Racing in Canada

Welcome to Canada. NASCAR fans are not used to hearing the opening ceremonies offered in French. The province of Quebec, where the race is today, is the only part of Canada that is not bi-lingual. French is the only official language of that province. English is not found on signs or spoken in public locations.

I lived in Canada for 2 years during the 80's. Each time my children heard the Canadian National Anthem, my son thought the final line was

"We stand on guard for thieves."

The Canadian National Anthem is beautiful and actually ends "We stand on guard for thee!"

God & NASCAR

NASCAR begins every event with their "opening ceremonies". This included a color guard to display the flag, an invocation which is an opening prayer and the national anthem. What other sport opens with prayer? None that I know of on the national level.

But this isn't the only time in NASCAR you will see faith in action. I came across an article called

God and NASCAR. Even though it was written two years ago, you may still find it interesting to read about how Christianity is lived out at a race track.

What Does Respect Mean for America

I wrote my column for InsiderRacingNews.com on respect this week. I titled it an Open Letter to Tony Stewart. My personal feeling is that good manners is a form of respect including whatever we do.

Lack of respect is shown by not treating everyone like we would like to be treated. My daughter teaches high school biology. In her classroom there are two rules. 1)Be nice 2)Do your best.

I think all of life would be better if all of us would 'just be nice'.

Is Tony Stewart the only NASCAR driver to not show respect to his fans and the media. Of course not. But Tony Stewart is right out there with his feelings and it becomes evident how he feels.

This extends to the Internet. Just read comments on any news story, twitter or blogs. People can be very disrespectful to anyone who disagrees with them.

Michael Waltrip tweeted recently: Need to learn to debate topics without resorting to insults. It shows a complete lack of intelligence. The unfollow button is easy to find.

I couldn't agree more!

Greg Biffle's Will to Win

Sunday's win by Greg Biffle at Pocono broke a 64 race winless streak for him. Biffle met the press after the race and spoke of his will to win. It was an emotional win for Biffle. His owner, Jack Roush, remains in Mayo hospital following a plane crash this week. The emotion of this past week certainly must have contributed to this will to win.

Biffle spoke of his will to win in a post-race press conference.

"I give 110% all the time, I never give up. No matter how grim the outcome can be, I'll still be digging no matter what. That's what I did today. I just kept after it in the racecar, took every advantage that I could get.

Later in the day, the car just really started going. These guys wanted me to slow down at the end. That's tough. I've been in that situation. Used to be in it quite a bit, being out front, five-second lead, slow down, take care of the car, take care of the fuel, take care of the engine, just back it down a little bit. That's hard to do inside the car."

So it was partly the great car and partly the will to win that pushed Biffle to Victory Lane. All I know is that it made for a great race.

Home on Her Knees

Racing for Jesus is a story about the faith of NASCAR drivers. It was written in 2008 for the magazine Christianity Today but the information rings true today.

It tells in the story that Tony Stewart's mother says she "prays alot" for her son. I have a good friend whose son fights in Mixes Martial Arts. When asked if she attends his fights, she said, "No, I stay home on my knees." I could feel her pain at watching her son fight in this sport where the winner walks away but the loser usually loses consciousness.

As mothers, one of the most important things we can do for our children is pray for them. But when they are involved in an activity that can be life-threatening such as auto racing, it seems like praying becomes even more imperative.

Are any of you readers the mother of someone involved in NASCAR or another dangerous sport. Let me know how you handle it emotionally and spiritually. I would like to share the stories of mothers for the upcoming Mother's Day.

Thanks.

Phoenix

Phoenix International Raceway on Saturday, April 10, 2010

The race started with a moment of silence for the West Virginia miners lost this week.

The color guard came from Luke Air Force Base which is very near the race track.

Ken Bower's, PIR Chaplain offered a prayer with a challenge to forgive as we are forgiven.

Dr. Jess McGuire performed the National Anthem on the trumpet and did a great job.

The flyover was 4 F-16's from Luke AFB.

Nice start to the race and the desert looks great.

What is your favorite way to hear the National Anthem performed? I like a group of singers who are singing in 4 part harmony.