I spent my Good Friday at a racetrack. There is relevance between the two. Bearing in mind that I am well aware that this is a motorsports website and not a religious one. Anyone who reads this page wants to digest auto racing content. There are plenty of forums elsewhere to read and discuss their own beliefs. But there was a definite connection presented among our favorite sport and the meaning of this day.
During many race events there is some form of a church service presented. Not necessarily any denomination, just a meeting with a generic, Christian background. All are invited, and all can follow their own faith whatever that may be.
Services are provided from the Sprint Cup level of racing to the grassroots level. This particular gathering was for the benefit of NASCAR’s Southern Modified Tour.
Kyle Froman spoke in the pit area of Ace Speedway. The Altamahaw, North Carolina oval is a four-tenths mile track that offers Friday night racing for the Whelen All American Series. Pastor Froman held his gathering at a most informal place, a few picnic tables in front of the infield concession stand.
A small group of crewmembers and race officials took a short break from their
duties of preparing for the afternoon’s first practice session, to attend.
The sermon spoke of the name of Good Friday on a day that is remembered for a crucifixion. The gist of the matter was that what happened on this day resulted in what is celebrated on Easter Sunday. In other words through great sacrifice comes great reward.
Racing crew members all well aware of the sacrifices that are necessary to succeed in this sport at any level. From the professionals who make a living at the major leagues, to the talented people who volunteer their time strictly for the love of the sport.
“Nobody stands up at the Waldorf Astoria and says” Pastor Froman points out, “ I’m glad we won the championship because all we did at the shop was pop some cold beverages, play darts, and then go hang out at the lake.”
People involved on a regular basis with the modifieds give up their free time, vacation days, and quality moments with their family to be at the track or at a garage. So much work and man-hours go into race team preparation before the ticket booths open to the public. These multiple hours are given by true racers that are immensely passionate about motor racing with a goal of great reward.
On this day twenty-two modifieds signed in for competition, meaning twenty-one could not achieve that best reward available.
This Friday is a regular workday for the majority of the pit crew volunteers on hand. For their giving of time, chamber of commerce weather also seemed to take the day off.
Pit sign in for the Tour began at 9:30 am, a full ten and half-hours before the scheduled green flag. Hauler parking began at ten with technical inspection another thirty minutes later. Several meetings dotted the schedule prior to the two o’clock practice period.
As the clock’s hands wound closer to the on track action time, mother nature decided the area’s grass needed some watering and the overcast sky released some precipitation. The team members that had already labored to set up their pit stalls were now hustling to reload cars and tools to prevent the rain from soaking the equipment.
The delay was brief, the race surface dried quickly, and NASCAR officials signaled the teams to resume practice preparation. Soon the roar of the modifieds was heard as the cars hit the track.
The ominous clouds kept spritzing the air with water pellets. The session was slightly
delayed one more time and kept mechanics guessing as to how much track time would be available.
Following the shortened ninety minute time frame crews then had to work hard to prepare their cars for inspection.
New tires for the race were impounded earlier in the day and released to the teams following the conclusion of practice. Inspection opened in thirty minutes and the cars went straight from qualifying to impound. The race would be over the 150-lap distance so teams needed to prepare for all that in a short period of time.
As the car tech line formed and workers pushed the cars, each team had to pull out one additional tool from their trucks. A tarp.
Rain resumed for another turn of soaking the socks and shoes of the already damp Modified Tour die hards. Each machine cleared inspection and was pushed into formation for time trials on a pit access road inside turns one and two. Then everyone waited.
And waited.
The storm intensified as the rain steadily became heavier. Some cloud to cloud lightning was seen while everyone patiently passed the time for this already once rain postponed event. Qualifying time approached while the officials and crews watched weather radar. Some in the NASCAR trailer, others on their personal laptops. Nobody’s prediction looked very positive.
Finally the signal came. Officials told everyone to load up. For the second time in 2009, the Ace Speedway Mod Tour race was rained out. A meeting was held to discuss impounding of tires and the following day’s scheduled race at Caraway Speedway.
Racecars and tools were reloaded in to car trailers in the driving rain. Soaked teams were moving down the road about a half-hour later.
Being involved in a race team cost many a day off from their job, fuel for trucks to tow the racecars, four new race tires, several gallons of race fuel, about twelve hours at the speedway, and clothes on their back that were dripping wet. All in a league where mechanics do not get paid. Today was strictly for the love of the sport and a shot at the one great reward when the checkered flag waves.
There is no comparing the sacrifice that was made on Good Friday many years ago which forms the basis of Christianity, to what these men and women did on this day. But the principals and lessons still apply.
This group loves motorsports so much and is passionate about it; they make sacrifices with an eye on the greater prize down the road.
They are people who love this sport.
That is a racer’s mentality.
Patrick Reynolds is a former NASCAR mechanic, most recently employed by Germain Racing on the team of Mike Wallace and the #7 Geico Toyota. Reynolds is an aspiring writer/broadcaster living in the Mooresville, North Carolina area. Reynolds also contributes for Race Talk Radio, dot com, The Bleacher Report and Spin Out Zone dot com.
