Steve Torrence: I m thankful for the relationship I have with God.

Transcription

1 News from the Christian Motorsports International, Inc. Family of Ministries Vol. 2008, Issue #4 Steve Torrence: I m thankful for the relationship I have with God. Team RFC President Larry Smiley recently took the opportunity to speak with Steve Torrence, driver of the Tuttle Motorsports VisViva Energy Drink NHRA Top Fuel Dragster: Smiley: Tell me a little bit about your racing background did you run Junior Dragsters? Torrence: No, never did run Juniors. I raced motorcycles growing up. I started drag racing Super Comp when I was 15. I got my driver s license when I turned 15 because I was working for my dad and that opened the door for me to get my drag racing license. I think that since then they ve changed the rule; you have to have a driver s license without any restrictions. That wasn t the Steve Torrence pilots the Tuttle Motorsports VisViva Energy Drink Top Fuel Dragster at the NHRA Mile High Nationals, Bandimere Speedway, Morrison, CO. (photo courtesy of Richard H. Shute, Auto Imagery.) case then; so because I was able to drive from 7AM to 7PM on the highway, the door was opened for my racing license. Smiley: Well, that s cool. Back when I first drag raced I was 14 if you can imagine that. They didn t even check my license. I guess I was big for my age and I could reach the pedals so they said, Go for it. I raced a stock class Chevy station wagon. It was cool. It was a divisional race here in Oklahoma City. So, Super Comp was your first car. How fast did you go at age 15? Torrence: My car went 8.90 seconds at 173 mph; they were pretty fast Super Comp cars. It was really fast for that time. Smiley: That s not a pup, that s going. Torrence: That was season. Especially at that time, it was a really fast car. Smiley: Yeah, it would have been being a 15 year old. I met you for the first time around when you were 16 or 17. And you ran that with your dad when he raced. Is continued on pg 2 Racing for God Local Racer Keeps His Faith First By Eric Johnson Austin Daily Herald (MN) Originally published 06:52 p.m., July 4, 2008 Dustin Steinbrink is a man of God; his faith worn on his sleeve for all to see. That faith is also worn in another place the wrap of his 33S Midwest Modified, a car that thunders as loudly as his belief in God. First and foremost, Steinbrink s life is family and God, but the lifelong resident of the Lyle, Austin area has found a unique way to combine racing and God into one message-bearing entity and he s taking Cornerstone Assembly of God Church along for the ride. In a bold move Steinbrink dropped his business sponsorships for this season and turned the whole of his car into a four-wheeled delivery system for what he terms, A home mission. My mission field is the racetrack, Steinbrink said. It s been my goal to live my faith in front of people. The car is covered in a striking blue and white dominant wrap with the Cornerstone emblem underneath the driver side window and crosses on the opposing side facing the crowd. Words, quotes and messages of faith are printed at various places on the car as well. What helps make this racing team unique though is the amount of support Steinbrink has received from the church itself. While not contributing a large amount of money, Steinbrink does receive some financial support continued on pg 6

2 Steve Torrence cont. from pg 1 he still racing? Torrence: My dad is still racing. He hasn t raced that much this year, or actually last year either. Our business has been going really, really well and there has been a demand that we be here. For the last year and a half I ve been here every day. This opportunity has come up to go with Dexter (Tuttle) to drive a Fuel Car and it s taken away from my work, so it s made my dad have photo courtesy of NHRA.com to work more often. We do have an IHRA pro-stock car sitting in the shop that we just picked up from Bickel. It s ready to race but I haven t had an opportunity to go test it. Smiley: I ve watched those guys test and that s a different animal. Torrence: That s a totally different animal. That s what we were going to do this year. (My dad) and I were going to go out and do that together and have a good time with it and then the Top Fuel deal came up with Dexter so that s kind of on the sidelines. I think we re still going to go out and try to give it a whirl. Smiley: Boy, that s fun. Those things are a beast but