Kingdom Racing

Following the vaunted Indianapolis 500 is never an easy task. This year’s INDYCAR schedule had a new addition slated for the week after Indy, The Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix, resumed from a three year hiatus.

The onsite duties for Kingdom Racing were shouldered by our Outreach Director, Tim Carrie, for the Detroit race and he reported some incredibly amazing things from the assignment. From the moment of arrival at the Detroit circuit, God opened the doors for Tim to share the word of Christ through the Kingdom Racing story. And share he did!

Immediately, Tim crossed paths with a man from Detroit who had also been at Indianapolis the week prior. As they exchanged stories from the month of May, the man was very receptive to hearing how God was working in our lives and others through Kingdom Racing. It made for some wonderful fellowship on an otherwise cold and rainy first day at the Grand Prix.

The doors remained open on Saturday as Tim met up with one of the local fire safety personnel. He, too, was intrigued by hearing the story of Kingdom Racing and mentioned that he would check out our website to find out more. Our prayers are that he does and hopefully, will communicate with us to find out more. That would be an amazing testament to God’s handiwork out by the track!

As Tim’s day continued, he spent time with some of the track volunteers and raved about how incredibly knowledgeable and friendly they were about the race and venue, making for a pleasant experience for all involved at the track. In qualifying, Simon was quite competitive in the No. 77 Schmidt Hamilton Motorsports car in every session, even challenging for the pole in the Firestone Fast Six. That evening, Tim shared the story and mission of Kingdom Racing with a local church pastor and his wife, who, after hearing of how God is working through us in the world of racing asked how they can help with our local ministry with each local race going forward. Keeping form with what we have experienced at each stop along the way this season, God is placing the right people before us at the right time to grow His ministry.

On race day Sunday, Tim represented the kingdom by serving in the INDYCAR Ministry chapel service with pastor Bob Hills before encountering other folks God placed before us. A young woman working close to our paddock location opened up about several tragedies in her life and was joyous that she had decided to come to work that day because of the talk she had with Tim about how Christ works in our lives. Said Tim, it “was definitely a Kingdom moment!” Another took place out on pit road during the Indy Lights race as he was able to turn someone’s initial negative perception to positive after sharing our story. The discussion ended with pleasant handshakes and graciousness for sharing the story of Kingdom Racing.

On the track, Simon Pagenaud finished third in a race marred oddly by deteriorating track surfaces that had to be repaired under a red flag condition and ultimately shortened the distance by 30 laps. The result placed him on the podium for the second time this season, the first being second place at Long Beach. It still deeply amazes to see the doors God has opened through our increased visibility and racing success this season. We know that the best is yet to come and Kingdom Racing will keep doing what God has charged us to do, simply show up and follow His lead!

Charles West

Team Director

Simply put, the 2012 Indianapolis 500 for Kingdom Racing was incredible. Moreover, it was so before we ever got to the specter of Race Day. Even in all its glorious splendor and historical pageantry, the actual running of the 500 was to our entire month-long ministry outreach like the period at the end of this sentence, merely a terminating punctuation to an amazing journey.

Kingdom Racing shifted gears for this year’s schedule at Indy. We hosted families nominated through a program called Miles of Smiles and shared the love of Christ with them on a daily basis. Rather than handing out hero cards from a booth by the Museum, Kingdom Racing engaged deeply and directly with the souls God sent before us. The impact for Christ was immeasurable, yet definitely noticeable. It’s one of the phrases we use most often at Kingdom Racing, that if we reach just one soul for Christ, then the entire effort will have been worth it. After beholding the works of God throughout the month at Indy, there isn’t a one among us that can say that measure has not been met. The powerful grace and joyful love of Christ was evident in those we shared fellowship with throughout our visit.

As mentioned, the Race itself was almost anti-climactic. That’s not to say it was unimportant though, because our partnership with Schmidt Hamilton Motorsports on the Nos. 77 and 99 cars is the hook that brings people in to ask about Kingdom Racing. And in learning about Kingdom Racing, they are hearing the story of Christ in our ordinary lives and how He can be a wonderful and amazing part of theirs. That is the entire mission of Kingdom Racing, “Deliver God’s Word Through Motorsports.” God’s Word comes first, as does the kingdom before racing.

We wrapped up our “official” ministry schedule the day before the Race at the INDYCAR Ministry’s Second Annual Indy 500 Breakfast. There, we hosted one of the families from earlier in the month who closely touched our hearts as well as one of America’s “Wounded Warrior” soldiers from the war on terror along with his wife and kids. On the morning before the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, we were honored to break bread and fellowship with those who God set before us in the shadow of the most storied race track in the world. To see how God is using the draw of INDYCAR racing and the Indianapolis 500 to touch lives and bring people closer to Him is awe inspiring. To be even a tiny part of His mighty works at the Speedway is incredibly humbling.

