by Jonathan Howe
As one of the most recognizable personalities in NASCAR, Darrell Waltrip is not one to downplay his faith. The Kentucky-born racer offers a rare look into the successes and failures of his hall-of-fame career in the new book The Race: Living Life on Track.
Waltrip is known as one of the best storytellers in NASCAR, and his humorous, insightful tales set the stage for each chapter in the book. Whether he is regaling the reader with how he got started in the sport by racing go karts after church on Sunday afternoons, or the time he had to ask forgiveness from fellow driver Ricky Craven prior to a pre-race chapel service, the parallels between racing and life keep coming.
Written with Motor Racing Outreach president Billy Mauldin and MRO director of development Kyle Froman, The Race provides an inside look at the religious support system of NASCAR’s weekly traveling circus, while challenging the reader to live out the mission God has set before them through preparation, direction, and execution.
As it is in racing, being prepared is a key to having success in life. Cars that aren’t prepared well typically don’t perform well. In the same way, a life not rooted in gospel truth will not produce gospel fruit. As we seek to live out the mission God has laid out for us, we need to be prepared—both physically and spiritually—to complete the race He has given us.
Once prepared, our mission needs a direction and destination. NASCAR officials design the course and distance of each race, and God does the same thing for us. Yet like the drivers, we never know when the track might change or what may come our way. So as we live our lives on mission, it’s critical for us to adapt to where, when, how, and why God calls us to specific situations along the way.
Knowing our mission is just half the battle, though. We still have to live it out. It wouldn’t make sense for a driver and team to show up, qualify for a race, practice, then not start the race. We waste our preparation if we don’t follow through on the mission God has given us.
And that’s what The Race calls us to—to prepare for, receive, and live out the mission God has for our lives. Not for our fame and glory, but for Christ’s. It’s up to us to leave the garage, line up on the track, and then “boogity, boogity, boogity” toward the finish line Christ has set before us.
Click to purchase The Race: Living Life on Track.
Jonathan Howe (@Jonathan_Howe) is social media specialist for Lifeway communications.
featured photo credit: raniel diaz via photopin cc
