Pastor Reaching out to Racers

Pastor reaching out to racers

By Randy Beard Saturday, November 3, 2007

VINCENT PUGLIESE / Courier & Press Dale Beaver, an associate pastor at Christian Fellowship Church, is the former chaplain for the NASCAR-affiliated Motor Sports Ministries and has written a book the racing circuit is promoting — "Before the Thunder Rolls: Devotions for NASCAR Fans."

On the back wall of Dale Beaver's office hangs a conversation starter that must be jarring to the sensibilities of most first-time visitors.

His is not an office lacking in sports memorabilia, but what grabs your attention when you step through the door is the hood of a race car. It has to be one of the more interesting, as well as unexpected, interior design touches you'll ever encounter in a church in southern Indiana.

Maybe in the entire continental U.S.

The memento was provided by Penske Racing, and if Beaver had to guess, it came from one of Rusty Wallace's cars. But the true significance of the gift is that it was presented by the drivers, crew chiefs and pit crew members of all the NASCAR race teams at the end of the 2005 season when Beaver crossed his chosen finish line as a pastor for Motor Racing Outreach.

"I've never counted how many signatures are on it. Some just signed their names; others wrote notes," said the associate pastor at Christian Fellowship Church. "A lot of their wives and kids signed it, too." These days it's Beaver who is doing a lot of signings, autographing copies of his book, "Before the Thunder Rolls: Devotions for NASCAR Fans."

Prior to settling in Evansville with his family two years ago, the Madisonville, Ky., native served as the resident pastor on the NASCAR circuit for seven years. His wife and kids traveled from track to track with him in an RV, which made them weekend neighbors of the fast and famous.

Many of the memories he collected along the way became the genesis for his book.

His hope is that real life lessons can be taught by examining various scenarios that drivers like Jeff Gordon, Ward Burton, Bill Elliott and Dale Earnhardt Jr. experienced during his time on the circuit.

"You really get to know people when you spend that much time with them," said Beaver.

Taking over a ministry that was founded by Max Helton in 1988, Beaver said he let the drivers set the boundaries that defined his role. Besides conducting a non- denominational service each Sunday, he was there to listen whenever someone needed him. He talked to them about balancing work responsibilities and family time. He counseled those who were battling temptations. And his was the calming voice they heard during one of NASCAR's greatest tragedies — the death of Dale Earnhardt.

That eulogy is included at the end of the book because so many people have requested copies since the funeral service in February 2001.

It was Earnhardt's death that brought some drivers through the chapel doors who might not have come otherwise.

"Guys who would have never talked to me about their spiritual lives came up and asked, 'Help me understand,' " he said. "They started to examine their own mortality."

He signed the first copies of the book last weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway alongside Ryan Newman, who teamed with Jimmie Johnson to write the foreword. Other events are on the horizon, including one at the church and possibly a signing at an area bookstore.

Nor does it hurt that NASCAR is promoting the book online as part of its library series.

"I'm still trying to comprehend what that's going to mean," said Beaver. "To have my book on NASCAR.com is kind of a wild thing." The experience may even become another life lesson for the pastor.

One reason Beaver wrote the book is to deliver the message that professional athletes — or any celebrities, really — shouldn't be placed on pedestals.

"The rich and famous just experience temptations and pressures more intensely than most of us," he said. "Being under a magnifying glass, everything is magnified ... What I'm trying to do is help race fans in particular, but all fans say, 'How can I be a fan of the sport and not actually worship it and define my life by it?' At the end of the book I talk about how, if you are not careful, you can misplace your worship and can really lose your perspective."

Yes, Beaver realizes there are people who have walked into his office for the first time and probably wondered if his priorities were misplaced. After all, he has photos of Gordon, Burton, Dale Jr. and Richard Petty on display. There's even one showing him leaning into Earnhardt's car during his last win in Atlanta.

Having grown up as a Braves fan, he also has photos of Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and John Smoltz. And then there's the one of him and his old-school hero, Phil Niekro.

Sounds pretty fanatical, right?

"It's a valid point," said Beaver. "But I look at everything as reminders of the relationships I have had, and still have, with these guys. Anybody who knows me halfway knows I don't get too bent out of shape with it."

But yes, he has seen many a fan who has gone to extremes to idolize a driver.

He now views them as his target audience. n You can contact Randy Beard at 464-7613 or [email protected].

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