2009 Archived News

Brookside Motorsports Update OCTOBER 15 , 2008

Brookside Motorsports wrapped up the season at the Winchester 400 this past weekend, competing in the prestigious race that attracts fans and racers from all around the country.  36 teams made the trek to Winchester, IN (just north of Richmond, IN) to “do battle” on “The World’s Fastest Half Mile.”  Coming off our 5th place finish at Indianapolis O’Reilly Raceway Park in late September, we were hopeful we would score another top-ten finish.

We unloaded on Saturday morning, went through the technical inspection, and took to the track for practice.  We had set the car up based upon notes from our last visit to Winchester when the car ran and handled good.  Sean quickly felt a “binding” in the car as he went through the turns that would “catch” and almost cause him to spin out at each end of the track.  We brought the car into the pits…checked over the suspension and other “moving parts” to make sure everything was moving freely, but could not locate the source of the problem.  We continued to make adjustments to springs and the “traction bar” but could never figure out what was causing the “binding” that made the car almost impossible to drive to obtain a competitive speed.

Sean qualified the car Saturday afternoon, knowing it would very difficult to get a good lap with the unresolved handling problem.  He qualified 29th, and the crew continued to explore reasons for the problem we were facing.

Sunday was the big race day, which included an autograph session for the fans.  We took advantage of the session to hand out hundreds of books and promotional items representing our sponsors Kid’s Corner Radio (T- Shirts, flying disks, water bottles), Tyndale House Publishers (“Blind Spot” written by Chris Fabry and , How to Hit a Curveball, Grill the Perfect Steak, and Become a Real Man) and Moody Publishers (Five Love Languages – Men’s Edition).  We had many adults talk to us about the books we were handing out, and are excited about the helpful material we placed in their hands.

The CRA officials scheduled a Chapel service mid-morning and about 15 racers, crew members, and others from the racing community attended the brief service where Doug Hastings focused on “God’s Amazing Grace” using verses from Ephesians 2.

The racing event started at 1:00pm with driver introductions, prayer, and the singing of the national anthem.   This racetrack is extremely hard on racecars, usually resulting is over half the field getting wrecked or having mechanical failure.  This race was no different.  Sean continued to battle the #0 Kid’s Corner racecar through the corners, and avoided several incidents that happened mid-pack.  We did get caught up in one spin and had to come into the pits to secure the right side door panel that began flapping in the wind.

(Left to Right- Boris Jurkovic, Sean Matthuis, Kyle Busch, David Stremme)

Just after lap 215, we came in for tires and fuel under a caution flag, and when Sean left the pits, the rear axle must have snapped.  It became evident when the green flag flew and Sean could not get the speed and traction out of the car, so we pulled in the pits, discovered the broken axle, and called it a day.  The official results showed us finishing 21st.  (Only 9 cars were still running when the checkered flag flew on lap 400)

We are extremely grateful to all our sponsors for their support during the 2008 season.  Their encouragement and partnership often times carried us through on weeks when we fought the uphill battles.  You can find a list of those sponsors at our website www.brooksidemotorsports.com

We took over 150 pictures this weekend and you can see those by clicking here.

Brookside Motorsports is considering our plans for next year, and will keep our web site updated as those plans come together.  We hope you have enjoyed hearing about the 2008 season through these updates….if you’d like to send us an email as we “button up” this season, send it to brooksidems@sbcglobal.net   Have a fun filled winter!

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Brookside Motorsports Update september 25 , 2008

The CRA Racing Season is quickly coming to a close, with the Winchester 400 being the next event.  On October 10 – 12, a large number of competitors will make their way to the “Fastest Half Mile in the World.”  As of right now, 31 cars have already entered this very famous and prestigious event.  Even as we look forward to that, Brookside Motorsports driver Sean Matthuis and the team is still celebrating a great run from last Saturday at the O’Reily Raceway Park in Indianapolis. 

We made the trek from New Lenox to Clermont, IN (west side of Indy) for the 100 lap Circle Track Classic.  We ran into several problems during practice (faulty oil line, a radiator hose that came loose, Sean’s “hans” safety device gave him trouble as he tried to hook it up to his helmet), so of the 60 minutes of practice, Sean had the #0 Kid’s Corner Radio/RPM Books Chevy Monte Carlo on the track for about 10 minutes (8-10 laps).  Even with that little bit of practice, we were 12th fastest in the 2nd practice session of the 24 cars entered for the race.  Our test session at this track in August (and race consultant Fred Roempler) had really helped us in setting up the car at the shop, so we were extremely “close” when we unloaded…a good thing since we had so many issues during practice.

Crew member George Tomak had promised to shave his beard if Sean got a top 10 finish before the end of the season. So….at the shop on Tuesday evening, George went under the razor and gave up his beard of over 25 years (never shaved his beard during that time).  It was a fun time for the team (but maybe not for George)!  He said we were having way too much fun watching it happen.

To see lots of pictures of the George shaving episode and a few of the actual race (my camera gave up the ghost- of all nights!), click here.

The FAMILY FUN ZONE made its final appearance of the 2008 season at the ORP event, and many families came through, especially during the 2 hour rain delay.  This was the first time the Family Fun Zone tent had been at ORP, and the promoters gave us a prime set up location, where race fans had to pass by the tent to get to the grand stands.  In the last newsletter, we shared the vision and history that made the tent a reality, and we are thankful for the opportunities we’ve had to touch families over the course of the last 6 months.

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Brookside Motorsports Update september 19 , 2008

The past weekend found us traveling to the huge event at the Berlin Speedway in Marne, MI for the Boyne 125.  Thursday included load in and practice, while Friday allowed for some limited practice and qualifying.  The #0 Kid’s Corner machine qualified 25th, which meant we needed to run the last chance race to determine if we would make the feature event.  Sean ran very strong in that race, but was spun out while running 3rd, and had to restart from the tail of the field.  As the race ended, we crossed the finish line in 5th.  We are added to the feature as an “additional starter” but Mother Nature had other plans and the feature events on Saturday were all rained out.  We loaded all our gear back into the trailer on Saturday (after getting out of the mud) and made the trip back to the Chicago area amidst the rain and flooding. 

Each week we report on the Family Fun Zone tent and the outreach we are having through this endeavor.  This idea was born out of a desire to more effectively reach families attending the racing events.  In the 2007 season, we prepared “gift bags” for each race, and usually handed them out to families in the pits following the race, or we went through the stands randomly handing them out during the breaks in racing activity.  Shawn and Donna Matthuis had a vision for something more effective and strategic, and developed the Family Fun Zone idea and presented it to a number of potential “sponsors” at the CRA Awards Banquet in January 2009. 