Kingdom Racing drivers, Townsend Bell and Simon Pagenaud, finished 9^th and 16^th respectively in what many pundits and fans are calling one of the most exciting and enjoyable Indianapolis 500s in recent memory. In that regard, we’re going to have to take their word for it because until we all get settled back home and can watch the replay on television, the race experience at the track stands in stark contrast to the one that plays out in living rooms. As for Kingdom Racing though, we spent that day reveling in what God had done at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway throughout May. Race Day became a celebration of all the toilsome labor put in during the previous weeks and months, every bit of it in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

To say that the 2012 Indianapolis 500 was a success for Kingdom Racing would be underwhelming. It was an absolute Victory for Christ! On the surface, yes, we had two cars in the race, one in the top ten and another not far behind. Both cars finished the race in what was one of the hottest 500s in history. The Race did set a new record for the number of lead changes. In the gift shops all around IMS, people could actually buy replica SHM jerseys with the Kingdom Racing logo on them for the first time. That was very exciting! But above all else at the end of the day, we walked away knowing that God had touched many lives through the valiant efforts of Kingdom Racing, Miles of Smiles, and Schmidt Hamilton Motorsports, each of which God constructed of His own design.

After every Indianapolis 500, and beyond the vibrant victory celebration for the winning team, you also see a lot of disappointment. Many thousands of hours are poured into every team’s effort, thirty-two of which come away without a win. Without the right foundation, that can be a terrible letdown in defeat. The most salient point is that though we did not come away with an Indianapolis 500 win, Kingdom Racing was still victorious in a race that is far more important than the greatest race on the face of the planet, the race to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ for all of eternity. And in that, every single one of us got to raise our prayers in triumph and taste the sweet flavor of His Glory. Amen to that and on to Detroit!

All for Him, we are… KR.

Team Director

It is hard to believe that we’re almost done with the month of May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It is almost as hard to believe what God has done through Kingdom Racing during our brief stay here. To say that the experience has been inspirational would be a travesty to the word and the notion. God has absolutely used Kingdom Racing as the hands and feet of Christ ever since we hit the ground over two weeks ago.

In that time, we have hosted three families through the Miles of Smiles program. The notes, emails, and letters of gratitude we have received from each of them have become testimony to the ways in which God worked in and through them during and after their visits.

Both at and away from the track, the fingers and toes of Kingdom Racing have encountered soul after soul, as designed by our Master, to send the Light of the Word into the world. To see the footprint of Kingdom Racing grow as it has and to behold the breadth and depth of devout Christianity within the INDYCAR Series’ ranks has been incredibly uplifting and motivational. We are not alone in this quest. There is an entire army of Christians out there watching, helping, and cheering us on in the mission to “Deliver God’s Word through Motorsports.” In that mission, Kingdom Racing has been supremely successful. However, all the Glory belongs to God, and praise be to Him! He has done some amazing things through us in the last few weeks and there is surely more to come.

In one sense, it could be said that things are winding down for the month. In another, it could be just as easily said that things are only getting started. The Indianapolis 500 is a monumental, exceptional, amazing thing. It is an American Memorial Day staple. The 96^th running takes place this Sunday morning on ABC (check your local listings). We don’t know what God has in store for the race or for the Nos. 77 and 99 of Schmidt Hamilton Motorsports. But what we do know is that Kingdom Racing has already tasted victory this month. We have touched and won people for Jesus Christ. Beyond all else, the race for eternal life is the most important race of all.

We are… KR.

Team Director

Today came the culmination of two years worth of mounted procrastination. It was originally and formally suggested two years ago to go over and hang out with a group of people at the entrance to Gasoline Alley at Indianapolis Motor Speedway affectionately referred to as the 'Alleycats.' Having now done so, this task should absolutely have been done back then. Nevertheless, that neglected mission was successfully accomplished on Thursday.

The appointment was made to visit from Noon to 2 P.M., but lasted much longer. It was close to three o' clock when we finally shook hands and parted ways. However, there is no doubt that lifetime friendships have been forged within the matter of just those few hours.

Bailey Ebaugh, the lovely daughter of Mike Ebaugh, a longtime Alleycat, was the impetus for this assignment. She has become a fixture among the INDYCAR Series, a charming and infectuous young lady who is loved by one and all within the racing family. Over the past year, Bailey has become one of Kingdom Racing's most ardent fans and supporters. Folks within the INDYCAR Series have become so familiar with her that most follow her on Twitter and Facebook. As of late, she has become the absolute and undisputed princess fo the Alleycats. Some might call her a rockstar even!