they re exciting. I love watching them. Torrence: Yeah, they re a handful. Smiley: Tell me a little about your faith background. When did you really become aware of your personal faith? Torrence: I ve gone to church all my life. My mom and dad always took me to church and I come from a very firmly believing Christian family. I first accepted Christ into my heart when I was 12. I got baptized in church. As I got a little bit older, I wandered off that path. Not that I was doing anything bad. I just had gotten away from being the person that I really thought I should be. When I was 17 I had that bout with cancer and I was in the hospital. It really gave me a different perspective on life and brought my relationship with Jesus a lot closer and it changed me a lot as a person. Smiley: I remember that bout with cancer. Torrence: When I was younger, maybe I didn t completely understand the Christian faith as I should have, but when I was 17 it was the real deal. It was an assurance. I tell people all the time that God has a way of working miracles with me and I don t know why. But I don t even ask why, I just keep going on. lymphoma: Hodgkin s and non-hodgkin s. The better of the two is Hodgkin s Lymphoma because it has a better success rate of being cured. I had a softball size tumor in my chest between my lungs and right on top of my heart. The way that they found it I started my senior year of high school and in the first 2 weeks of school I gained about 20 pounds. I was really gaining weight. It looked like I had been stung by a bee because I was swollen all over eyes, legs, everything. I went to the doctor and they diagnosed me with walking pneumonia or maybe lymphatic syndrome. There are all these things that they diagnosed but they were just diagnosing symptoms. My kidneys were leaking protein so that s why my body was filling up with fluid. That s why I got bloated and puffy. I went to a doctor who gave me diuretics to lose the weight. I ended up having more complications like blood clots in my lungs. I stayed in ICU for a week and no one figured out what was going on. They did scans and saw something in my chest. They wanted to go in and cut it out or to open me up and see what it was. So we decided that wasn t the route we wanted to take. I was transferred from Longview to Dallas Medical Center. Within 24 hours, the doctor came in and said, You ve got a softball size tumor in your chest. We think it s cancer. We want to go in and look in the morning. We re going to go in through your throat and make a small incision and pull a piece of the tumor out, do a biopsy and then we ll let you know. That was kind of a hard pill to swallow. The next day they came back to tell me that I did have cancer. That was tough because I ve lost quite a few people in my family to cancer. It s real prominent in my family. I thought, I guess this is it. Steve Torrence in Baylor Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, September The son of Billy and Kay Torrence, then seventeen, Steve was hospitalized for a cancerous tumor on his lung. here today. I couldn t do anything. Everything was out of my hands. I had to keep the faith that God would supply me with the best doctors and all I could do was pray. I had a lot of people on my side that were definitely on their knees praying for me. That s the only reason that I m Smiley: Amen. As you said earlier, that s when your faith really grew because that was a time that you had to lean on God. It tests your faith when you re facing that kind of thing. I didn t realize the background of you losing significant people in your life to cancer. Torrence: I ve had many conversations with my wife, Amanda, about it. It was really hard on her because she and Eric (Medlen) dated for 3-4 years before she and I did. Everything is a part of some plan and it happens for a reason. God uses every one of us Smiley: (laughs) That s great. Praise God. Torrence: It s none of my business to even figure out why I m here, but I know I m here for some reason. He ll tell me some day. Smiley: That s right. Let s talk about the cancer a little bit. Now what was the cancer? Torrence: I had Hodgkin s Lymphoma. There are 2 types of continued on pg 9 page 2