 We are so grateful for those who have come alongside this effort with their support.  Kid’s Corner Radio, EMF Corporation, Schepel Buick/Pontiac/GMC, Schoenfeld Headers, McGunegill Engines, Great Deals Coupon Magazine, Advertising Consultants, VanBruggin Signs, Riverton Cabinets, Tyndale House Publishers/RPM Books, and Moody Publishers/The Five Love Languages.

There are countless stories that have emerged from the tent activities.  At one race, a young girl came in a wheelchair and played the games and so much enjoyed getting the prizes. At another race, we observed children sitting in the stands coloring in the Kid’s Corner coloring book we gave them instead of watching the race.  We’ve handed out hundreds of books from Tyndale House Publishers, a kids book about racing written by Chris Fabry. Moody Publishers has also provided hundreds of “The Five Love Languages” book written by Gary Chapman.  We’ve heard wives say to their husbands…this sounds like something we could use!  Shawn Matthuis recently had a conversation with one of the CRA race officials who commented on how much the Five Love Languages book and the other material we had given him had been an encouragement on days when his spirits were down.

 The Family Fun Zone is staffed by a loyal group of volunteers.  Donna Matthuis, Summer Matthuis, Cheyenne Matthuis, Nancy Hastings, Kaitlin Kutchinski, Kelly Seigers, Bill Kooinga, Carol Kooinga, Renee Tomak, Jason Marion, and Al Longtin.  Without their faithful participation the tent would not happen.Brookside Motorsports is as much about ministering to families as it is about racing.  We’ve had great opportunities on both fronts this season, and we want to thank you for your continued interest and support.  God has put our faith to the test this season, providing the financial resources we need, not well in advance or in excess abundance, but “just in time” for when they were needed.  So we’re taking the rest of the season one race at a time.  We do have the resources to make the trip to O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis this weekend for the Circle Tracks Classic, and are hoping we will run well there following our “test session” in August at that track.

Keep up with Brookside Motorsports at www.brooksidemotorsports.com

The CRA Racing Series sent out an email yesterday highlighting the Family Fun Zone…you can find that article at www.craracing.net

Send your feedback to brooksidems@sbcglobal.net

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Brookside Motorsports Update september 8, 2008

Hello race fans!

What a few days we had on Labor Day weekend at the Winchester Speedway- the World’s Fastest Half Mile.  The banked turns at this track are incredible.  If you remember the days of “Roller Derby” you can picture this track….and the action is about the same.  You are either sticking to the track and flying OR you’re “over the rail.”

After unloading on Sunday we were able to practice and tune the car.  Qualifying took place around 5pm and we qualified the #0 Kid’s Corner/RPM Books Chevy Monte Carlo in the 12th position.

On Monday we were given a short 5 lap practice “warm up” and then the 7 racing “features” started at 1pm to a full grandstand of people.  This is racing country, and people started showing up and saving seats hours before the event started.  They saw late models, street stocks, front wheel drive, modified, and trucks…plenty of racing for a Labor Day Monday!

The Family Fun Zone was again welcomed by fans and the track owner.  It received a lot of attention on its own but even more when the racetrack scheduled a drivers “autograph session” right next to our tent location.

Back to the race…we ran 9th for most of the race even though 2 of our hood pins broke at lap 60.  Sean was able to drive by feel and glimpses because the hood would blow upward on the straight-aways and partially block his view for a few seconds at a time.  A BIG wreck happened on lap 78 which took out several cars including the #14 Moody Radio machine.  We moved up to 6th spot on the restart following the big accident but then an accident involving us on lap 88 finished off our hood and we were blacked flagged.  Two cars checked up right in front of us and Sean had no time to back off coming out of turn 4 and he got into the back of another competitor, causing more damage to our car than the car he hit.  During the ensuing yellow flag, the car we inadvertently hit was upset with us and some bumping and scraping with us during the yellow flag drew some additional attention and pitting instructions from the CRA officials.  Our race was finished and the team’s spirits sank to have been so good with only 12 laps to go and not be able to finish.

Several good things happened along the way, though.  During practice a freak accident (thankfully no one was hurt) in the pits bent up the #8 “Army Team” car and our pit crew (Sean, Mac, Alex) spent time practically showing the love of Christ to them by helping them make repairs. 

Shawn and Donna Matthuis celebrated their 23rd wedding anniversary and the whole team ate dinner together with them on Sunday evening.  The Family Fun Zone was again successful in providing children and parents a place where they could have fun and receive prizes with a positive life message included. 

We want to formally thank a friend of our team who for a number of weeks has been providing us great photos of our car and the racing action. 

Dirk Redder recently transitioned from serving with the #16 Johnny Van Doorn team to shooting photos of CRA and other racing events.  He’s a class guy and we just want to give him an “atta boy” and thank him for his contribution to our communications efforts in through this email newsletter and our web site.  You can visit his web site at www.pbase.com/drautofocus

Our next race is this Saturday night at the Berlin Speedway…a huge weekend of racing in Marne, MI (just outside Grand Rapids).  We are taking advantage of the two weeks in between racing events, swapping the engines in our two race cars, putting the McGunegill engine into our Port City chassis which we will race at Berlin.  We continue to appreciate all our sponsors and fans that have supported us in various ways throughout the season.  Keep up to date with our team by visiting our web site at www.brooksidemotorsports.com

Pictures of the weekend are here.

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Brookside Motorsports Update august 20 , 2008

Since the last update, the Brookside team has been busy testing and racing and reaching families through the Family Fun Zone.

On Wednesday, August 6, we traveled to O’Reily Raceway Park in Indianapolis to test both the #0 and #14 race cars.  We unloaded at the track around Noon, sharing the track with Jeff Cannon also of the CRA series and a regular competitor at Illiana Motor Speedway.  The purpose of the test was to work on set ups for the September race at ORP, trying various combinations to come up with a “set up” to put in the car in preparation for that race. 

The time was very profitable for the #0 car, tweaking on several things throughout the day, getting our times progressively faster.  When the day was complete, driver Sean Matthuis and the crew felt good about the data we had collected and how we would use that in setting up the car for the September 22 race.

The #14 car on the other hand had a bit of a rougher time.  Al Longtin had never been on this track before, and as he took some early laps, the car got loose and the rear end came around on him in turn 1 and he backed into the wall, causing mostly body damage.  The crew worked on repairs, and after about 90 minutes, the car was ready to return to the track for more testing.  The car was still too loose, and the back end came around again.   This time the spin happened in turn 3, and the contact with the wall was much harder and caused more damage.  The day was over for the #14 and we brought the car back to the shop, with it eventually going to the Port City Racecar shop in MI for repairs.

