The 2011 season has brought us to many new places, we have met many new
people along the way and we are not finished yet! Our reach continues to
expand and we have added several new workers in the field. Greetings in the
name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Not only have we added new frontiers, we have been able to increase
our impact where we currently have a presence. We are encouraged by the
increase in the people requesting prayer for guidance in their lives. God
has opened the hearts of many to receive His message of salvation.
As I walked through the vintage cars at Lime Rock this past weekend
the memories of my youth and attending races came to mind. The drivers of
these machines were larger than life. The life they lived, the races they
ran, the stories they told. It is good to remember where we come from and
where we are now.
As we look back on the racing season we are amazed at how far we
have come. We have realized some dreams that Rev. Pat had when he founded
this ministry. Much the same way racers honor those who raced in days gone
by; I remember the vision that Pat had for Racing with Jesus Ministries. He
would be proud to see how God has blessed us.
Requests continue to come in for our services as people realize the
impact our presence at the track can have. We have heard over and over again
from the racing community how much they appreciate us being there. They have
made a point of stopping and thanking us. It is encouraging when a racer
pulls away from working on his car, wipes off his hand, extends it to you
and says thanks for being here; we really need you out here.
In addition to being at the track God has provided the opportunity
to participate in events away from the track, helping local churches as they
reach out through Vacation Bible Schools. The theme for many this year has
been “Rev it Up, Full Throttle for God”! Through this effort we have been
able to introduce children, parents and Church leaders to racing, our
mission, and have seen many come to embrace the love that Jesus has for
them.
God has opened many new opportunities for us. It is clearly His
hand and His work. We are confident He will see it through to completion. We
also know He has called you alongside to help us on this mission. We have
several invitations to provide the presence of God at the track and on the
road, but we need you. If God continues leading as He has, the reach of the
Gospel to the racing community will expand tremendously. As I write to you
my heart aches with excitement over the plans that God has for this
ministry.
To borrow from the VBS curriculum we hear the message of hope loud
and clear;
1Corinthinans 15:5;
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
We have many responsibilities at
the track, but none more important than to minister to those in the racing
family. In our official capacity we close the driver’s meeting in prayer, as
the schedule permits we hold a Chapel service on race day and we come by and
give the driver and team the opportunity to pray before heading out to race.
Also, we are available anytime to talk, answer questions and help;
at the track or away, please don’t hesitate to track us down if there is
some way we can assist you. We have many local Chaplains as well as those
that travel with various tours and series. There is always someone available
to help.
Recent events have made this a financially difficult time for RWJM
and we find ourselves stretched and in need of your help. We have been
working diligently to broaden our support base and we know that God’s hand
is in all of this. In turn, as we grow our need for resources also grows. As
His word reminds us;
Matthew 7:7
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door
will be opened to you.”
If you
have been touched by our efforts and appreciate having us with you and
available to you, please help by supporting what we do. I ask you to
prayerfully consider how you might be able to partner with us and make a
gift of support to make these opportunities a reality. Consider how you
might be able to help us expand the reach and impact of this ministry; your
gift will enable RWJM to fulfill the needs that have been requested of us.
Romans 10:14-15;
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?
And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?
And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
And how can they preach unless they are sent?
As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!".”
It is and always will be our
pleasure to serve you; we are your ministers, your friends and your Church.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you in Jesus name.
THOUGHTS FROM THE
ROAD
WEATHER POSTPONES THOMPSON FINAL
- Thompson couldn’t even catch a break for their last points show of the
season, wet weather postponed that until this week. Unfortunately I will be
with the Tour up at NHMS but we will try and have someone there to cover the
final TTNT event.
STAFFORD CROWNS A NEW SK CHAMP - He made the move to get
more seat time and finished it off at the top of the standings. Ryan Preece
brought home the coveted SKMod Championship with room to spare Friday night
at Stafford. This has always been one of the most exciting divisions to
watch on the local scene and this year didn’t disappoint. With many regulars
from the Whelen Modified Tour and others with extensive Tour experience the
field is considered one of the best at any local track. I was in attendance
last week and the SKMods put on a spectacular show.
