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Chapel Service
Portland International Raceway
July 18, 2010
“Racing Rhythm”
Bob Butcher
Today’s Chapel: “Racing Rhythm”
You’ve all been to the track and seen the Drivers race. Everyone races; one wins. Race to win. All good Drivers train hard. It takes years of seat time & practice to gain that sweet rhythm. They do it for a trophy that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s eternal.
(That is nothing more than 1 Corinthians 9:24, Gospel by Bob)
Life is like racing too. We love being in a rhythm and running well. You got it all down, confident.
Then,…BAM! … just like racing; we get rattled big-time when we get knocked a bit off track or something happens that rattles us even if it isn’t our doing like a crew mistake on a pit stop.
Life was fine a moment ago, and now God allows or brings a test that you did not foresee.
Okay, you are way off rhythm now …off the pace, focus interrupted or maybe mad and ready to do something stupid…
Stop here a moment and turn to the person next to you and tell them:
“you look pretty good for what you have been through!”
Often we need a calming influence like our Crew Chief on the radio, to catch our breath and get back focused and restore our rhythm. That is totally, where God comes in during a life crisis. An Owner, Crew Chief, Friend, Family cannot ever give you back the focus that requires the peace that ONLY God can bring because He knows the end from the beginning. (see Philippians 4:7)
Let me use this analogy: “ You are here at Portland and everything is going great when all of a sudden out of turn 11 you are sideways, backwards, heading for the wall …
…blind in the dirt, tight grip on the wheel, knowing this is gonna hurt.
…this cars gonna be totaled…
…all the work the Owner, my Crew have put in is gonna be wasted…
…I might be out of a ride…
When you hear “ Let go & trust Me”…
“Who are you?”
“God” …just let go of the wheel and trust Me”
Your response?…
“Is there anybody else up there?”
Have you ever found yourself in a position where:…
…Your control is in question?
…Your faith is in question?
How many times have you prayed “My life is in your hands Lord”
…Then, how many times have you taken it back?
…Well, you are in good company …so did the Disciples …and me!
…consider them in the boat in the storm & He calmed the sea.
Or …consider kids when you are washing their hair & tell them…
…”Now …DON”T open your eyes …over & over, yet…”
What do they do? …They open their eyes & the whole deal goes south.
Isn’t that what we do to God?
John 14:1 says: “Don’t let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me…”
The wisdom of Solomon in Proverbs 3:5-7 says:
“Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart and do not lean on you own understanding.
…In ALL your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
…Do not be wise in your own eyes!”
Proverbs is full of scripture that alludes to the fact that…
“If you trust in yourself, then you are a fool…
…But those who trust in God will never be disappointed”
So today…
Let me express Philippians 4:7 this way (In The Gospel by Bob):
“When your rhythm gets broken …don’t fret or worry. That only leads deeper into fear. Instead, …pray! Let God know your deepest concerns with petitions and then praise. Before you know it, God will settle you down and bring peace that defies all comprehension and put you back in rhythm, …maybe not the way you see it; but bringing everything together for good in His big picture. This peace will control the way you think and feel and guard your heart against worry and fear. This kind of trust will allow God to do something beyond anything you ever expected”
Get in a rhythm today
&
Have a safe and prosperous race today!
Bob ♥ Kathy Butcher
Chaplains / Pastors to:
NASCAR K & N Pro Series West
Bob is not paid by NASCAR or by MRO.
Bob is a volunteer and pays his expenses by donations received.
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7085 Battlecreek Road SE, Salem, OR 97317
Posted in MRO Updates and News
Ranger Coasts To Victory At Infineon
Two-time Canadian Tire champ has just enough in tank for win By Kevin W. Green, NASCARJune 19, 2010 – 6:07pm
SONOMA, Calif. – Andrew Ranger ran out of gas on the final lap, but fortunately, the checkered flag was in sight. Ranger coasted across the finish line to capture the Thunder Valley Casino Resort 200 at Infineon Raceway on Saturday.
It gave him a victory in his first start in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. The two-time NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 champion had made two starts previously this year in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.
“All race long, my crew chief told me to try to save as much fuel as I can,” Ranger said. “I saved fuel a little bit, not much. Right there in the last corner of the last lap, I saw the car moving a really weird. I saw something wrong with the engine. I said it’s probably the fuel.”
In addition to trying to save fuel, Ranger said he had tried to take care of his car and tires throughout the event.
“I tried to save my stuff all race long, but I could see behind me and in front of me the guys were pushing really hard,” he said. “I was trying to stay on the pace. I tried to save my tires, at the same time.”
Paulie Harraka grabbed second place on the final lap and was followed by Brandon Davis, who was making his second series start. Two-time series champion Eric Holmes and Michael Self were fourth and fifth, respectively. Rounding out the top 10 were Todd Souza, Luis Martinez Jr., Jim Inglebright, Moses Smith and Wes Banks.
Holmes took over the lead in the championship standings by 24 points over David Mayhew – who started third, but struggled to a 23rd-place finish with engine trouble.
Jason Bowles, who won the Coors Light Pole Award on Friday and led the initial 16 laps, was running second to Ranger in the closing stages on the 1.99-mile road course but coasted to a halt 100 feet short of the finish line after he ran out of gas. Bowles was credited with a 22nd-place finish in the event he won each of the last two years.
Several other of the front runners, including NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver David Gilliland, who led a race-high 19 laps, had trouble late in Saturday’s event. Gilliland finished 28th after pulling off the course while running second after 56 laps with transmission issues.
Ranger led twice for 17 laps. He edged Gilliland to lead lap 44 and then wrestled the lead away from him for good following a lap 49 restart. Ranger led the remainder of the event, pulling away to win by 6.059 seconds.
Six of Ranger’s nine wins in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series were on road courses and he was third in the NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Montreal last year. He is the first Canadian winner in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West since Gary Smith won at Portland (Ore.) Speedway on July 10, 1998.
With his win, Ranger secured a spot in the prestigious postseason NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown.
The Thunder Valley Casino Resort 200 will air on SPEED on Thursday, June 24 at 6 p.m. ET.
Harraka’s runner-up finish boosted him to third in the championship standings – behind Holmes and Mayhew. Jonathon Gomez, who came back from a multi-car incident on lap 41 to finish 11th, is fourth in the standings. Moses Smith is fifth in points. Rounding out the top 10 are Souza, Greg Pursley, Martinez, Self and Blake Koch.
The next event on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West schedule is the King Taco 200 at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (Calif.) on July 3.
RACE RESULTS | LAP-BY-LAP RECAP | POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE AUDIO OF RANGER | POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE AUDIO OF HARRAKA AND DAVIS | POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE VIDEO OF RANGER | POST-RACE CONFERENCE VIDEO OF HARRAKA AND DAVIS
Andrew Ranger drove to his first NASCAR K&N Pro Series West victory Saturday at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. Getty Images
Posted in MRO Updates and News
From left, Steve Williams (vice president of marketing for K&N Filters) stands with NASCAR's Bob Duvall, Richard Buck and George Silbermann at the unveiling of the K&N sponsorship for NASCAR's top developmental series Thursday.
Posted in MRO Updates and News