Following the test, we had 2 nights to set up the Kid’s Corner #0 late model car for the 300 lap event in Anderson on Saturday August 9.  We unloaded the car at Anderson and went through tech, and then began practice.  The handling wasn’t all that bad, but everything we did to try and make it better only made it worse.  By the end of the practice session, we were extremely frustrated and it came out in our attitudes and actions.  We could have done a better job dealing with this frustration, and we are working as a team to recognize when that frustration is getting the best of us, and choosing better methods for dealing with it.  Just like coping with real life, our team still has plenty of room to grow, and we hope our racing community and family will help us and has patience with us as we mature in that process.

When qualifying came, we still were “way off” on the set up, and Sean did a good job just getting around the track without loosing it into the wall.  We qualified 20th and set our sights on making the car better for the race.

This race was to be a 300 lap event, with a 15 minute break at the 150 lap mid-point to refuel and change tires if desired.  We hoped we would learn even more from the car over the first 150 laps, and make some adjustments at the mid-point to help us get a good finish.  That was not meant to be, as we got caught up on lap 32 in an incident, hitting a car in turn 1 that had spun and slid up the track against the outside wall.

Our pit crew worked feverishly, pulling off the hood, and trying to access damage.  We sent Sean back out, but it was only a few laps under green before we knew we had sustained damage to the radiator and the car would soon over heat and “cook” the engine if we didn’t pull off.  We brought Sean to the pits under green, and worked on stripping off the fenders and nose of the body, and began removing the damaged radiator, in anticipation of getting a replacement radiator in the car by the end of the mid-point break.  We accomplished all that and were ready to restart the race at lap 151, when the skies opened up and the rains began to fall…hard.  It was soon evident the race would not resume, and the CRA officials made the call to call the race concluded after 150 laps.  We ended up with a 19th place finish, and received the “That’s Racing” Award for our unfortunate involvement in the early wreck.

Doug Hastings spoke at Chapel from James 1, where the passage says to “Count it all joy when you encounter various trials.”  The verses couldn’t have been more appropriate for the events for our team on that day.  While from a human standpoint, we continue to be frustrated with the results of our racing efforts, the ministry happening at the Family Fun Zone is evidence that success isn’t always measured on the racetrack.

Families streamed through the Family Fun Zone, playing the games and receiving the “prizes” that contain positive messages.  We continue to be grateful for Back to God Hour/Kid’s Corner Radio, Tyndale House Publishers, Moody Publishers, Schepel Buick/Pontiac/GMC, EMF Corporation and others for helping make the Family Fun Zone possible.

Copies of Chris Fabry’s book BLIND SPOT (Tyndale) and Gary Chapman’s book THE FIVE LOVE LANGUAGES FOR MEN (Moody Publishers) were given out to kids and parents that visited the Fun Zone.  The show car still is a big “draw” and lots of people, both little kids and “big” kids climb in for a view from the driver’s seat.

More pictures are posted of the ORP test here and the Anderson race here.   A big thanks to Dirk Redder (www.pbase.com/drautofocus ) for supplying many of the pictures for this update and for posting on the web.

Because of the extensive damage to our car, we skipped the race at Salem Speedway on August 16, so our next event will be a 100 lap event at Winchester Speedway on Labor Day.

For more information about CRA visit www.craracing.net

Send us email feedback to brooksidems@sbcglobal.net

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Brookside Motorsports Update august 4 , 2008

Toledo, Ohio was the site of the Crown On-Line 100 lap CRA Super Series event on Friday night, August 1.  The Kid’s Corner #0 team put in some late nights getting ready for a grueling three week schedule, and making some significant changes to the front end of the racecar to improve our ability to make handling adjustments.

We unloaded, while also consulting with several other teams on a starter problem that was discovered late Thursday evening at our shop.  Once that was solved (a missing jumper wire), we concentrated on the one hour practice session.  We had some left front brake issues, and ended up changing a brake caliper.  We got about 15 – 20 practice laps in- enough for Sean to give the team feedback on what the car was doing so we could implement additional changes for qualifying.

Qualifying brought some fast times, with several of the competitors being 4/100 off the track record.  Sean ran a 15.975 on his second lap, which landed him in the 15th starting position. 

The 100 lap race began around 8:30pm, and we had a couple yellow flags in the first 25 laps.  Then around lap 35 there was a big crash in turn 1 which resulted in a red flag being thrown.  We brought the car in to the pits and made several major changes, including adjustments to the right front shock adjustments, and rear end panhard bar up an inch.  Also, we adjusted air pressure in all 4 tires, resulting in a rocket ship car for the next 30 laps.  On lap 80-, we were running 11th and still moving up, when a caution flew for 3 laps.  When the green flag dropped there were 17 laps to go.  A body brace gave way on the right front of our car on the first lap back green, resulting in the fender plowing air and really taking the handling and speed away.  We kept digging hard for those last 17 laps, but lost several positions and ending the race in 16th place.

(Above Racing Pictures provided by Dirk Redder http://www.pbase.com/drautofocus )

The Family Fun Zone once again was a huge success, drawing families for fun and games, and walking away with prizes that will have long term impact in their lives.  Many copies of The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman (Moody Publishers) and Blind Spot by Chris Fabry (Tyndale House Publishers) were handed out to parents and kids.  A young girl with cerebral palsy came through the Fun Zone and played all the games and we were able to show her some love and care as she spent some time with us.  Over 100 kids came through this week.  We recently received the following encouragement from the managers of the Angola Speedway related to the Family Fun Zone. 

Thank you for being a huge part of racing!

Thank you for everything that you did for us!

Wes & Crimson Parrish

Chapel was held in the shade under the pit grandstands, where Doug Hastings talked about Psalm 1, contrasting the righteous and the ungodly man.  An invitation was given to learn more about having a personal relationship with God.  We also interfaced with Jerry, the track chaplain, and encouraged him and his wife in the ministry work they do each week at Toledo Speedway.

We have a very busy few weeks, with an all day “test session” at O’Reily’s Raceway park (ORP) in Indianapolis on Wednesday of this week, then the Anderson 300 in Anderson, IN on August 9, and the Jay C Food Stores 100 at Salem (IN) Speedway on August 16.  When races are on back to back weekends, it really puts tremendous pressure on the shop crew to ready the car for the next event.  We pray we will practice and race hard but not tear up our racecar so we can manage the quick turnaround needed these next few weeks.