One of the perennial contenders has had an off year. Woody Pitkat
searched most of the year for the power he needed to get to the front. He
found it a few weeks ago and won his first SKMod feature. I talked with him
and he shared his frustration, not wanting just to be an also ran, he wants
to run up front and contend for the victory. After his victory he shared
that they finally found the problem, fixed it and away they went.
Woody pulled the double last Friday night winning both the SKMod
and Late Model features. The late model win puts him 24 points behind Ryan
Posocco for the Late Model Title. Make your plans now for the Fall Final; it
should be a good one.
LIME ROCK MEMORIES - I enjoy heading back to Lime Rock. I
must admit heading there to see the Modifieds is a little different but none
the less this track holds a special place in my heart. This was the first
track Rev. Pat sent me out on my own to serve as a chaplain for RWJM.
Lime Rock always brings back those memories and this trip added a
few more. We met up with Carey Heath, a former Busch North Driver, who also
has a special place in her heart for Lime Rock and she stopped by to say hi.
As I mentioned before, the vintage cars also brought back memories of races
gone by.
Road courses have a way of evening things out, if you miss your
mark in one corner it will catch up to you in the next. Driving with
reckless abandon tends to catch up with you. Having a fast car can lead to
some unforeseen executions off course. TC had a few off road experiences but
proved to be a great off road driver. Maybe he needs to hook up with Robby
Gordon and do some desert racing.
Mike Stefanik had the best seat in the house for a few of those, he
shared that he found himself chuckling to himself as he watched the dust fly
and TC mow the grass. TC certainly can drive and had a car to win the race
but had to settle for fifth place on this day.
The victory belonged to Todd Szegedy, pole winner last year and
this year. Todd used his SCCA experience to drive to the front after his pit
stop put him back in forth place. The second set of tires wasn’t perfect but
as Stefanik put it, he looked fine when he went by me. The victory vaulted
Szegedy to the top of the standings and with three races left this will be a
championship race to watch.
SHANE HAMMOND MIDGET DRIVING SCHOOL - If you ever wanted to
experience the thrill of driving a Midget now’s the time; The Shane Hammond
Midget Driving Experience will hold a special session this Saturday,
September 24, at Waterford Speedbowl. All proceeds will go to help the Shane
Hammond Believe Foundation which in turn helps racers with safety equipment
and education. If interested, please contact Deb at shanebelieve@comcast.net
or call Bobby Seymour at The Race Depot, 508-485-5605
We head up to NHMS for a double header this week. We look forward
to seeing some of our old friends there. Take the time to get out there and
see some racing live and in person.
Until next time, be a witness for our Lord with the ministry decals and
apparel. See them at the Show Your Faith Apparel Store at
www.rwjm.com. Send us
your prayer and counseling needs no matter what part of our racing family
you are in, or give us a call. Until next time, remember that God loves you,
we love you and
Jesus is Lord over Auto Racing. GOD BLESS.
 Mail reaches us at Racing with Jesus Ministries, PO Box 586,
Tolland, CT 06084.
Check our weekly printed pages in "Area Auto Racing
News",
the East Coast’s largest weekly racing paper.
See our on-line Apparel
Store for subscription information.
Check our home page
www.rwjm.org for past
articles.
We invite you to input your thoughts as you sign our Guest Book.
Please remember, we can only do what we do because of your prayerful
financial support.
Numbers 6:24-26 "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord
make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face
toward you and give you peace."
May God always Bless you, everyday in everyway. Rev. Don
CHECKERED CHEERS
***WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES***
September 21
SONNY & AMY STRUPP- Grandparents of Bill Darcy of Darcy Racing and the #24
Micro-Sprint celebrate 64 years together.
September 22
JOSEPH & JUTTA ARENA- This Kensington, CT Riverside Park Speedway couple
have their 19th anniversary.
September 24
JIM & MARIE BARNES- These Long Island race fans celebrate 24 years together.
September 25
ED & GINNY PERRY- This Rehoboth, MA faithful NEMA and Seekonk Speedway
couple have their 38th anniversary.
September 27
BRAD & LINDA HIETALA- The proprietor of Reliable Welding in Enfield, CT/
Stafford Motor Speedway NASCAR Mod driver and wife have their anniversary.