3 Team RFC Insights: The Four C s by Paul Neighbors, Executive Director Team RFC is always on the lookout for people interested in serving as a chaplain. When I am asked for what we are looking in people, I respond with a list of the four C s. Character: They must be a man or women of integrity; seeking to follow God in their lives. We learn about this through references and background checks. Competency: Every leader wants people in the organization that can get the job done, and we seek to discern this through references and an interview. Dirk & Anita Olsen by Jim Jack, Field Ministry Director Dirk Olsen and Anita Pulliam were married on the stunning ninety-six foot long Canyon Princess in the middle of picturesque Lake Powell in Utah at the end of March by Field Ministry Director Jim Jack. Dirk, a successful businessman from Grand Junction, CO is also partners with Jim Whiteley, who drives one of the premier blown alcohol dragsters on the NHRA circuit (they finished number 4 in 2007). Anita is also an avid racer as she and her twin sister Annie Whiteley (Jim s wife) drive almost identical altereds (called the Altered Twins ) in the NHRA Top Dragster category in the Southwest regional events when Jim and Dirk are running their TAD (which happens to be the fastest blown TAD in history at mph.) The wedding was attended by over one hundred and thirty of Dirk and Anita s family, best friends, racers, and team crewmembers. The captain of the Canyon Princess steadied the boat in the middle of the lake heading into the light breeze on a delightful Saturday afternoon as the elegant ceremony took place on the upper deck on the stern of the boat. Rev. Jim Jack, Team RFC Field Ministry Director, officiates at the wedding of Dirk and Anita Olsen. Commitment: Is the person committed to the Lord, to serving in the world of motorsports, and will they be committed to Team RFC? Again, the references and interview help us understand. Calling: This is the most important facet. Does the individual, and those around them, sense that God wants them to join Team RFC that this is not for self-aggrandizement. An individual recently contacted us about a staff application. They had read the Heeding the Call section in a newsletter, denied to themselves that they should pursue the idea, and then sat through a message in church where they sensed that the pastor was speaking only to them and Yes! They should explore this opportunity! It is exciting for us to see how the Lord works in people s hearts as we continue to build this team committed to Bringing Inspiration to the World of Motorsports! The captain blew the ship s horn, and the photographer rang the ship s bell as the couple kissed to seal their vows surrounded by God s presence (and love) with His creation looking on in all of its splendor, then they were off two days later to Bora Bora for their honeymoon. Dirk and Jim choose to do the bottom end work on the Norm Grimes tuned alcohol dragster. Jim and Dirk were blessed to win back-to-back events at the Sonoma NHRA Fram Autolite Nationals and Sonoma Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series (July/August) recording runs in the 5.20 s. Anita s roadster runs in the midseven second range as she becomes more familiar in the driver s seat with every pass. It s only a matter of time before the girl s race side-by-side for the trophy. The girls and the guys make up a great team on and off the track whether its business, family, fishing, racing, The wedding of Dirk Olsen and Anita Pulliam took place on the Canyon Princess on Lake Powell. or pleasure boating on Lake Powell they will be seen smiling and enjoying life to the fullest. Team RFC is truly blessed to be a small part of this group of God s wonderful family that worships at RFC chapel services on Sunday mornings and seriously races to win on Sunday afternoons. The race of life is not always won by the swift it s to those who enjoy the abundant life from Jesus Christ. Jim Whitely proudly displays the Team RFC logo on his record-holding Top Alcohol Dragster. At press time Jim Whitely was #1 in national Top Alcohol Dragster points. Altered Twins : Annie Whitely launches her Altered Top Dragster at the NHRA Pacific Division race at Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, CA, while twin sister Anita Olsen waits just behind to perform her burnout. Altered Twins : Annie s car has the blue nose piece; Anita s is yellow. Jim Whiteley a n d his YN OT? Racing Top Alcohol Dragster does a burnout on the starting line at Bandimere Speedway, Morrison, CO, during the NHRA Mile High Nationals. page 3 Jim Whiteley, YNOT? Racing, holds on to both wife, Annie, & his Wally winner s trophy.

