Racing Without A Helmet

How much value do you place on your safety gear?   Is all of this stuff REALLY necessary? I mean it’s so expensive, and it can be such a pain putting all this stuff on every time we make a trip down the track. When its 95 degrees in the shade, “normal” people relax and drink iced tea. We racers jump into double layer fire suits, put on boots, gloves, and helmets. We then sit in direct sunlight on black asphalt for hours. Besides, hardly anyone has an accident in drag racing anymore. We put up with all of this, and so much more, for a mere 10 precious seconds of adrenaline. It would appear that racing would be way more fun if we omitted our safely equipment.

Anyone want to compete in the “No-Safety” class?… I didn’t think so!

Have you ever witnessed a racing accident? Maybe you’ve had the misfortune of personally testing your safety equipment? We all know that even though fire suits are not the most comfortable, helmets limit our field of view, and 5 pt harnesses feel “restrictive” we go through these rituals because it is worth the effort in the event something goes wrong.  I remember magazine ads run by Bell Helmets that said “If you have a $50 head, then wear a $50 helmet!” Im sure that ad sold lots of Bell helmets.

The Bible encourages us to put on a different kind of safety gear. In Ephesians 6:13-17 we read: 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

There are many terms that racers would recognize…. Belts, Breastplates, (aka SFI Jacket) Foot protection, and Helmets. The safety gear in the Bible is FAR more important than the safety equipment we use at the track. A triple layer fire suit made for Top Fuel will keep the driver from getting burned for a few short minuets. Spiritual armor will keep us safe forever!

At the drag strip, there are usually two drivers racing and many spectators watching. In the race life, there are no spectators, we all race. …Are you racing with out a helmet?