newspaper stories were written all declaring Beauchamp’s #73 the winner. After looking at movies and still pictures over the next two days however, Bill France reversed his controversial decision. Lee Petty’s #42 Oldsmobile was declared the true winner of the first Daytona 500 race, and justice was correctly served. The massive new speedway which was to become the centerpiece of speed for all of NASCAR’s divisions was saved from embarrassment and shame. The leadership of this awesome sporting complex that millions of race fans have come to love and appreciate avoided a massive controversy that may have severely damaged its credibility simply by doing the right thing.

What if Bill France had been more concerned with his own reputation than with doing the right thing? If that had been the case, the deserving winner would not have been crowned. By being willing to potentially take a little criticism for his initial decision, Bill France showed that he valued honesty and fairness over power and authority. Life is often like this also. Whether it’s foolish pride or simply being hard-headed, we all too often refuse to do the right thing even when it’s as plain as the nose on our face. It is human nature to hate being proven wrong because when we only think of ourselves, we are all self-centered. In the Bible, God declares the following:

The godly will rejoice in the Lord and find shelter in him. And those who do what is right will praise him. Psalms 64:10 NLT

A truthful witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies.

Proverbs 14:5 NIV

So, starting today, let’s all make a commitment to do the right thing in whatever situation we find ourselves in whether it may seem to be in our best interest to or not. Bill France withstood any momentary loss of credibility by doing the right thing and helped build NASCAR into the great sport it is today. When you are one of His children, God will honor your honesty and reward you far beyond any temporary loss you may experience when you do the right thing in His name and for His glory!

In the same way, let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 NIV

DAY 5

Overcoming Your Fear

Many years ago, when I, Myron Pritchard, was a brash, inexperienced driver (and I use the term driver very loosely), I took the green flag, along with twenty-three other drivers, to start only the second race of my career. I roared wide open into the sharp, slippery first turn at the Sumter (SC) Speedway as if I was trying to win the race on the first lap and quickly realized I had driven into the corner way too deep. I instinctively, slammed on the brakes, but it was too late. The car’s momentum caused me to fly over the old dirt track’s embankment and flip wildly down the other side. Thankfully, the car came to rest right-side up with me, the terrified wild-buck that I was, sitting stunned in the driver’s seat. It was the first time I had flipped in a race car, and it almost scared me to death.

My brother Harry, who truly was a great race car driver, came rushing over the turn, down the banking, and up to the door of my car. He didn’t ask me if I was hurt or nothing; he just told me to try to start the car. When I reluctantly tried to do so, it actually brought me great joy that the car would not make a sound. My feelings went from relief back to fear however when my brother yelled, Wait a minute, the battery has been thrown out of the car. He reconnected the battery, and much to my dismay, the car started right up. As I started to pull around and get back up on the track, Harry stuck his head in the window and said, You ain’t scared, are you? Well, let me tell you, those were the only words I needed to listen to in order to overcome my fear. I restarted twenty-fourth and wound up fifth which was a pretty big deal for me at the time.

Anyone who really looks at the spiritual side of this life may have a similar type of fear as well. All people are scared to die. It is only natural to fear what happens after death. However, everyone will eventually flip to the other side someday. Therefore, it would only be natural to listen when a man claims He is the only one who can guarantee you victory over death. The Bible tells us there is such a man. His name is Jesus Christ, and He is God’s Son. When you are scared about your future, The Bible says that if you believe in Jesus and obey His teachings, He will give you eternal life. He will become your brother, and you will become a child of God. Jesus did more than just motivate you to try harder (like my brother did for me that night long ago). Jesus took the punishment we all deserve for our sin and died on the cross for you and me. Then, He rose again to save us unto eternal life. We cannot save ourselves. We all sin and fall short of God’s requirement of sinless perfection. We need more than a motivator. We need a Savior. Jesus is our only hope. Accept Him and be saved today. Isaiah 53:5 NIV tells us:

He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

No one who belongs to Jesus has anything to fear. He paid the price for all past, present, and future sins with His blood on the cross, so let go of your fear, and be saved by His all-sufficient sacrifice today.

DAY 6

Change! Change! Change!

Change! Change! Change! A great day of change came to the world of NASCAR racing following the 2003 season. After thirty-three years as the title sponsor, the Winston Cup series was renamed the Nextel Cup series (since changed to Sprint Cup) and several changes were implemented. The Chase was instituted as a type of play-off system in order to determine the NASCAR champion at the end of the year. A new point system was installed with only those who qualified under the existing NASCAR rules eligible for the championship each year. These changes, along with numerous others, were made in good faith that the racing would be better, the number of fans would increase, and the popularity of the sport would soar. A tremendous sacrifice was made to bring about these changes. There were many months of planning and preparing for the changes, and there was a heavy cost paid to bring about this great day of change. New goals were set for the great sport of racing in this new era, and the new sponsors