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5 New Team RFC Sweatshirts for Fall! Are you stuck on what to get your favorite racer for Christmas? Coming by popular request black Team RFC sweatshirts in three styles: crew neck, quarter zip with collar, and hooded. On the left front is the Team RFC six-color logo; across the back is a retro-70 s graphic: Racers For Christ, Est See the Team RFC Collectibles page for size availability and costs. Brett Williamson: Jr. Drag Racer Emulates Big Daddy Don Garlits by North Central Region Chaplain Randy Heinzeroth Brett Williamson is a local drag racer at Byron Dragway and, at the age of 10, has a rock solid faith in Jesus Christ. To show his allegiance to our savior, Brett has painted his junior dragster to portray Don Garlit s Swamp Rat. After obtaining permission from Don to paint the car, it was announced that Garlits would emcee the Spring Nationals at Byron Dragway this last May. Brett had the opportunity to meet Big and to have him autograph the car and his helmet! I have been privileged to pray with Brett on many occasions when he is strapped in his dragster. Recently Brett made it to the final round against the 2007 point champion. I leaned over this 10 year old young man, who looked more serious than Tony Schumacher, and prayed with Brett in front of all the other kids who had run that day. Brett went on to win and he gives all thanks and glory to Jesus Christ. Todd Bennett: Becoming a Giant In the Dwarf Car World Todd Bennett acquired an interest in racing at the tender age of five when his father and grandfather raced at the local drag strip in Dallas, Texas. Once Todd relocated to Arizona 13 years ago, he began to seek opportunities to compete locally. He began at local kart tracks which further fueled his passion for racing. Currently, Todd is in his third year of racing with the Desert Dwarf Car Club. He sits sixth in the season s points with three top fives and nine top tens. Todd attributes his current success to God s provision in allowing him to obtain a new car at the start of this season. The first car I had was great to learn in, but it had taken me as far as it could and I m happy that the Lord blessed me with a new car so I can continue to learn and grow. With top notch equipment, Todd has proven that he can race with the best in his division. Todd has aspirations of moving up the ranks to further his career in racing this time on asphalt in a Late Model series. Now he must rely on that same faith that allowed him to excel in a new car to propel him into a new division with much faster speeds and a less forgiving learning curve. Todd attends Word of Abundant Life Christian Center in Phoenix, Arizona with his wife of three years. His photo courtesy of Don Iverson, Classick! Motorart favorite Bible verse is Philippians 4:13: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. page 5

6 Josh Castro; A Future Star Earlier this fall we reached Josh Castro by phone for this interview on an auspicious afternoon. The night prior, Josh had experienced a highlight reel worthy flip in his race car. The doctors have told him that the bruises will fade, and Josh was eager to share his story and his plans to return to the cockpit within two or three weeks! photo courtesy of Don Iverson, Classick! Motorart Josh is a two-sport sophomore student (football and baseball) at Sunrise Mountain High School in the Phoenix suburb of Peoria, Arizona. But his greater interest is racing, which he inherited from his grandfather, a former Late Model driver. He was riding and racing dirt bikes from an early age; his grandfather had him learning to drive an open wheel race car starting at age eleven. Josh began competing in the Modified Midget class when he was twelve, and moved up to the Mini-Sprint class in 2006 when he turned fourteen. Right away Josh turned heads, winning his first race on June 14, 2006 and capturing the Rookie of the Year award. Last year held several highlights: ten heat race wins and five main event wins. So far this season, Josh has headed two trophy dashes, eight heat races, and six main events with two months remaining in the season. The future looks bright for Josh. He has agreed to join Dave Ellis Motorsports in 2009 in their driver development program driving a 360 Sprint Car. On the horizon is a move to Indiana when he is eighteen to compete in the USAC 410 Sprint Car National Series. Asked about his dreams beyond that World of Outlaws Sprint Cars or possibly one of the upper tier NASCAR series are possibilities. In addition to the Team RFC logos on the side of Josh s race car, a casual observer may notice the stylized CCV graphic. Those initials represent an important place for