Racing With Giants: How God Can Steer You to the Winner's Circle

By Mike Hembree

Heroes of the racetrack-and heroes of faith.

The growing and immense popularity of NASCAR speaks to its very human, yet iconic stars. In Racing with Giants, veteran sportswriter Mike Hembree pairs stories from the lives of NASCAR heroes with heroic tales from the Bible, with inspiring and faith-affirming results. Accented with vibrant photography, prayers, activities, and fun facts, Racing with Giants is a must-buy for the NASCAR fan in your life, or for anyone wanting to let God steer them to success.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Mar 16, 2009
• ISBN: 9781418561543

Book preview

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From:

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On the occasion of:

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RACING WITH GIANTS

Copyright © 2009 by Mike Hembree

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson®. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Thomas Nelson, Inc. titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail SpecialMarkets@ ThomasNelson.com.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from NEW KING JAMES VERSION © 1992 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Other Scripture references are taken from New International Version (NIV) © 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers; Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT) © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Ill.

All rights reserved.

Project Manager: Lisa Stilwell

Project Editor: Jessica Inman

Designed by Koechel Peterson and Associates, Inc.,

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Photography by Phil Cavali Photography. philcavali.com

Labonte 1982, and Earnhardt 1975 by

Dorsey Patrick Photography

ISBN-10: 1-4041-8701-4

ISBN-13: 978-1-4041-8701-6

Printed and bound in China

www.thomasnelson.com

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

foreword

FACING A GIANT

A BRUSH WITH DEATH

CREATIVITY PAYS OFF

SMALL BEGINNINGS LEAD TO GREAT THINGS

RISING TO THE CHALLENGE

BLESSINGS IN DISGUISE

BIG SHOES TO FILL

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CHARACTER UNDER PRESSURE

MAKING THE TURN

SURVIVING THE DESERT

DOWN BUT NOT OUT

IN THE WILDERNESS

TAKE ACTION

BEYOND EXPECTATIONS

ALL IN THE FAMILY

YOUTH AND SKILL

FOREWORD

OVERCOING LIFE’S

OBSTACLES

by KYLE PETTY

// NASCAR racing, at its very core, is a weekly examination that challenges you to overcome adversity. Very rarely do you have a perfect race. There are just too many facets to stock car racing for everything to run smoothly thirty-eight weeks of the year. Within a 500-mile race, something will inevitably happen to throw you off course, and you will need to adjust.

That same dynamic is found off the racetrack as well. God does not make things easy on you, nor should He. He provides you with the tools necessary to be successful in whatever you choose to do, but it is up to you to draw on your inner fortitude to overcome any obstacles that may stand in your way.

The same goes for every area of life. It’s not whether you get knocked down—you will; it’s how you get back up that defines who you are as a person. Your faith plays a large role in that. As a spiritual person, it is my belief that there is a higher being at work in everything we encounter.

As the Bible says in Proverbs 3:5–6: Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take (nlt).

I have faced obstacles in both my professional and personal life. I have lost family and friends to the sport that I have devoted my life to. Many were taken from us in the prime of their life, but it was my belief that they were needed up above that helped me and my family through those times.

From one of those instances, our family has risen to impact a number of young people in a positive way. The Victory Junction Gang Camp was the brainchild of my son, Adam. Adam was taken from us in a practice accident at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2000. Before he died, he had envisioned a medically staffed and supported summer camp where children with terminal and life-threatening illnesses could have the opportunity to experience camp just like any other kid. We officially opened Victory Junction in his honor in 2004. When these kids leave camp, they have the same infectious smile that Adam wore, and we know that he is still part of our lives.

Without my faith, I don’t know if I would have been able to pick up the pieces and finish what Adam had started. But throughout these difficult years, I know that I have become a stronger person. That’s what defeating adversity is all about. If we trust God and persevere, life’s hard times don’t have to overcome us. We can allow adversity to make us better, stronger people.

Comfort and prosperity have never enriched the

world as much as adversity has.

DR. BILLY GRAHAM

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Dale Earnhardt Jr.

CHAPTER one

FACING A GIANT

// Dale Earnhardt Jr., the son of one of the most popular racers in NASCAR history, was just coming of age in his own racing career. But when his father was killed on the last lap of the Daytona 500 in February of 2001, Junior found his life turned upside down.

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/// Earnhardt Sr. often used Junior’s nickname, June Bug, when talking about him.

START YOUR ENGINES

Begin each day with prayer asking for God’s wisdom. He knows the course and sees your possible missteps. Thank Him for His care and guidance.

EARNHARDT SR. WAS AN ICON. He had won a record seven national championships using a rough-and-tumble driving style that endeared him to millions of fans. Many thought of him almost as part of their own families because he grew up in a small North Carolina textile mill village, battling his way out of tough circumstances to success and fame.

When he died, Earnhardt’s legion of fans lost a hero, and they grieved openly and publicly. Thousands traveled to Earnhardt’s racing shop in Mooresville, North Carolina, to leave flowers and Earnhardt caps, photographs, and other memorabilia along the fence fronting the property. One fan even left his prosthetic leg—he wouldn’t need it anymore, he wrote in a note, because he would no longer be traveling to watch his hero race.

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DEAR GOD, I believe in You, but I’m so lost without Your help. Open my heart to Your ways. Open my ears to Your word. Help me surrender my life to You. I’m but a child struggling along the way. I want to know You, Lord. Give me Your wisdom, and bless me, I pray.

FOR DALE EARNHARDT JR., THE PAIN WAS ESPECIALLY IMMENSE. RACING HAD LOST A STAR. EARNHARDT JR. HAD LOST A FATHER.

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In the dizzying week that followed, Junior returned to racing only a few days after putting his father to rest. It seemed that the world suddenly sat on his shoulders, and some thought his budding driving career would dissolve.

Junior dealt with his father’s death in part by facing it directly. Prior to the NASCAR circuit’s return to Daytona International Speedway in