JEFF & JENNIFER PEARL- This Waterford Speedbowl Modified driver from
Colchester, CT and wife share their 12th anniversary.
***HAPPY BIRTHDAYS***
September 21
RICHARD CHILDRESS- Welcome, NC famous KNPSE/CWTS/NNS/NSC team owner.
ARIE LUYENDYK- Holland born, Scottsdale, AZ infamous IRL retired driver, now
TV commentator.
STEVE HODDICK- Cheektowaga, NY NASCAR KNPSE driver.
CURTIS MARKHAM- Fredericksburg, VA NNS/NSC driver.
GARY IULG- Retired Upstate NY driving great.
September 22
FRANK COZZE- Wind Gap, PA dirt Modified ace.
TOM MAUSER- NJ asphalt Modified driver.
JEFF ZUIDEMA- No. Brookfield, MA ProStock driver.
TIM MROWKA- Torrington, CT semi-retired asphalt Modified driver.
JEFF ZERELLA- Former Fiore Gulf Racing NASCAR WMT team crewman.
JASON LaHUE- Son of White Mountain Motorsports Park LM driver Don and wife
Robin.
STEVE BOTTCHER- Son of Lehighton, PA dirt Mod driver Bobby.
SONNY STRUPP- Grandfather of Bill Darcy of Darcy Racing and the #24
Micro-Sprint.
September 23
TOMMY SIGMON- Hickory, NC LMSC driver.
BILLY LAWSON- NC Modified driver.
TYCE CARLSON- Indianapolis, IN IRL driver.
September 24
BOB CRAMER- NJ asphalt Modified driver.
GLENN ALLEN, JR.- Cincinnati, OH NNS driver.
COREY LaJOIE- Son of Norwalk, CT Joie of Seating founder/owner and NNS
Champion Randy and wife Lisa is now driving in the KNPSE.
ROB BRANNON- Canterbury, CT, Betty Evans son, lead singer, guitarist for
Christian Rock group "WARFARE".
September 25
STEVE SULLIVAN- Crew Chief for the former NASCAR KNPSE team driven by Kelly
Moore.
SCOTT PUNCH- NNS crewman son of Newton, NC Wolfhead Oil NNS Team manager
Dennis and wife Pat.
BRITTANY MUHA- Tom's River, NJ Quarter Midget driver.
September 26
JOE NEMECHEK- Front Row Joe, Lakeland, FL Sprint Cup driver.
PAUL DURANT- Manteca, CA IRL driver.
LINDA AUSTIN- Fromer scorer for the NASCAR KNPSE #5 team owned by Barney
McRae.
SHERI FULLER- Wife of No. Boylston, MA former NASCAR WMT team owner, Bobby,
one of the famous Fuller racing brothers.
CLAY PURVIS- Son of Clarksville, TN NNS driver Jeff and wife Susan.
MARY BETH WIBBELSMAN- The grown-up daughter of RWJM Advisor Dick and
Counselor wife Judy of Gainesville, FL.
September 27
WARREN ALSTON- A friend of RWJM, NASCAR Official and Christian brother.
BERT MARVIN- Colchester, CT Modified driver.
DAN ORBST- Potland, OR NASCAR West driver.
BRUCE TAYLOR- Seekonk, MA NASCAR WMT and ProStock driver.
JOE TRUDEAU- Chaplin, CT retired Modified driver.
DOREEN COLSON- Wife of Leominster, MA ProStock driver Fran.
JUSTIN CUSACK- Son of Beech Ridge Motor Speedway President Glenn.
KRISTEN MONTVILLE- The daughter of Solhem Racing NASCAR KNPSE/NASCAR WMT
crewman Chuck.
PAM KRAUSE- The wife of AARN's Assistant to the Editor/ Columnist, Earl.
SHARE YOUR SPECIAL OCCASIONS WITH YOUR RACING FAMILY.
SEND THEM TO:
RACING WITH JESUS MINISTRIES
PO Box 586
Tolland, CT, 06084
TheChromeHorn RWJM Archives
Racing With Jesus Ministries Website
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