Josh: Christ s Church of the Valley (also in Peoria, Arizona.) Josh Castro s heart for God grew when he turned eleven and followed the Lord s example in baptism. He tells us that since then, his relationship with God has been stronger and closer. I pray when I m in the car; before and after I go out on the track. I thank Him for everything I have. One of the goals photo courtesy of Don Iverson, Classick! Motorart of a Team RFC chaplain is to communicate that it is possible to integrate living as a committed Christian and a passion for motorsports competition. What a delight to meet a young man who already embodies that perspective. Racing for God cont. from pg 1 from Cornerstone as well as some of the members of the church and some outside the church. We have spent two to three times on graphics to get this wrap done, but people have really been enamored by that car, Steinbrink said. We have gotten donations from people in the church and by those who just believe in what we re doing. The church has really stepped up and supported the car. It s a move that has left a big impression on Cornerstone Pastor Dave Simerson. I know when he went that direction that was a big step for him, Pastor Simerson said. It s one of those faith things and it s worked out real well. Green flag Steinbrink has been a part of the church for as long as he can remember, so taking the Word to the dirt track was pretty natural. However, like racing, his life took an unforeseen detour from the oval. After a time of what he saw as a destructive path, Steinbrink maneuvered back on the track. His first car was bought at the age of 18 using graduation money in Since that time he has been involved in racing one way or another. His reason for getting into racing is that it was the only sport he found that was close to the thrill he got from his favorite sport football. I grew up playing football, basketball, baseball, and racing is the only thing that gave me that same rush as playing football, Steinbrink said. It s the competitive nature and the adrenaline rush. In 2005 he began reciting an invocation, sometimes referred to as a Drivers Prayer, before the start of each night of racing at Chateau Raceway and now at Kasson Speedway. He also joined Racers For Christ, becoming a chaplain through an organization that looks to bring faith to the world of motorsports. Since 2006 Steinbrink has been the official track chaplain at both Chateau and Kasson. Since connecting the two powerful points of his life, Steinbrink has been asked to speak at funerals for drivers and pit crew members and visited people in the hospital. continued on pg 8 RACERS FOR CHRIST VISION STATEMENT To see the world of motorsports impacted for Jesus Christ by individuals entering into a personal relationship with Him and growing in those relationships. page 6

7 So Cal Racing Family By Al Nocita Dalcorp Racing Dear Team RFC: Just a note to say thank you for all the hard work and for providing a place to worship for so many people at so many different events. Three of my four children are involved in drag racing. My middle daughter, Erica Nocita, drives for GM in a factory supported Cobalt. This is her fourth year driving for GM. She won an NHRA national championship in Quick 16 in She also drives two of our other cars so she s pretty busy. Erica was doing all this while attending Azusa Pacific University where she graduated last year. She is preparing to enter medical school. One of her real joys is performing community service and outreach. She participated in a career day event last week at a local elementary school; the pictures from that day, and a shot of the Cobalt, seemed like something you guys would enjoy. We ve flown the RFC colors, or the Lord s colors, for a long time. Thanks again for all the hard work and for being a support for so many. Blessings, Al Nocita The Rewards of Volunteering Paul Neighbors, Executive Director The letter that follows recently arrived at the Team RFC office from a first year volunteer couple who are serving as chaplains in our West Central Region: When you live in God s country (near Ely, Minnesota) it is a long 285 miles to our favorite race track: Grove Creek. Doreen, Alyssa, and I first took the Good News Racing S10 to Grove Creek in 2005 to sample the 1/8 mile drag racing. It only took that one trip for me to realize how much I enjoyed 1/8 mile. The racing was really fun and the owner Rick Austin, his staff, fellow racers and the fans were so friendly and accommodating. We knew God had planted us in a place where Good News Racing could grow. We soon realized that doing ministry as independents was very difficult. Making friends was going well but spreading the gospel was not. Teaming