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(Savannah, GA) Five years
ago Oglethorpe Speedway Park promoter Ted Austad resurrected
an old promotion he saw early on in his career as a
motorsports manager. The promotion brought together area
church leaders to compete in a stock car race. He named the
event the “Faster Pastor Race” and it has been very popular
at the historic half mile NASCAR sanctioned speedway ever
since.
“I was looking
for a promotion that would generate interest from different
groups in the community,” said Austad. “This one was an
idea that needed some tweeking to be successful. I guess we
tweeked it just right. It gains more and more popularity
each year.”
Faster Pastor
V takes place this Friday night at Oglethorpe Speedway Park
in Pooler. Sixteen are church leaders have signed up for
the event including pastors from Hartford, Connecticut;
Butler, Pennsylvania and Etowah, Tennessee along with area
pastors from Savannah, Statesboro, Rincon, Guyton, Richmond
Hill, Pooler, Garden City, Brooklet, Port Wentworth and
Pembroke.
“Last year’s
race gained national attention when the Associated Press
picked up the story and distributed it nationwide,” Austad
explained. “That is how the out-of-state preachers found
out about the race. The article prompted them to contact
the speedway.”
Reverend Ricky
Rushing of Woodlawn Methodist Church in Garden City was the
winner of the race first three years (2001, 2002 and 2003)
while Brother Bill Black ousted him during last year’s race.
“It is a lot
of fun to compete in the race,” said Rushing. “Our church
looks forward to the event each year and I even mark the
date early on so I do not make any other obligations on race
night.”
Ricky Rushing
leads the list of church leaders competing this year in the
5th Annual Faster Pastor Race include Larry
Strickland of Dean Forest Baptist in Garden City; Sean
Faircloth of Living Faith of God in Guyton; Jimmy Anderson
of Daniel Baptist Church in Richmond Hill; Edward Haynes
from Resurrection Life Church in Hartford, CT; Royce Hendry
of Sand Hill Baptist in Rincon; Tim Edenfield from
Fellowship Assembly of God of Guyton; Tom Osbourne of
Friendship Baptist in Statesboro; Joseph Dye from Shiloh
United Methodist in Carrollton, GA; Jeff Hancock from the
South Effingham Church in Guyton; Eric Hayes from the
Baptist Church of Ebeneezer; Joe Crocket from Pleasant
Grove United Methodist in Etowah, TN; Dennis Krajicic of
Christian Ministries Church in Butler, PA; Doug McCart from
the First Baptist Church of Brooklet and Bill Black from
Riverside Baptist in Port Wentworth.
“It’s a big
field of race cars this year,” added Austad. “We may have
to run a couple of heat races to line them up for the ten
lap Faster Pastor race.”
The churches
have been selling tickets to the event which has helped
secure dollars for various church projects and youth group
activities. The pastors that sold the most tickets will
start towards the front of the race while the rest will
fight for starting positions in the back of the starting
line-up.
“Race fans can
also tell the ticket booth people which pastor they are
cheering for when they purchase tickets at the box office
this Friday night,” said Austad. “We want to make sure that
the pastor who brings the most fans gets the best starting
position.”
Also joining
“Savannah’s Version of the Holy War” is a group of traveling
pastors from South Carolina, Georgia and Florida that will
compete in their own race cars. The group calls themselves
“NAILSCARS” and they have competed at a couple of tracks in
the Carolinas so far this year with this being their first
appearance at Oglethorpe Speedway.
“It amazes me
how the Faster Pastor has created so much excitement,” said
Austad. “Pastors have organized their own racing series. A
hundred or more tracks around the country will conduct
Faster Pastor races this year. It’s pretty cool.”
The Faster
Pastor V race is Friday, July 15 at Oglethorpe Speedway
Park. The gates open at 6pm. Practice for the pastors is
at 7:15pm. Racing begins at 8:00pm. Tickets are only $10
for adults, $9 for military or senior citizens, $3 for
children ages six through twelve while kids five and under
are admitted for free. OSP offers complete food and
beverage service with free parking and stadium seating. For
more information, contact the speedway at 912-964-8200 or
visit
www.ospracing.net.
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