April 19, 2006

By Rebecca Gladden

Rebecca Gladden

NASCAR is the only major sport in the U.S. which opens its weekly ceremonies with an invocation.

And it's not just any prayer, but almost always a Christian one, invoking the blessings of Jesus on the event and its participants.

In fact, Christian influences are prevalent in the sport, from sponsors to driver testimonies to trackside prayer services.

As a privately-owned company which has sanctioned stock-car races since 1948, NASCAR makes no apologies for its connection to Christianity.

Nor should it.

The question is, how long can NASCAR continue to be a faith-based island in a sea of political correctness?

In the real world, tolerance and inclusiveness are pervasive buzzwords, prompting many individuals and groups to opt for religious neutrality rather than risk offending. Headlines tell of lawsuits challenging the word God in the Pledge of Allegiance and the posting of the Ten Commandments in court buildings. Store employees are prohibited from saying "Merry Christmas," and sports teams and municipalities are pressured to change potentially offensive names, logos and symbols to ones deemed less objectionable.

But, thus far, the NASCAR world has remained surprisingly unfazed. In fact, Motor Racing Outreach, a non-profit Christian organization, provides traveling ministers who accompany the NASCAR community to racetracks each week throughout the season. MRO's stated mission is, "To introduce the racing community to a personal faith in Christ, to growth in Christlikeness, and to (foster) active involvement in the church through relationships that provide care in times of stress, knowledge of God's word, and assistance in the development of leadership skills."

The MRO website lists NASCAR as one of its corporate sponsors, and several former drivers serve on MRO's Board of Directors, including three-time Cup champion and Fox Sports commentator Darrell Waltrip, who is Chairman of the Board. J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing which fields the Cup rides of two-time champ Tony Stewart and rookies Denny Hamlin and J.J. Yeley, is also a member of the Board.

Among the many services offered by MRO are trackside chapel services, Bible clubs for children, special events for wives, and community events for the entire family. MRO chaplains offer counseling to individuals and pray with drivers who request it just prior to the start of each race.

As the name implies, Motor Racing Outreach considers evangelism one of its primary goals. The organization's website states, "Over the years, MRO has worked inside the track in hopes of seeing men and women who compete in the sport step forward, publicly, using the platform of racing God has given them, to tell the fans what God has done in their lives. These stories are told through outreach events both at the tracks and in local communities, using communication tools such as personal appearances, print, radio, TV, and the Internet."

Additionally, the website provides the Christian testimonies of a number of current and former NASCAR drivers, including Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett, Mark Martin, Jeff Green, and Darrell Waltrip.

It should come as no surprise that in a sport like racing, where lives are literally on the line every week, that drivers and loved ones would seek spiritual guidance. Almost everyone in NASCAR has witnessed the death or serious injury of a competitor at some point. As Jeff Gordon wrote in his testimonial on the MRO website, "When you are involved in a dangerous sport like auto racing, you rely on a higher power to keep you safe and overcome adversity."

The surprising part is that, so far, NASCAR's Christian connection has gone relatively unchallenged.

But the first hint of a problem may have surfaced earlier this month when word leaked out that the TV news magazine Dateline NBC sent Muslim-looking men to Martinsville Speedway, Virginia, in April, apparently to gauge "anti-Muslim sentiment in the United States," according TO a network representative. As it turned out, not a single incident of religious intolerance or bigotry was observed by the Dateline crew.

But the episode demonstrates that to many, NASCAR is still considered a southeastern Bible Belt sport - despite the fact that it has experienced exponential nationwide growth over the past decade.

While it remains to be seen, there are likely more challenges to NASCAR's Christian connection in the offing, particularly as the sport attempts to diversify both its field of competitors and its fan base.

With Dateline NBC's advanced strike, can other forces of political correctness be far behind?

The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN. Although we may not always agree with what is said, we do feel it's our duty to give a voice to those who have something relevant to say about the sport of auto racing.