up with Team RFC was the next step to bring life and meaning to our ministry. My first call to (Regional Director) Ken Webb lasted about an hour and we immediately connected. My first ministry duties as a RFC chaplain was working the World of Wheels Car Show in St. Paul last winter. While manning the RFC booth Ken and I talked a lot about Grove Creek and race track ministry. Ken sent Rick Austin a letter requesting that RFC establish a ministry at Grove Creek with me as a chaplain and we were accepted with great enthusiasm. The racing and ministry at Grove Creek started in late July because of the track renovations; so far they both are going well. As track chaplain I have been given complete access. I am always welcome in the tower to talk on the PA about chapel services and each race day, before the national anthem, I do an invocation. God has truly opened a door at Grove Creek Raceway for His gospel to go forth. Pray with us that we continue to have His wisdom, strength and knowledge to carry out this wonderful commission. Bill & Doreen Rauch Opportunities for this type of fulfillment are available across North America. Give us a call at , or drop an to TeamRFC@ TeamRFC.org, for more information! Southeast Region RFC Chaplain Glen Launey brought his race car to Legacy Community Church of Auburndale, FL for the kick-off for Vacation Bible School. Each of the 85 children there had the chance to sit in the car and have their photo taken. The smiles show that all were having a great time! A God s-eye view? A satellite photo? No, just someone from the tower at zmax Dragway, Concord, NC, capturing Larry Smiley and John Force sharing a laugh. Thank you to Manzanita Speedway for including the Team RFC logo in the sponsor rotation on their electronic display sign! page 7

8 Team RFC President and NHRA Chaplain Larry Smiley visits in the staging lane with Ashley Force. RACERS FOR CHRIST MISSION STATEMENT To serve people in the world of motorsports in the name of Jesus Christ through providing fellowship, pastoral care, evangelism, and service. NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle competitor and Team RFC Southwest Region Chaplain Chris Rivas, poses at Route 66 Dragway, Joliet, IL, with Team RFC North Central Chaplain Steve Golz. During the Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals, Chris qualified number one and won the event garnering his first Wally, the trophy named after NHRA founder Wally Parks. photo courtesy NHRA.com Chris captured his second NHRA national win in September at the Texas Motorplex on his Drag Specialties S&S Cycle Buell for G Squared Motorsports riding for George Bryce and George Smith. Racing for God cont. from pg 6 Coming out of the turns Steinbrink believes that church and fun are easily combined. In fact one of his own philosophies sums it up quite humorously. You don t have to be a dork to be a Christian, he explains with a laugh. One of those fun pursuits Steinbrink takes part in is playing in the Cornerstone band as a drummer, something he s been playing since elementary school in Lyle. The band itself lends a very contemporary and lively attitude to the church. Steinbrink doesn t roam the pits, hunting for converts nor will he stand on the front end of the 33S car and preach. It s more about general availability. I ll walk around the pits, stop in and just talk to them, he said. Relationships blossom. Turning the other tire...cheek. Racing can be somewhat of a combative sport. Spectators may not see it often, but there is a lot of banging between cars during a race. More often than not it s unintentional, lending to the competitive nature of the sport itself, but it can be overwhelming and a monster that can get the best of drivers. Steinbrink doesn t let his own competitive nature get in the way or overpower his Christian convictions though. At the same time that doesn t mean he s not going to push you. I try to run as hard as I can without intentionally hurting anybody, Steinbrink said. There are times though where I screw up, but I ll stand-up and go apologize. I m still out there to win though. Checkered flag Steinbrink wants to win every race he s in and he won t lie about it. Racing is racing, but not coming in first isn t the end of the world. It s those things that come with it that are most satisfying. He tries to act as a positive role model for his young pit crew, all teens from Cornerstone including his younger brother Cody, Jordan Everson and Keith Weber and of course he tries to do the best he can. So far this season he s had one heat win and his best finish in a feature has been fourth. Steinbrink admits they are still getting used to the new car, but sees positive days ahead. But, should those better days not come, that s something Steinbrink isn t worrying about. In the end it s about the message. It s well worth it, he said. I think good things are happening at the track. page 8

