10 Spiritual Lessons from NASCAR

By Chad Hall

You don't have to be a fan of auto racing to know about NASCAR. What started as moonshiners tinkering with their stock cars so they could outrun the law is now the world's fastest-growing spectator sport. Today races are held throughout the U.S. as well as in Canada and Mexico, and most are televised to millions of viewers at home. It seems that a lot of people like to watch cars go fast!

However, NASCAR is not just an entertaining spectacle; it also provides good life lessons. Here are 10 spiritual lessons from NASCAR.

Chad Hall is an executive coach and writer who lives in Cary, N.C. and online at www.coolchurches.com.

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1. Going in Circles Does Have Meaning

There's a joke among racing detractors that a race is just 40 cars each making a left turn, then another left turn, then another, then...well, you get the idea. But in NASCAR, each lap around the track counts for something and builds toward an eventual finale. Race fans notice the small changes and minor wins/losses with each lap. And drivers know that each lap is crucial because it determines the position for the next lap, and so on.

When we feel like each week is just like the last, we can lose sight of how our daily efforts lead us to the next thing, which will then lead us to the next thing, all accumulating into a life well lived. A circular life requires making the most of each moment because of how it fits into the larger scheme.

2. Go Slow to Go Fast

At first glance, NASCAR seems to be all about speed, with cars frequently exceeding 200 mph. But what's often missed is the methodical effort that goes into traveling at such incredible speeds. Between races, shops are full of mechanics and engineers who do lots of testing, pore over data, make myriad calibrations, and then test the adjustments before doing it all over again. They take the slow time to get things just right, which results in a much faster car come race day.

It's helpful to remember the motto "go slow to go fast." When we're tempted to rush from one opportunity to the next, recalling our values, considering our life goals and prayerfully discerning direction can feel like moving in slow motion. But these practices enhance our progress through life because they enable us to make choices that stick and that reap longterm rewards.

3. It's a Wide Open Field

A NASCAR race puts all competitors into one weekly event in one spot. Some fans pull for only one driver. Others have a favorite as well as other drivers whose victories will put a smile on the fan's face. And some fans pull hard against certain drivers. Part of the beauty of NASCAR is that having all drivers in one place at one time creates all sorts of possibilities.

When it comes to growing in faith, we live in a world where just about everything is available at once. With the internet and our shrinking globe, we can come in contact with spiritual practices and approaches like never before. In this wide open field, it's helpful to consider what your approach will be. Will you find meaning through loyalty to one tradition? Will you supplement with truth from other sources? Will your approach be to sample widely and frequently? Or something else?

4. There's a Driver Inside Each of Us

Face it, NASCAR drivers do something that each of us does every day: they drive. Granted their cars are much cooler, much faster, and much more expensive than ours. Still anyone over 15 knows how to drive, and the NASCAR drivers do on a grander scale something we do on our trips to market or to soccer practice. Much of the appeal of the sport has to do with how common it seems. In fact, companies like The Richard Petty Driving School will teach ordinary people how to operate a NASCAR vehicle before letting students take a few laps around the track at very high speeds.

Faith is not for just some people, it's for all people. We may look at high-profile preachers, teachers, sages, and saints with admiration, but let's not forget that we have our own opportunities to exercise faith where we are. And it's the ordinary practice of faith that truly makes the world go 'round.

5. Success Takes a Team

When the evening sports news reports the finishing order for a NASCAR event, they list the names of individual drivers. But anyone around the sport knows that no driver can win (or even start) a race without a team. In fact, each NASCAR driver is part of an army of effort. A NASCAR team has a driver, mechanics, merchandising experts, truck drivers who haul the cars from one race to the next, pilots, accountants, and the list goes on. Success involves lots of people, lots of relationships, and lots of teamwork.

It's good to remember that life is not a solo sport. We each have an army of supporters behind us: parents, friends, spouse, children, neighbors, relatives, and the list goes on. Not only that, but each of us is also enlisted in the support army for many other people. We all help each other succeed.

6. Races Are Won or Lost in the Pits

The animated movie Cars is about a silly car named Lightning McQueen who fails to win an important race because he wouldn't pit long enough to take on new tires. He chose to just "gas and go" as his tires wore down before finally blowing on the last lap.

