I have never attended a church service in a garage before. But on race day at the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500, I had the wonderful opportunity to do just that.
It was held in Garage 16 in Gasoline Alley at the Brickyard at 8:30 a.m. It was open to anyone who wanted to worship.
About 65 people attended the 30-minute service, conducted by IndyCar Ministry. There was a total of four services held throughout the morning. I thought it was cool to sit and attend a church service four hours before the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
About 65 people attended the 30-minute service, conducted by IndyCar Ministry. There was a total of four services held throughout the morning. I thought it was cool to sit and attend a church service four hours before the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
Jason Holt and me in Garage 16 — which was where we had church on race day.
I had met the co-founder of Kingdom Racing the day before, and we hit it off and developed a friendship. On race day about 7:30 a.m., I bumped into him and his wife walking on the track. About an hour later, we sat together during chapel.
It was quite the experience to sit a few hundred feet from the race track and worship God.
As you can imagine, it was a little hard to hear the service. After all, there were about 100,000 people at the track by 8:30 a.m. But I could honestly feel the Holy Spirit there in that tiny garage. It was quite the experience to sit a few hundred feet from the race track and worship God.
After a few songs and communion, Jason Holt, a chaplain with IndyCar Ministry, gave a nice and concise message and invited those in attendance to come to Christ.
The Lord wanted him at the 500, not as a racer but as a minister of the Gospel.
He has always been affiliated with racing and drove cars competitively for more than 24 years. He never made it to the field in the Indy 500, but that has not disappointed him.
“To be here as a driver would have brought me to my knees,” Jason told me after the service. “And it’s not that I had the wrong dream at all – I just had the wrong purpose. I know why I am here now.”
Obviously, God knew and had a plan for Jason. The Lord wanted him