AMA

Daytona International Speedway
March 5-8

"And the Hand of the Lord was with them"
Acts 11:21

That verse sums up our week at Daytona. Racing is never easy. There are no shortcuts. Racing is months of preparation followed by days of hard work. Surprises are inevitable: high winds, heavy rain, crashes, parts that don't arrive when promised, people who fail to keep their commitments, organizers and officials who fluctuate between ignorance and incompetence with acute upredictability (Makes you appreciate WERA). Add to that just about every physical malady known to mankind and you get an idea of what Daytona was like.

It was GREAT!!!!

Leading up to the big dance.....

As you know this was Faith on Wheels Racing's first foray into the world of big time racing. Now, we have had a few of our individual racers stick their toe in the AMA waters on previous occasions, but this was the first time that FOWR has sponsored racers at an AMA event.

Lance Yeager was our lone representative on the racetrack. We have two '07 Yamaha 6's which we aquired in the off season and which Lance prepared for this year. Our plan was to first qualify for, and then compete in, the Super Sport event Thursday and then the Daytona 200 on Saturday. The Daytona 200 is the biggest race on the AMA calendar and has been since 1937.

Wednesday's practice sessions went well for Lance as he reaquainted himself with the high banks and high speeds of Daytona. Thursday morning things got a little more interesting. While practicing on the "B" bike, coming out of turn 5, the back end came around on Lance as he exited the corner and the bike pitched him over the top (high-sided). He hit the ground hard, badly bruising his hip, shoulder and hand. The bike fared even worse and it was out of commission for the rest of the week. Down to one bike, Lance had an hour to regroup, go qualify for the 200 and then race in the Super Sport race that afternoon. He did all three; qualifying 63rd out of 69 for the 200 and 42nd out of 48 for the Super Sport. He went on to finish 35th in the Super Sport race, but more importantly, he used that event get more comfortable on the new bike and to refine his strategy for the big race on Saturday.

The 200....

200 miles. 69 laps. 69 bikes

I'll admit it; we were a little star struck. The factories were there with all of their magnificent machinery. The world-wide motorcycling press was there with photographers everywhere. Racers from all over the world: Europe, Asia, Austrailia, and South America made the grid. It was pretty awesome. Sixty-nine teams lined the pit wall separating the paddock from the "hot-pit" area. But you know...only one team gathered in the hot-pit to pray before the Parade lap. Only one team laid hands on their racer and prayed for him as he sat on his bike, on the grid, waiting for the warm-up lap to begin. Only one team wore the Cross of Christ on their uniforms.

The green light flashed and the racers were off. Lance got an awesome start and passed 6 to 8 riders prior to turn one. He continued to work his way forward picking off racers one at a time. Braking deep, early drives off the corner, using the draft to sling shot past stronger bikes, racing smart, in " the zone".

The first pit stop came at lap 23. Five gallons of gas.....and go. Twenty-two laps later; five more gallons and a new rear tire - all in about 50 seconds. Nineteen laps to go and Lance continued to gain ground. The tires were holding up, plenty of fuel, just ride smart and bring it home. And that's exactly what he did. After starting 63rd out of 69 qualifiers and the best riders in the country, Lance finished:

26th!!!!!

He moved up more spots than any other racer. He was awesome!

We are extremely proud of Lance. We are also proud of our pit crew: Tony Summers. He did an amazing job and without those flawless pit stops we could not have had such success.

Lance called me the next day just to make sure that I knew that he knew that it was God that gave him the ability. It was "the hand of the Lord" that gave us success. As great as the racing was, God's tangible presence is what we all took away from this event. It was a very humbling experience.

There was more to Daytona than just the racing. There were the people. Carla and I were there with Collin and Emily. Lances' daughter Kayla made the long drive from Pennsylvania with her dad. Tony Summers drove down from Atlanta late Friday night to help out with Saturday's race.

The response from the fans was positive. We got a lot of "thumbs-up's" from folks walking by. Many people voiced encouragement and thanks for our being there and being so visible. There were a lot of questions about what Faith on Wheels Racing actually was: "Are you guys some kinda church or what?" From such inquires often come serious discussions.

Obedience and faithfulness... God has promised to do the rest.

This week was really a confirmation to all of us that the AMA is where we are to be. There was a real feeling of peace amidst all of the turmoil and a true sence that we were "home". As I have stated before, the means to pursue this is far beyond our own ability, but we are confident of the calling. The next AMA event is in Birmingham, AL at the Barber Motorsports Park April 18-20. By God's grace we will be there.

Next weekend Byron Barber and Tony Summers will race the WERA Nationals at Roebling Road Raceway in Savannah, GA.

Thanks for keeping us in your prayers.