Pictures from the weekend are here.

For more on Brookside Motorsports, visit www.brooksidemotorsports.com

CRA Series information is just a click away at www.craracing.net

Comments are welcome at brooksidems@sbcglobal.net  

Sponsor Spotlight:

We thank these loyal sponsors for their generous support of our racing and outreach activities.

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This location accepts Phone Ahead Orders & has a Dining Room.  http://www.brownschicken.com/Default.aspx

Riverton Custom Cabinets

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Brookside Motorsports Update July 22 , 2008

The Brookside Motorsports team traveled to Plymouth Speedway for the Mid-Summer Championship 200 on Sunday July 13.  This 3/8 mile moderately banked racetrack was a very nice facility, and the car count was near 35.  We practiced and worked hard on improving the handling, all the while doing our practice laps on old tires.

When qualifying rolled around, we put 4 new Hoosier Racing tires on the car and were optimistic.  Sean pulled a qualifying number of 28, so we were near the end of the qualifying list (about 9 drivers after us).  Sean ran a good first lap and an excellent second lap, clocking in at 13.119.  At the time he ran his lap, he was listed as 6th, but several drivers who qualified after him nudged in front of him with slightly faster times, landing him in 11th to start the race…a big victory for us considering the close competition.  By Sean running a good qualifying lap, we were spared having to make the race by winning one of the two last chance races (for those who were outside the top 20 qualifiers).

We changed two tires under the yellow, which meant we started behind anyone who didn’t change tires.  We ended up starting 14th and held steady throughout the remaining 100 laps, finishing with a 14th place finish and moving us to 10th in overall points.

The Family Fun Zone was gain a big “hit” as families spent time there before the racing began.  The Fun Zone crew packed things up in time to watch the feature event from the grandstands.

The Chapel Service was well attended, with CRA Chaplain Doug Hastings speaking on “Who Are You Imitating?” using Ephesians 5:1-2 and Philippians 2:3-4.  We prayed for Lisa, someone who was at most of the races last year, but hadn’t been to any events this year until Plymouth.  She has a stress fracture in her foot.  We also prayed for Heather, Robert Maynor’s wife, as they are expecting a child sometime in September.

We didn’t take very many pictures this week, but a handful of them are posted here.

Special thanks to our sponsors for their continuing support.  You can find out more about our sponsors at http://brooksidemotorsports.com/sponsors.htm

For info on Brookside Motorsports, along with car and team photos, visit www.brooksidemotorsports.com

CRA Racing has a web site as well- www.craracing.net

Our next event is at Toledo Speedway on Friday, August 1.  Watch for more updates closer to that date.

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Brookside Motorsports Update July 11 , 2008

Brookside Motorsports made our way to Angola Speedway for the Hargus Mullins Memorial 125 to kick off the Independence Day weekend.  We traveled with a skeleton crew for a practice on Wednesday evening, and then had a full crew for race day.  We made progress on the handling of the car during practice, but like most teams, we still had plenty of room to be better.

We drew an early qualifying number, and we one of the first cars to go out on the track.  We ran a 14.116, which eventually landed us in the 15th starting position.  The field was so well matched; the difference between 1st and 20th starting spot was .453 seconds (less than ½ second)!  So to say we were close was an understatement.

Sean started the race, knowing he would have to take care of his brakes.  Last year we ended our race early with brake failure.  Using more rear brake, it was a little harder to charge into the corners, but our plan was to preserve the front brakes for later in the race to allow us to drive a bit more aggressively as some of the other competitors brakes went away.

The competition was fierce from the drop of the green flag, and we held steady our position for most of the 125 laps.  The car was much better in clean air, but most of the time we were embedded in heavy traffic.  As we came to the checkered flag, we crossed in 16th place.  We took care of the race car and didn’t sustain any major damage so the prep work for Plymouth this coming weekend will be routine maintenance. 

Once again the Family Fun Zone was a huge success, with families visiting prior to the racing events.  A big thanks goes to the Angola Speedway track managers, Wes and Crimson Parish, for welcoming us and giving us a prime location for the Fun Zone.  The kids loved the games, face painting, and the prizes.

Doug Hastings held a Chapel service focusing in on Philippians 1:1-12 where we are reminded to “always” give thanks through prayer for fellow Christians who are on the same journey we are.  Doug also offered an invocation at the start of the racing activities, asking for safety for all involved at the track, along with honoring our service men and women for the high price they are paying to protect our freedom.  He also had the privilege of praying for the grandmother of Crimson Parish who was in the hospital facing her final days here on earth.

To top off our Thursday evening, our trailer got stuck in the mud as we tried to leave the track, stemming from the massive rain that fell the night before.  After trying to pull it out ourselves with Sean’s Super Duty Ford F-350, we patiently waiting for the racing events to conclude (at midnight) and gratefully watched the track tow truck winch us out of the mud.

So next we travel to Plymouth, IN for a 200 lap event on Sunday, July 13.  It looks like a large car count for this race, so the competition will be even tighter, even  as a couple Nationwide and Sprint Cup drivers are scheduled to be in the field (they are hanging out after the weekend races at Chicagoland Speedway).

For pictures of the Angola event, click here.

To find out more about Brookside Motorsports and see a team photo, go to www.brooksidemotorsports.com

CRA Series information is found at www.craracing.net

Sponsor Spotlight:

Since 1925 Van Bruggen Signs has been providing the Chicagoland area with quality sign and graphic services. Built on a Faith in God and ethical principles, Van Bruggen Signs has expanded from its roots in traditional sign painting to include a wide range of signage types & materials meeting diverse needs.

Van Bruggen Signs is a full-service sign company offering design, production, installation & maintenance of custom signs and vehicle graphics. Their products include illuminated, non-illuminated, architectural, neon, commercial, dimensional, wood & aluminum signs, truck lettering & graphics. They can do it all.

Their knowledgeable staff is prepared to meet your needs. Van Bruggen Signs has built a reputation around its emphasis on creative design, high quality & service to their customers.

Van Bruggen Signs has partnered with us to decal our race cars and our race trailer.  Special thanks go out to them for their generous support.

We would encourage you to support them by using them for your sign needs and letting them know how much their partnership with Brookside Motorsports is appreciated. 

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Brookside Motorsports Update JUNE 25, 2008

This week Brookside Motorsports had a short trip to get to our race at the Illiana Motor Speedway in Schererville, IN.  The crews of both the #0 and the #14 late models put in 60+ hours as we had major engine installations in both cars to accomplish in a very short period of time.  In addition, the #14 had suffered severe body damage in a crash at Salem Speedway a couple weeks ago and needed to be repainted once we got it back with a new front end already assembled on the chassis.