In the interest of full disclosure, it was an absolute honor to be accepted and invited into the ranks of the Alleycats' area at IMS. The most fervent attendees of all things Indianapolis 500 know that the sanctity of the Alleycats area is protected within the hallowed ground of Indianapolis Motor Speedway itself. They have been around for a long time.

The Alleycats origins flow from an era nearly forty years ago when a group of folks from Crawfordsville, Indiana gathered on one side of the entrance to Gasoline Alley while others from nearby Southmont gathered on the other side. Back in those days, where the metal gaurdrails of present day stand were nothing more than wooden sawhorses to restrain the crowd. Each group had to continually and repetitively work their way back up to the front between various bathroom and visitation breaks. Eventually, the two opposing sides unified into one area on the south side of the Gasoline Alley entrance. That area has now become the present day Alleycats homestead.

The Alleycats have been at this for decades. Shane Wilson and Scot West have been at it the longest, nearly since the group's inception in the late seventies. Kim Cosby has been a member for almost twenty years. Most of the others have been coming for just as long or longer. An interesting note, I asked Scot what his favorite year at the Speedway was. His response came with a snicker: "This one."

Some of the stories surrounding the Alleycats "bullpen" were amazing. Juan Montoya came in and joined them his one and only year at IMS in 2000. The legendary A.J. Foyt is an honorary member and himself once came in and turned his hat around backwards to match everyone else and fit in with the raucous crowd. Dan Wheldon brought in a bottle of Jim Beam during his rookie year in 2005. In fact, bottles of liquor seem to be one of the most donated items within the Alleycats brigade. Dario Franchitti gifted them with Canadian Club on 2007. Perhaps the most interesting tale involved Rick Mears piloting his golf cart into the gated area when he was unable to walk in. He sat there in his golf cart while the Alleycats party raged around him, reveling at his inclusion. Not surprisingly, all of the 4-time winners of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing have spent time within the Alleycats pen.

One cannot miss the Alleycats. They have huge banners hanging over the barricades defining their area. They were made and donated by Buddy Rice's dad, who came up with the phrases on them declaring "I am in the game." and "Are you in the game?" These phrases harken back to Mr. Rice's time in drag racing when 'being in the game" meant giving it your all. It is a charge to be excellent.

Another family in the Alleycats army are the Stevensons. They have been part of the group for decades. It did not take long to form not only a friendship but to discover that, in one amazing sense of the word, we were brothers. The Stevensons still camp out inside the track on the night before the 500 every year. They are one of the last remaining families to do so and have the adequate permission. Oddly enough, the Alleycats pen is empty on Race day. And they all sit in different areas of the Speedway, each living and experiencing their own version of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

Make no bones about it. Miss Bailey Ebaugh is the glue that holds the Alleycats together today. Her spirit and enthusiasm for the sport of INDYCAR are unequaled among fans. She goes way back, too. One of her earliest memories was of Sam Schmidt, her first favorite driver, holding her in his arms for a photo in Gasoline Alley. She was devastated by his crash in 1999 and refused to attend for several years afterward. She was only 8 years old at the time.

Once Bailey returned, she found a new favorite driver, a young man named Dan Wheldon. Dan hung out with the Alleycats and Bailey on many memorable occasions. Bailey says her favorite memory was of Dan winning last year. She was with the entire group as they watched the race broadcast from Las Vegas on October 16, 2011. As were the everyone associated with INDYCAR, the Alleycats were devastated to lose Dan, Bailey more so than the others. He was her friend and, suddenly, he was gone. Dan meant a lot to Bailey and she meant a lot to him. That is without question. Seeing photos of the two of them together are precious. It was a painful loss for such a wonderful young lady.

As grim as things could have been after the horrific INDYCAR World Championships in Las Vegas last year, Bailey is back at Indy. In fact, all of the Alleycats are back, doing what it is that they do best, hanging out and cheering on every person affiliated with the "500" that crosses their path through Gasoline Alley during the month of May.

We have been supplying our Kingdom Racing hero cards to Bailey every single morning at the Speedway. And she has been handing them out with a fervency and zeal rarely encountered in everyday life. She has become our biggest fan and supporter throughout the month of May at Indianapolis. Every hero card we have given her, she has handed out. We've even had to refill her supply multiple times in the same day. She's become our biggest promoter.

All in all, it was inspirational, humbling, and an outright honor to have spent time within the Alleycats' domain. If you love the Indianapolis 500, go by and visit with them. You won't regret it.

As Christ Leads,
Charles West
Team Director