Racing ministers take their turn in the fast lane
On Aug. 16, a handful of pastors will exchange their collars and robes for fire suits and helmets, departing briefly from the pulpit to test their skill at stock car racing.
Called the Faster Pastor race, the annual event near Erie serves as a fundraiser for participating churches, which receive a portion of proceeds from tickets they sell.
The pastors, including two from the Butler area, will compete in the compact division, which features cars with 4- or 6-cylinder engines that average about 65 mph during races.
According to competition manager A.J. Moore, the track hosts races in six divisions, with late model and street stock races featuring more horsepower and greater speed than the compacts.
"We're definitely the comedy relief," said the Rev. Ron Reagle, racing for the Pittsburgh District Church of the Nazarene in Center Township.
"We're the fun time for the intermission."
Reagle, 58, has raced in two previous Faster Pastor events. Gerry Sankey, an elder at the North Liberty Presbyterian Church in Liberty Township, Mercer County, will race for the first time this year.
Sankey said he plans to observe driving techniques of others on the course to gain some skill.
"Just watch and learn, that's all. I'm a rookie," said Sankey, 52.
The race is done partway through a regular racing evening, in which drivers licensed by NASCAR and other associations compete on a 3/8-mile asphalt track.
For Reagle of Franklin, who has served as interim pastor at the Pittsburgh District Church of the Nazarene for 17 months, the event will offer the chance to perfect skills learned in previous races.
The first time Reagle participated, drivers were gleaned from 15 applicants according to their times in a qualifying race. He placed first in his heat, then placed fifth in the feature race, which included eight drivers."Last year I ended up fourth in the feature, so I'm gaining," said Reagle. "My goal this year is to win."A longtime NASCAR fan, Reagle said his techniques have improved through watching professional drivers at Lake Erie Speedway and beyond. Key decisions include knowing how to adjust speed in the front-wheel drive vehicles when maneuvering turns. Too much speed going into the turns can cause rear wheels to lose traction.The challenge, Reagle said, is to assess the car quickly, since vehicles are provided by the racetrack and assigned randomly on the spot. Some have automatic transmissions; others have stick shifts."You don't know what you've got til' you get out there," he said."The first lap you find out what it will do in the turns, then you use the last three to adjust and win the race."In previous years with higher enrollment, office manager Nichole Freeman said four-lap qualifying heats were necessary to determine which eight drivers would compete in the feature race of four laps. Drivers were assigned different cars for the qualifying heat and the feature.
This year, fewer pastors signed up, so the qualifying heat has been eliminated. The feature race will in turn comprise more laps, but the number of laps is yet undetermined. As of this week, four pastors are registered.To prepare for a race, all glass is removed from the vehicles, which are stripped down to the frame."They put a racing seat in it, a roll cage and strap us in them," Reagle said, explaining the cars are sanctioned by NASCAR."I'm a big race fan, a big NASCAR fan to begin with," he said."The first time I raced ... I looked up at the flag stand, and a NASCAR official was waving a green flag, and I thought 'Wow. I am racing on a NASCAR track.'"My son said you thought I was never going to touch the ground again, especially after I won."My wife doesn't really care for me to do this; she gets a little nervous. But my kids love it. My grandkids always come and support me," said ReagleSankey said his family has encouraged him to participate."They're having a good time with it," he said."My grandkids are having a blast with it, too. ... They can't wait to see me race in a race car."As far as older youths are concerned, Reagle hopes his participation will show teens that being a Christian doesn't exclude them from fun activities."I want the teenagers to realize Christians can have as much fun as anybody in the secular world. We can do the exact same things, we just do it a different way," he said.To compete, the drivers pay a $450 enrollment fee, which is recouped when churches receive a $4 kickback from each adult ticket sale and a similar percentage from child ticket sales. Pastors are selling tickets at the discounted prices of $9 for adults and $5 for children 6 to 12. Younger children will be admitted for free.
<B>WHAT: </B>Fifth annual Faster Pastor stock car race, featuring two drivers from churches in Butler County and neighboring communities<B>WHEN: </B>Gates open at 6 p.m., heats begin at 6 p.m., feature races begin at 7 p.m., with fireworks after the show.<B>WHERE: </B>Lake Erie Speedway, 10700 Delmas Drive, North East, located in Erie County about 14 miles northeast of Erie.<B>INFO: </B>General admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children 6 to 12. Discounted tickets are being sold by drivers to raise money for church causes.To buy tickets to benefit the Pittsburgh District Church of the Nazarene, contact the Rev. Ron Reagle at 814-432-8740.To buy tickets to benefit the North Liberty Presbyterian Church, call 570-407-3226 or 724-421-5265.