9 Steve Torrence cont. from pg 2 as some type of tool to affect somebody. I told her to look at all the people his life has affected and look at John Force and how his wreck affected other people. And that s the way that I look at things now and I didn t look at them that way before. People often ask, Why did this happen to me? It gives you a different perspective. I m just happy to be here every day doing what I am doing because I might not be here tomorrow. Smiley: Amen. It s true that we don t know what will happen but God has a plan for each of us. He s put us here to affect other people. You re absolutely right. It s an encouraging message for everyone to know that God has a plan. To go on to your next stage of racing, there was the tragedy with Shelly Howard. You couldn t script a story like Shelly Howard s about the accident, how it happened, how it took the lives of Shelly and her son, Brian. The crew and family were devastated with all of that but again we can t ask why. That is for God to know and us to just accept it. From that comes the opportunity of the team and the family to carry on with their racing family and put you in their top alcohol car. Now tell me about that experience. Torrence: I didn t know Shelly; I didn t know anyone over there at all. But I really got to know Tom Conway well during that time and I made a good friend of Paul Howard. He s a firm, believing Christian. He came out to a couple of races with us and I believe it was healing for him. You couldn t have scripted (the Howard s story) and you couldn t have scripted the year we had following that. I got my license in an alcohol car and I had never sat in an A fuel car much less driven one. Then we show up at the race track and we go to the finals. We went to 12 other races and won 9 of them while going to the finals at 11 of them. It was as if you opened up a story book and read it; that s the only other way you d have a season like that. Smiley: That s true! One of those wins was at the US Nationals in Indianapolis. Torrence: I had never been to Indy. I didn t think much about it and then I show up there and win. I left the race track and was driving down the road in the motorhome when I really realized continued on pg 10 Heeding the Call Team RFC often receives requests for staff to cover local tracks, races, and car shows. Sometimes we don t have staff available to meet these requests. If you, or someone you know, would like to explore a possible call to be volunteer field staff for Team RFC, please contact a regional director, or call Jim Jack at work, , or cell, , or send us an at TeamRFC@aol.com. Jim Jack prays with Jim Whiteley before a run in his YNOT? Racing blown alcohol Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA Fram-Autolite Nationals at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA. The Christian Motorsports International, Inc. Family of Ministries Team RFC Racers For Christ Rodders For Christ Restorers For Christ TM Pullers For Christ Rockcrawlers For Christ RFC Garage P. O. Box 1208, Gilbert, AZ, (Fax) Dave McClelland...Chairman Paul Neighbors...Executive Director Larry Smiley...President Jim Jack...Field Ministries Director Linda Jack...Office Manager Julie Thompson...Business Manager Shelley Boyer...Projects Coordinator Dan Laterza...Northeast Director Tom Ratliff...Southeast Director Glenn Kreider...North Central Director Craig Garland...South Central Director Ken Webb...West Central Director Jim Jack...Northwest Region Contact Jim Jack...Southwest Director Gifts-In-Kind Update Team RFC continues to be the recipient of Gifts-In-Kind from many wonderful supporters. Gifts-in-kind can include vehicles, computers, office equipment, frequent flier miles and buddy passes, and prizes for raffles and drawings. More examples are printing, securities, real estate, antiques, and collectibles. Recent gift-in-kind donors are: Stuart Harrison Manzanita Speedway Roland Osborne Jim Golba Stan and Cyndie Gill Tony Schumacher Steve Grein page 9