NASCAR drivers know the importance of timely pit stops--opportunities to take on fuel, refresh their tires, and make adjustments. Many races are won or lost in the pits. Like smart drivers who take pit stops, we need to take regular time for rest and recreation. But while NASCAR pit stops are a frenzy of action, real Sabbath is time to focus not on doing, but on being. The book of Genesis says that God gave humans six days to work and the seventh as a Sabbath. When we take a day a week to just be, we can go for the long haul with faith and fullness.

7. Stay in Touch

In recent years, serious race fans have discovered the fun of listening in on the radio communication between a driver and his crew chief. Instead of listening to the second-hand comments from an announcer, these fans want to hear what those involved in the race are saying to one another. The conversations between driver and crew chief involve two different perspectives, each from people who want desperately to win. The driver is in the thick of the field and has access to the smallest details, while the crew chief has the wider angle and can take in the activity of the whole track.

Staying in touch spiritually means communicating our day-to-day details with God while listening for God's voice and perspective on our lives. This kind of communication encourages us, keeps us from getting tangled up in the mundane and provides a perspective of larger purpose for our lives.

8. Expect a Few Bumps

Some of the most exciting moments of racing come when one car touches another. Sometimes a stiff bumper tap goes barely noticed; other times a slight nudge between two cars sends both cars spinning and can lead to all-out mayhem. NASCAR drivers know bumps, nudges, and taps are to be expected and that anticipating those hits helps avoid an all-out crash. While even experienced drivers cannot avoid every crash, their expectation of contact minimizes the negative consequences of contact.

While most people would like life to be a smooth ride, the truth is that life is full of bumps and bruises. When our spirituality leaves no room for disappointment, we can find ourselves spinning in despair. But life's bumps don't have to send us into the wall. By factoring in the possibility (probability!) of encountering trouble, we can be on the lookout for it, avoid it if possible, or at least adjust when we do get hit. This is what the Hebrew book of Job is about: sometimes bad things happen to even the best of people. If we think the aim of life is to just be happy, then we'll be disappointed when we get bumped. But if our outlook is that life is about growth and development, bumps become great opportunities to deepen our character and craft us into the kind of person we truly want to be.

9. Sometimes It Just Comes Down to Luck

A fascinating and sometimes frustrating aspect of NASCAR is the role of luck. A driver can be leading almost the entire race and have what is obviously the strongest car that day and still not win. A wreck at the rear of the field can bring out an untimely caution flag, a tire can blow, or any number of misfortunes can mix things up at just the right or wrong moment. While no driver wins without skill and preparation, luck plays an incredibly strong role in the outcome. Luck can cause a strong car to suffer a poor finish and luck can propel a mediocre car to a strong finish, or even a victory.

In our spiritual lives, we need to make room for luck--both good and bad. Attributing our success to some element of good luck keeps us humble by reminding us that we really are not in control. When bad luck comes our way, we needn't blame God for misfortune. Instead, we can use those times as moments to learn more about ourselves and to develop empathy for others who will encounter misfortune.

10. There's Room for Everybody

NASCAR has a reputation as the sport of rednecks. But it's also the sport of CEOs, housewives, movie stars, software engineers, and blue bloods. With the Goodyear blimp vantage point, you can see how various classes, cultures, and customs mesh into one event. The grandstands are filled with all kinds of average joes who enjoy experiencing the race from a deafening proximity. Luxury boxes are home to wealthy socialites who want to talk, do business, or catch up on the latest gossip from their soundproofed confines. But the real multicultural milieu can be found in the infield. This is where RVs, pickup trucks, and motor coaches form one giant tailgate party to which anyone who likes racing is invited. It's where people of different stripes and different strokes get to know and appreciate each other.

If all kinds of people can enjoy a car race, it makes sense that all kinds of people can enjoy the world in which we live. Spiritually sensitive people focus attention more on what we have in common than our differences. Differences can divide, but when we give ourselves permission to spend time with and get to know people who are different, we usually find that we really aren't all that different on the matters most important. Being in community with folks who are different than us doesn't require we become like them or they become like us--it means that we talk with, learn from, and grow in appreciation for one another.