We had high hopes for the weekend even though we had done significant work on the cars(which can always lead to something being “missed”).  We followed set up notes from previous races at Illiana, and felt like we would be “close” on the handling.

When we got to the track, we found out quickly that our set up on the #0 was not yielding the good handling race car we had hoped for, so we began making changes.  We changed springs, a different size sway bar, spring rubbers to stiffen the springs, different tire pressures, and nothing seemed to make the car better.  We made more changes between practice and qualifying and Sean went out and ran better than in practice, but still qualified in the 19th position. There were some very fast competitors at this race, and one of the regular CRA drivers (Boris Juckovic #53) clocked an 18.864 qualifying time, setting a new track record.

Al Longtin in the #14 moodyradio.org/fivelovelanguages.com car logged some good laps in practice, and continued to get the feel for the car and this track, being the first time he had competed on this oval.  As he took his qualifying laps, he went into the corners a bit too hard, which caused him to sail up the track and clock a slower time.  But now that qualifying was over, we all started to focus in on the 100 lap feature to be run later that evening.

In between qualifying and the race, we got a chance to visit with supporters of both cars who had come after hearing about it on Moody Radio and from our friends at KIDS CORNER.  The Family Fun Zone was a huge hit, and many families dropped by to play the games, sit in the car, and receive life impacting prizes.  We actually gave away a fender from the #0 car that had been damaged last week due to some contact on the track with another driver.  How would you like to have THAT hanging on the wall in your family room?!

CRA Chaplain Doug Hastings led a service at 2:15pm, speaking on “The Fear Factor” and how fear makes us do things that we shouldn’t do.  The lesson was taken from I Samuel 22 where Saul tried to kill David, fearing David was plotting to overthrow his reign. 

On Father’s Day, we prepared small gift bags for the CRA officials, to honor them for their good work with the series, and encourage them.  We were humbled to have one of the series officials come back this past weekend and thank us for the material…he had read it, and it had greatly helped him deal with some tough situations in his life this past week.  That one testimony made the whole weekend worth every bit of effort we put in at the shop and at the track!

Race time came, and our apprehensions came true as we soon discovered our handling on both cars was not what it needed to be.  Both Sean and Al got up on the wheel and made the best of their difficult handling cars.  We brought the #0 in several times during the caution periods, trying various adjustments to see if something would help it turn better in the corner.  But, for the most part, those changes made little difference.  We ran hard and allowed others who were faster than us to cleanly pass, and we finished the night with a 20th for the #0 and a 22 for the #14.

Pictures of the race weekend are found at both links below.  Thanks to Dennis Rizo and Maureen Ber from Moody Radio for the link to the pictures they took this weekend and posted on flickr,

http://community.webshots.com/album/563886499LYWobl?vhost=community

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22215641@N03/sets/

As you might suspect, our team was disappointed with our results, but God did some miraculous things that were far more significant than where we finished the race.  We had many fans come to the pits after the race, and spent time visiting with us around our cars and race trailer.  Investing time in people is a privilege and often times a blessing to others, and we thank all of you who made the trip to cheer us on.  Your presence was an encouragement to us!

Sponsor Spotlight:

Schepel Buick/Pontiac/GMC

Schepel has been a strong supporter of the Family Fun Zone tent Brookside Motorsports runs at each CRA event.  We appreciate their encouragement as we touch families, and encourage you to consider them as you look for a new or used vehicle.  As you visit their web site, you will see the following message.

When we opened our dealership in 1968, our goal, first and foremost, was to build lasting relationships with our customers.  We knew it would take more than just offering the best selection of vehicles, the best prices, and the best service.  It would take a commitment to treat our customers with fairness, respect, and honesty.
              Today, we see the results of our efforts.  Repeat and referral business continues to be the foundation of our business.  I have given my personal commitment to all our customers that their experience with Schepel will be a pleasant one.

The entire Schepel team and I appreciate the support we’ve been given through the years, and we look forward to serving you in the future.
   

Sincerely,
    RICHARD SCHEPEL,
     PRESIDENT

http://www.schepelbuickpontiacgmc.com/

Berkot's Super Foods is a full service grocery store. - Family owned and operated - whose greatest pride is providing you - our valued customer - with fast friendly service and only the freshest and highest quality meat, produce, deli, and fresh bakery products available.

  Berkot's opened it's Mokena store in 1990 and has since grown to include five additional locations:

Our employees are all members of the communities in which the Berkot's stores are located and we are dedicated to their training and development as Berkot's associates. Berkot's also remains dedicated to the communities we serve - and who support us - by offering our full support to their organizations and events that enhance the quality of life of all members of the community.

We appreciate their support of the Brookside Motorsports team, keeping us hydrated at the shop and on race weekends with bottled water, Gatorade, and Pepsi, along with chips and cookies.

We are next off to Angola Motor Speedway for a race on Thursday evening, July 3.  We’ll keep you updated on significant events between now and then.

To subscribe or unsubscribe to this email update, send a message to doug.hastings@sbcglobal.net

The CRA Racing Series has a web site at www.craracing.net

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Brookside Motorsports Update JUNE 16, 2008

This is a bit longer than usual, but there is some exciting stuff in here, so here goes.

The week leading up to the Ivy Tech 125 at Anderson Speedway was a hectic one.  Coming back from Salem, we had significant work to do on the #14 car as well as the #0.  The #14 car suffered serious damage in Salem, and the whole front end of the car needed to be replaced so the engine was removed on Monday to prepare for that major work to be done.  The hope is that the front end work will be completed by Wednesday of this week and the engine re-installed in time for the Saturday race at Illiana Speedway.

The crew worked all week on the #0 car getting ready for Anderson.  We discovered a hole in our header, and were thankful that this didn’t cause us serious engine damage as we finished our laps in Salem.  A new one had to be ordered and was installed late in the week.

We were also chasing down an electrical problem, dealing with the alternator and battery.  We thought we had it solved but then we battled it again once we got to the track.

Anderson is a ¼ mile high banked, fast track that can be brutal on cars.  The typical Anderson race has many cautions during the first half of the race, and then longer green flag runs as the race moves towards the finish.  We battled the handling on the car, and decided to change rear springs, along with replacing a broken shock.  Sean went out to qualify and came out with a 14th position to start the race.

