Race Time!!!

It's that time again and yes, our family is officially a NASCAR family. Who would have ever thought we would want to sit and watch cars race around an oval track for almost three hours? Definitely NOT us.

But I have to say that this is truly a great sport to watch. I guess the one thing that I really respected about NASCAR was their commitment to faith in God and that they really support our service men and women. Not sure of many others that open their events with a word of prayer like NASCAR does but I absolutely LOVE it.

Steve and Kailee got the rare opportunity last week Friday to attend the races and they both arrived a bit early. Steve's job this year is working with the Motorsports division as a Senior Construction Manager that is working to upgrade the carriers like Verizon and AT&T to provide additional coverage for wireless device users and even to run fiber networks for NASCAR and the media when these events are televised live.

Trust me after Friday's experience, Steve has been elevated to a whole new level by our youngest daughter Kailee. She thinks her dad has the best job in the world now. She was invited by her dad to visit the AutoClub Speedway in Fontana to see some of the work he's been doing and while they were there, they got the very rare honor to meet some of the NASCAR drivers like Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and even Kyle Larson as they were getting to practice.

Just for Kailee to get the opportunity to talk with Jeff Gordon, driver of the #24 car who is retiring this year and get his autograph was a true blessing.

Kailee will say her best part of the experience was one that brought a true smile to her face and that of her dad. After working on the NASCAR tracks for over two years, Steve has never met any of the drivers, much less his favorite, Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 car. Until last Friday. Kailee managed to capture this moment on her camera. Needless to say, she said her dad smiled like a kid at Christmas the entire day.

They were even nice enough to capture pictures with my favorite driver, up and coming rookie driver Kyle Larson who drives the #42 car sponsored by Target. They got autographs from all the drivers they asked and said they were truly great people to talk with.

Was I jealous I didn't go with them? Not really. In my mind, it's times like this that create lasting memories for both Kailee and her dad and there will always be other times in the future for me to go to. Just knowing that either one of them can look back on this day with fondness is a true blessing for me.

I did get the opportunity to join them for race day on Sunday, March 22 and thanks to Steve's credentials I got the opportunity to sign the start/finish line along with Kailee in the backwards ballcap and enjoyed the race as well.

While none of our favorites won, we were still blessed with treasured memories that will outlast this day and we got to cheer on our favorite drivers anyway. We were winners all the way!

Never Thought I'd Say It, but I did!

I can honestly tell you that I am not a fan of most sports. I can't see sitting in front of the TV watching hours of mind numbing sports, but then again each person has their own interests. When I first married my husband, Steve, one of the things I loved about him was he was not your typical husband who would sit in front of the TV during football, basketball or baseball season. I thought to myself, well, I found a real treasure.

He doesn't even share conversations with those who do, because he isn't a real fan of those. However, that being said, he does love golf. Thankfully there isn't much of that to go around and I realize like all sports, the dedication and skill is necessary to be good at it, whether it's driving a small ball down a fairway some 200 yards away, or simply tackling down the guy with the football making his way to the end zone.

I do love going to the sporting events. There is something to be said sitting in a stadium watching it live over watching it being televised. But never did I ever imagine that I would say and find myself sitting with my family, mostly my husband and watching the race to the Sprint Cup for NASCAR. I mean honestly how thrilling could it be watching these guys go round and round an oval track for so many laps. But somewhere along the line it changed.

My husband has been blessed to work in the Motorsports industry these last two years and perhaps some of that bled over on me. Understanding the size of some of these tracks and the speeds at which these drivers race along with the horrible crashes you are likely to witness while watching the race. Watching the speed at which the pit crew will race to change tires and add fuel to the tank in under 13 seconds is simply a feat of beauty.

Just recently my daughter got the opportunity to go with her dad to visit the famous Daytona racetrack in Florida where some of the most intense racing happens. She got to walk places most people don't like the places where the spotters and camera men from your local news shows view the race high over the grandstands. She got to see the lake that sits inside the track that most people don't realize is stocked with fish and my husband got the opportunity to fish in during his down time. It was strictly catch and release only for him.

She got an understand of the size that you don't truly understand until you are there. Not just watching in the stands but walking every inch of that track. She got a true appreciation at just how hard her dad worked. One of her greatest times was when we all got tickets to this years Auto Club 400 and with her dad's credentials he was able to get her a pass to get into the pits. She even got the opportunity to sign the start/finish line and to get her picture with her favorite driver's car, number 18, Kyle Busch.

Why do you ask, does she like Kyle Busch, she loves his car's paint schemes which are sponsored by Mars, so he drives a Skittles car (her favorite), M and M's and Snickers.

So where does that leave me?

Well I am no connoisseur of NASCAR drivers! My husband loves Jimmie Johnson, number 48, and he is an all around nice driver. But I don't want to be a follower.

So after a handful of watching races, I chose the up and coming rookie driver Kyle Larson, number 42, who drives a Target sponsored car. I mean I shop there often enough but there is something to see said for Kyle Larson. He's only 21 and he's got natural skills that are keeping him in the top 10 finishes most races. Not even Danica Patrick is doing that. I know that one day when he wins his first Sprint Cup race, I will be right there cheering in front of my set. It's nice to see people achieve success.

So why the big love for NASCAR?

For me, I love that they open every race with a word of prayer. That they pray for the drivers, their families and fans. They they are all actively supportive of our service men and women, and most of the drivers participate actively in charities that help children or those in need.

So for me it goes beyond just watching men drive around the track in a flashy car. It's about running the race of life with a goal in mind and with God on your heart! That's why I love NASCAR!!! By the way, for those of you that wanted to know who won the race at the Auto Club 400, it was Kyle Busch and Kailee was thrilled beyond measure to have her driver beat ours.