BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY

- Kyle Busch won EVERYTHING in Bristol... even the hearts of the fans. All three of NASCAR's biggest series raced in Bristol last week; and for the first time one driver won all three races in the same weekend. Kyle won the Truck, Nationwide and Cup races at the toughest track on the circuit to even survive and finish any race. Kyle avoided all the wrecks in the Truck race and won easily. In the Nationwide race, with 31 laps remaining, Kyle was tagged by Brad Keselowski in the right rear entering Turn 1 and he hit the wall, glanced off, and caught Brad before they exited Turn 2. Kyle 'dumped' him, by his own admission, and went on to win the race. Kyle started mid-pack for the Cup race, moved to the front and passed Jimmie Johnson who had led from the pole to that point. After Jimmie was 'dumped' by Montoya, Kyle dominated the rest of the race. In the three wins, Kyle led 54% of the total laps (515 of 956). In the Cup race, he led 283 of the 500 laps. It was his third Cup win in the last four races at Bristol.

- Two to the Chase - Clint Bowyer increased his lead over Mark Martin to 102 points with his 3rd place finish for the final spot in the Chase. In fact, Jamie McMurray moved to 13th, 1 point ahead of Mark with his 4th place finish, while Mark fell from just 35 points behind 12th to 101 points back now in 14th with his 23rd place finish. Jimmie Johnson fell to 9th with his 6th finish outside the top 10 in the last seven races. Jeff Gordon clinched his spot in the Chase, while the next ten have not. Only the 12th place position is considered to be in 'play' with two races before the start of the Chase. Kyle's win gives him three wins for the year, and he moves to the 4th position at this time. Jimmie, in 9th, will still move to the #1 position unless Hamlin wins one of the next two races.

PIT NOTE

The crowd at Bristol booed Kyle Busch as he climbed from his car after the Nationwide race, and then again as he introduced himself before the Cup race the next night. The fans cheered Brad Keselowski both times as he used a three letter word to describe what he considered Kyle to be. This followed Kyle's "dumping" of Brad with 31 laps remaining in the Nationwide race. Kyle used a technique called a 'slide pass' to move in front of Brad who was leading the race as they entered Turn 1. In racing, the 'gentlemen's rule' is that the driver being passed turns down and repasses on the inside if he has the better car. This move has been witnessed repeatedly in NASCAR from local tracks to NASCAR's top series. It is especially frequently observed at Bristol, and it was a favorite move of Dale Sr. After the race, Brad said that "Kyle assumed I would let up and I didn't." I doubt Kyle had such a thought. He probably assumed he had passed him cleanly (he had) and that Brad would then race him cleanly (such as the return pass on the low side).

Before the Cup race, Brad's anger was expressed with words that threatened retaliation and disparaged the character of Kyle. During the race, Brad had several opportunities to carry out his threats, especially at the end when Kyle and he ran side by side for two laps as Brad tried to avoid being passed and going a lap down. The fans were on their feet in anticipation of the retaliation, but only clean racing happened, and they cheered Kyle in Victory Circle.

Many people have a similar view of God. They feel they are in a confrontation with God. They hear His word as a threat. They view life as a constant race with God who may 'dump' them at anytime. When crisis comes in life, they wonder if God will 'race them clean,' or be out to 'get them.' They wonder if they will be 'booed' or loved when the race in over.

The truth? God is always just, therefore he will not 'dump' you. God never threatens; He is always true to his word. He is never intimidated by man; He doesn't use intimidation to control man. More truth... Men and women seek to 'race' by their own rules instead of His. God hates sin and demonstrated his displeasure when he gave us the Law at Mount Sinai. Moses and the people of Israel were told to stand back from the mountain as it was holy. Smoke, lightening, thunder, darkness surrounded it as God's words were intermediated by angels to Moses and then to the people. The Law was given to plainly reveal the standard of God and the impossibility of man to reach that standard. It was a frightful day. It was intimidating, but God did not expect to change everyone's behavior because of his displeasure. No, the Law also revealed how to approach God with sacrifices that covered their sins until the Promised One, Jesus, came. This Promise had been made to Abraham 430 years before. God made an unconditional covenant with Abraham that assured God would show Grace to anyone and everyone that simply believed the Promise. He promised to 'declare righteous' anyone and everyone that came to Him in faith. God is still true to His word and the Promised One, Jesus, fulfilled every part of the Law, the performance it required, and the penalty it demanded when it was not performed. Therefore, we do not have to 'run the race of life' in fear and under a threatening cloud. We can boldly go to the mountain of God and bow in praise and appreciation that Jesus gives us life abundant and free each day of our life. That is Good News.