6:00pm came, with driver introductions and the waving of the green flag began the 125 lap feature event.  Several cautions for wrecks flew over the course of the first 60 laps, and then things smoothed out until close to the end.  Sean reported the car’s handling to be the best it had been all day, and he was slowly moving up in positions.  Anderson can be a “survival of the fittest” kind of race, and Sean stayed clear of the major incidents.  As the checkered flag flew, we crossed the finish line in 10th place…a solid day.  A violent thunderstorm came rolling in shortly after our race concluded so we feverously loaded our equipment into the race trailer, barely getting it all inside before the downpour and heavy winds swept threw.  Everybody stayed safe but it didn’t allow us to greet the race fans in the pits after the racing evening concluded.

The schedule was really tight, but we did hold a Chapel service for a small group, where Doug Hastings spoke on the Parable of the Prodigal Son, or more appropriate for Father’s Day, the Parable of the Waiting Father.   Read the whole story in Luke 15:11-32…a good reminder’s of God the Father’s patience for us as we are “prone to wander.”

The Family Fun Zone was a huge success, with many families visiting, playing the games, winning prizes, and just having a good time.  We continue to be extremely grateful to CRA for their support of this venture, along with Kid’s Corner Radio, Tyndale House Publishers/ RPM Books by Chris Fabry, Moody Radio, EMF Corporation, Schepel Buick/Pontiac/GMC, MEP, Schoenfeld Headers, and several others from the CRA racing community.

Click here for more pictures of our prep for the Anderson race and of this weekend’s action.

Brookside Motorsports could not do what we do without the great support of our sponsors.  Over the remaining weeks of the season we will periodically present a Sponsor Spotlight in our update in appreciation and recognition of this group of ministry partners.  We encourage you to support them and when you get the chance, thank them for their support of the Ministry and Racing efforts here at Brookside Motorpsorts.

KID’S CORNER RADIO

Kid’s Corner Radio is a production of the Back to God Hour.

Back to God Hour - Our Mission

Spreading God's Word and making disciples of all peoples through electronic media ministry.

For nearly 70 years, The Back to God Hour has covered the world with an ever-growing electronic media ministry. We beam the message of salvation to all corners of the earth in nine major world languages, using radio, television, the Internet, telecommunications and the printed page.

Ministry leaders, native to their own languages, provide leadership in production of culturally relevant programs and follow-up in order to present Jesus Christ and help people to grow in their faith.

Global Impact

• Ministries in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Indonesian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish languages.
• Reaching people in more than 170 countries worldwide.
• Headquartered in suburban Chicago, Illinois with satellite/follow-up offices in 16 countries.
• Ministries specifically designed to reach children and youth in seven languages.
• An average of 125,000 people contact The Back to God Hour ministries monthly, asking for prayer, requesting Bible study materials, copies of messages or other follow-up materials.

TYNDALE HOUSE PUBLISHERS

Tyndale House Publishers was founded in 1962 by Kenneth N. Taylor. Concerned that his ten children were having a hard time understanding the family’s devotional reading of the old English in the King James Version of the Bible, Taylor paraphrased the The Living Bible so they could hear and understand the scriptures in everyday English.

In 1954, as he rode the commuter train to his job in Chicago, Taylor started paraphrasing the New Testament into modern English. After seven years of writing and rewriting, he submitted the manuscript to several publishing houses, but it was rejected by all of them. Convinced that there was value in the work for more than just their children, Taylor and his wife Margaret, decided to use their limited savings to publish Living Letters.

In 1962, Taylor exhibited his self-published Living Letters at the Christian Booksellers Association convention. The following spring Billy Graham saw a copy of Living Letters and asked if he could print a special edition and offer it on the telecasts of his crusades. Half a million copies were given away through the Graham crusades. Ken Taylor’s dream had become a reality and more – a publishing entity had been born. Tyndale House Publishers grew from a modest home into a major publishing entity that reaches every continent in the world.

"I had always been fascinated by the story of the 16th-century Englishmen William Tyndale. His lifetime goal was to translate the Bible into English, even though there was a death penalty for anyone who dared to do this. William Tyndale’s dream was accomplished, but in 1536 King Henry VII arranged for Tyndale to be burnt at the stake for giving the English Bible to England. I too had a dream of giving America a Bible that was easy to understand." -Dr. Kenneth N. Taylor

At the Family Fun Zone, a big “hit” with the kids is the free copy of Chris Fabry’s book Blind Spot, published by Tyndale.  Blind Spot is the first is a 4 part kid’s series that deals with racing, so it is a natural topic for a book we gladly give to kids who visit the Family Fun Zone tent.  Chris Fabry is an author and is the radio host of Chris Fabry Live! heard M-F at 2pm CT on Moody Radio.

Thanks for working your way to the end of our update this week.  Please come see us as we race at Illiana Speedway in Schererville, IN (Northwest IN) on Saturday Night, June 21.  The CRA Super Series drivers will compete in the Elmer Musgrave Memorial 100 lap feature event that evening.  The Family Fun Zone tent will be in full operation, so stop by and visit and then cheer on the #0 Kid’s Corner Radio/RPM Books late model driven by Sean Matthuis and the #14 Moody Radio/Moody Publishers machine driven by Al Longtin.

Please make sure you add doug.hastings@sbcglobal.net to your safe senders list so this regular email update doesn’t go into you spam or junk mail folder.  If you know of someone who would like to be added to this regular email update list, please reply with their address.

Have a great week!

CRA Series information at www.craracing.net

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Brookside Motorsports Update JUNE 8, 2008

It has been several weeks since our last update, so we’ll bring you up to speed on the activities of the Brookside Motorsports team since our competition at Baer Filed in Fort Wayne, IN.

Last weekend, since there was no CRA event scheduled, the #0 team ventured out to Illiana Speedway to give our car a “test run” prior to our CRA event.  We prepared our second car (Lefthander chassis) for this “test,” knowing it would be the one we would be taking to Illiana to compete on June 21.  Four laps into practice, the engine “blew” and our night was over, almost before it started.  The GOOD thing was that the set-up on the car was very good, and Sean was extremely pleased with how the #0 Kid’s Corner Radio/Tyndale House Publishers Charger was hugging the track during those first few laps around the ½ mile flat track oval.  We plan to install a replacement motor this week and be ready for the June 21 event.  We are also looking forward to seeing many of our Chicago area friends and supporters at that race….please make the trip out to Schererville and stop by the team hauler in the pits after the races to say hello (entrance to the pits AFTER the race is free).