10 Steve Torrence cont. from pg 9 what had just happened. I thought, I just won Indy! Smiley: I remember your mom and dad hugging each other and hugging me, praising God. What a way for God to shine through you and your family and bring honor to Shelly Howard and Brian and to their contribution and you had the opportunity to carry that on; that s from God. I was as excited as anyone for that time. Again, it was God using you for that time of healing. You mentioned Mandy a while ago. This is your first year of marriage? Torrence: We got married in December. Smiley: I know that she is best friends with Ashley Force and Ashley s wedding is coming up in December. We love Mandy. She was working for John Force when I met her and I don t think John has forgiven you yet for taking her away. Steve, when was your first Top Fuel opportunity? Torrence: I met Evan Knoll from Torco at Indy when we went out and won the race. Going into that we were an unsponsored team, footing the bill, having fun, going out and just racing. The weekend following Indy, we had Torco signs all over the car. We were, at that time, the only sportsman team being sponsored by Torco. We were pumped and very happy. Evan is a great guy with the biggest heart you could ever imagine. He loves racing and seeing people be happy. He called me one night before the 2006 St. Louis race and told me he wanted me to test and get my license in JR Todd s car; that we were going Top Fuel racing. I got a phone call to say I m going Top Fuel racing as JR s teammate! Smiley: That s exciting. Torrence: That opened the door for Dexter and me. I m getting along really well with Dexter. He s a stand up guy. Smiley: What was your first race in the Top Fuel car? Torrence: My first race was Richmond in On my first full pass down the track my chutes came off. I pulled the chutes and they never hit. I thought to myself, This thing doesn t stop near as good as the A Fuel dragster. I got down to the end of the track and the guys said, Hey, your chutes came off! I told them, NOOO Kidding. You should have been trying to stop this thing! Smiley: Did you go in the sand? Torrence: No, I made the turn. Then I got to be interviewed by (announcer) Alan Reinhart at the end. Smiley: Oh man, that was sure exciting. You had a noteworthy beginning. Steve, you ran the rest of that season. Mark Oswald was on that team. He s another good, strong Christian brother. Seventeen year old Steve Torrance driving his Super Comp Dragster at the 2000 NHRA Bracket Finals at the Texas Motorplex, Ennis, TX. Torrence: Yes, we had some really good guys. We had a good opportunity there. We only went to a few races but it opened the door to what we re doing now. Smiley: Now that you ve been with Dexter, you ve been to a few races; you re really quick and you ve made some outstanding laps down the racetrack. Torrence: Dexter asked if I would be interested in coming over there with him and I said Yes. I flew up to Indy, got in the car, met the guys, and we showed up at Englishtown. I think our first lap out was number one on the pole. It s a really good car and good group of guys working on it. It s not a real high pressure atmosphere. This is a lot of fun for Dexter. If it s not fun, I don t think he ll want to do it anymore. Smiley: And it s a good fit, you re a good match for the temperament of that group. Torrence: Right. We had a slow start. We had some problems with the tires smoking. I think we have a handle on it. It will be a lot of fun. Right now, the countdown deal has taken us out of contention for anything since we started so late in the season. We re trying to set the groundwork for next year by getting a stable team and preparing something that we can contend with next year. Maybe we will win a race or two at the end of this year. Smiley: There you go. That would be a spoiler. I m looking forward to seeing you every time that you re out there. You re a good friend, a good Christian brother. I love praying with you. What does RFC mean to you at the race track and what has it meant for your racing career? Torrence: Without you guys, there would be an element missing from the sport. Believers need to go to church. And people take notice of that. A lot of people are watching you and me and that may open up the door for someone to become a believer. I m thankful for the relationship I have with God and want to share that with everybody. For RFC to be out there promoting the drivers and promoting racing and promoting God in the sport makes it so much better for me. I look forward to every run. I m not getting in that car without praying and without somebody else coming up and praying with me. It means a lot to me that RFC is there. Going back to when I was sick, I had a big church family at home and an even bigger church family at the race track. Smiley: You were a part of the RFC family even when you were sick. We prayed for you and put you on our Team RFC prayer chain and bathed you in prayer at that time. We got closer to you and to your mom and dad through that experience. It s been a fun relationship to get to know you and to watch you in your successes and see how God has used you and how you give Him honor and glory in all that you do. page 10