Work continued on our “Port City” racecar in preparation for the high bank ½ mile at Salem Speedway.  Both the #0 and the #14 cars we set to compete with 22 other drivers.  The weather was extremely treacherous (heavy rain which resulted in flash flooding) making our way down I-65 Saturday morning, but we arrived at Salem Speedway with the temperatures in the 90’s, and we began the day with high hopes of good safe racing and ministry opportunities for the Family Fun Zone team.

Practice brought unique results for both cars.  Al Longtin in the #14 Moody Radio/Moody Publishers machine went out to get a feel for this high banked oval, and was running respectable lap times and logging laps to get more comfortable with the track when he got caught up in a spin of another car causing significant front end damage to the #14.  The pit crew began the major repairs on the #14 (scrambling to get done before qualifying), while Sean Matthuis in the #0 continued in practice, working on improving the handling by making adjustments to the track bar and changing a spring in the right rear.  Qualifying was just around the corner.

The #0 qualified 18th and after intense work by the crew, the #14 was able to make his qualifying laps, but with no front nose or fenders on the car, his front end down force was greatly decreased and that robbed him of a chance to show what the car could really do.

Racing began at 7:00pm, and after the invocation and the singing of the National Anthem, 3 other Divisions raced their features before the CRA Super Series late models took to the track.  After driver introductions, the event began with 24 cars on the grid.  The race was fast and clean, and with only a few minor incidents for cautions.  Sean was holding his own, running in the middle of the pack and taking care of the car so we could be there at the finish.  Around lap 50, he reported a “clicking” noise but he stayed on the track since he continued to have full power from the engine.  At lap 69, he slowed significantly and entered the pits.  A quick examination under the hood uncovered a broken alternator belt, not allowing the alternator to charge the battery.  By now it was close to lap 80, and with only 20 laps remaining, the race would be over by the time the repair was made.  So our night was finished.

The #14 machine started the race, but we knew it would be a tough night with no fenders and the front end damage sustained in practice.  The goal was to run as competitively as possible, but allow the faster cars to pass by staying low on the track.  On lap 49, Al lost control coming out of turn 2 and hit the inside wall on the back stretch, causing severe damage to the front end and ending his night.

With the severe weather in the whole area both north and south of Salem, the crowd was a bit smaller than hoped for, which also impacted the number of people visiting the Family Fun Zone.  But even still the team of volunteers worked hard setting up the games and the show car, and spent time with the families who made their way to the pavilion just inside the admission gate.  The local TV station interviewed Donna Matthuis and she was able to explain what the Family Fun Zone was all about.  More ministry material was handed out, giving the kids fun prizes, Kid’s Corner Radio program CD’s, and Tyndale House publisher’s “Blind Spot” book by Chris Fabry.  The adults received a copy of the Moody Publisher’s book “The Five Love Languages for Men.”  The Family Fun Zone continues to provide great opportunities to minister to people attending the racing events.  Special thanks continue to go out to the CRA officials along with the generous sponsors of the Family Fun Zone.  The Family Fun Zone team this week included Donna and Cheyenne Matthuis, Nancy Hastings, Kelly Siegers, Renee Tomak, and Bill and Carol Kooienga.

I had the privilege of giving a chapel message to a small group who were able to attend. I spoke on “Facing the Giants in our Lives” - learning from the story of David and Goliath in I Samuel 17.  I also was asked to lead in prayer at the driver’s meeting, give the invocation, along with pray with one of the teams prior to the race.  Opportunities for ministry continue to open up every week.

So….we have lots of work to do at the shop as we prepare to race the #0 car at Anderson Speedway next weekend on Father’s Day, and both the #0 and the #14 at Illiana Speedway the following Saturday June 21.  Huge work goes into these cars by team members Sean Matthuis (driver), Shawn Matthuis (owner), Mac Hastings, Alex Treptow, Jim Rogers, Jeff “Skippy” Sanders, George Tomak, David Tomak, Doug Hastings, Kelly Siegers, and Jason Marion.

For more pictures of the Hoosier Hills 100 from Salem Speedway click here.

Follow the activities of the Brookside Motorsports team at www.brooksidemotorsports.com   The CRA Racing Series website is www.craracing.net

Brookside Motorsports Update MAY 23, 2008

WOW!  Here it is already, the first holiday weekend of summer.  Time seems to fly by faster every year.  Thanks for your continued interest in our race/ministry team. 

Last weekend we were in Fort Wayne, IN at Baer Field Speedway, which is a 3/8 mile track with no walls on the back stretch and turns one and four.  This unique track is sandwiched up against Fort Wayne’s International Airport where the roar of fighter jets drowns out the noise of our cars.

We took advantage of the free Saturday afternoon practice session to dial the car in.  Frustration agitated us through a bad set of tires but we were able to make some progress by the end of the day.  Sunday’s one-hour practice session was better and allowed us to qualify 18th.  This wasn’t as good as we had hoped for so after qualifying we changed a gear, a spring, and made a few other improvements. 

Because of a jammed packed schedule, we held a chapel for our team in our trailer before the race.  We talked about the burden, the decision, and the plan that Nehemiah put into action in his life in order to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.  The determination this man had to not let adversity, people, and enemies stand in his way shows us that nothing is impossible when we put everything before God and let Him lead us.

The call for the cars to line up came quickly and the green flag flew.  After a few accidents (which all seemed to happen right in front of us) Sean powered the Kids Corner car into the top ten.  While making a pass to 8th position, Sean was bumped and sent spinning.  He held onto the car and no damage was done but the loss of position and a trip to the back of the pack sure hurt.  With only 30 laps to go, Sean was able to make his way back through the pack to finish 16th.

The Family Fun Zone tent was a big hit with the kids and families at this event.  Despite the cold and windy day, we had approximately 35 families register and approximately 70 kids came through the tent and played games.  We had several men and women without kids stop by out of curiosity. They were very receptive to taking Kids Corner Radio Program information home with them for their kids or grandkids.  We were also able to give them copies of The Five Love Languages (for men); the women seem to be excited about giving this book to their husbands!

We are off this holiday weekend but we plan to take our other race car to Illiana Speedway for a test session/race.  We look forward to seeing our friends from the past there.  Please continue to pray for our race teams, not only for our safety but also that we may be Christ-like in all that we do (and that can be pretty tough at the track).

We continue to be grateful to our sponsors for their faithful support.  We do still have financial needs as we anticipate racing strong throughout the entire season.  If you or someone you know resonates with our mission, please point them in the direction of Shawn Matthuis at 815-485-0033.

A few more pictures can be found here.

If you’d like to be dropped from these email updates or know someone who would enjoy reading of our racing and ministry activities, you can request that by sending an email to doug.hastings@sbcglobal.net

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Brookside Motorsports Update April 28, 2008

Finally, we enjoyed a good weather day and the opening event for the CRA Super Series took place on Sunday, April 27 at Winchester Speedway.

Because of the good weather, there was a good crowd in attendance and lots of families took time to visit the Family Fun Zone. Kids got to sit in the show car, play games, and we handed out many copies of the Kids Corner Radio programs on CD, Chris Fabry’s Tyndale House kids racing book called BLIND SPOT, and copies of Gary Chapman’s best seller THE FIVE LOVE LANGUAGES (for Men) published by Moody Publishers.

We are seeing many open doors to place ministry material in the hands of the families, while we show them some hospitality and fun in the Family Fun Zone. Our plans include setting up this Family Fun Zone tent at most of the races on the schedule this season.

The 100 lap feature for the 24 late models started about 3pm. Exciting racing took place as both the #0 Kids Corner/Tyndale House Publishers and the #14 Moody Radio/Moody Publishers late models took to the track. The set up on the #0 seemed to be right on the mark, and Sean Matthuis went out for the only practice session and felt good about the handling and speed. After a strong qualifying run, he put the #0 in the 13th starting position, ahead of several veteran drivers. He drove a very strong race and the car was working real well in the upper grove. Slowly Sean moved the #0 forward little by little, getting up as far as 7th when a yellow flag flew on lap 96. During the yellow flag, something broke in the rear end, and Sean had a difficult time even making the final four laps, but stuck with it and finished in 9th place. Again, racing is a lot like life, with its highs and lows. Dealing with the good is easy but dealing the bad is always a challenge. We were proud of our team for the way we worked together, and for the solid finish for the #0.

All day, the crew for the #14 Al Longtin machine fought a fuel system issue, eventually discovering a kinked fuel pick up which wasn’t allowing steady fuel to flow to the carburetor. Adjustments were made right before the race began, so Al didn’t have the benefit of any practice laps or a qualifying run, so he started in the rear of the field. Winchester has vary fast, ,high banked turns and the learning curve is steep, so Al logged laps for most of the race, developing a growing feel for the car and the track. As the checkered flag flew, he crossed the line in 16th place, a very respectable finish for his first competitive oval racing experience.

Chapel again had a good attendance, many from the Brookside team, but several other teams also participated. I spoke on Hebrews 12:1-3, several verses that had crossed my path multiple times throughout last week. I talked about “running the race” and that in the race of life, speed is not always the key, but persistence and focusing on the right goal. After the service, one team came up to me and told me they had those verses on their racing team’s web site. We again got to interact with Jim, the Winchester Speedway gate keeper. At the conclusion of Chapel, we prayed for his daughter, Jama, who is battling diabetes, as well as for safety for all the drivers, crews, and officials. Of course, we began each word of prayer with a word of thankfulness for the good weather that God had blessed us with on Sunday.

We took a few more pictures this week and they are posted at http://community.webshots.com/album/563245591FqFlkS?vhost=community

The phrase “Give Us This Day our Daily Bread” is more and more precious to us as a race team, as we wait for God’s supply on the financial side. He is opening great doors for ministry, and we are confident He will provide the needed resources to sustain that ministry to families through our race team. We are extremely grateful for the sponsors who have already come on board, and are watching expectantly for additional partnerships to develop. If you have ideas for people who might connect with our mission and vision, please let us know.

Our next race is in Ft. Wayne on May 18, so we have several weeks to work in the shop. Pray for Shawn, Sean, Mac, Alex, Jim, George, Jeff, David, Kelly, and Jason as they put in multiple nights and long hours each week at the shop working on the cars. The NASCAR guys always remember to thank their shop guys, and we are learning how important it is to appreciate the hard work that goes on behind the scenes long before race day. We’ll soon have our web site updated with new pictures of all the crew.

Thanks for your interest....feel free to share these updates with friends and family who might be interested in our team’s activities. Remember to support our sponsors listed on the “Sponsor” page of our web site at www.brooksidemotorsports.com

We’ll post another update as we approach the May 18 event.

 Brookside Motorsports Update April 21, 2008

On Sunday, we woke up to cloudy skies and wet pavement, so the schedule for racing was delayed as they once again dried the track.  We did finally take to the race track for a practice session, but soon after that, the skies opened again and washed out the rest of the day.  The event has been rescheduled for next Sunday, April 27.

The Family Fun Zone made its debut and was a great success.  Especially because of the rain, families were looking for “shelter” and some of them found it in the Family Fun Zone.  Donna Matthuis, Nancy Hastings, Kelly Siegers, and Kaitlin Kutchinski hosted the tent and interacted with Moms, Dads, and kids.

 The CRA made “Chapel” a priority in the schedule, and because of the rain, more crew members were able to attend.  About 20 came to the service, where Chaplain Doug Hastings talked about “The Present” (a book written by Spencer Johnson), and related various passages of Scripture to the idea of “taking advantage of the present moment, learning from the past, and planning for the future.”  Several people asked for a copy of the Gospel of John that Doug offered during his message.  Prayer requests were received and the service was closed in prayer.

So, we’ll be back at Winchester next weekend and will keep you informed of the results.  Pictures of this past weekend are available by clicking here.  You can also stay up to date on Brookside “news” by visiting our newly designed web site at www.brooksidemotorsports.com

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Brookside Motorsports Update- april 18, 2008

Our last update had us traveling to Anderson, IN for the April 12-13 weekend, but on April 11, we received word the event had been postponed due to anticipated cold and rainy weather.  We will now be in Anderson on Father’s Day.

So…our next event is this weekend in Winchester, IN.  The famed Winchester Speedway, is known as the “World’s Fastest ½ Mile.”  We will head out early Saturday morning for the 4 hour trip to eastern Indiana, and hopefully dodge the rain and get some practice time in before the Manning Service 100 on Sunday at 2:00pm.  Both the #0 Kid’s Corner/Tyndale House Chevy Monte Carlo along with the #14 Moody Radio.com/Five Love Languages.com Ford Fusion will be running in what has turned out to be the season opener.  Sean Matthuis will pilot the #0, while Al Longtin makes his CRA Super Series driving debut in the #14 machine.  We are excited to have both Moody Radio and Moody Publishers on Al’s car this season as he runs 8 CRA Super Series races. The picture below shows the #14 car being prepared, but not yet having the “contingency” stickers from all the CRA Super Series partnering sponsors.  A large picture of the Five Love Languages for Men book cover will wrap the hood of the #14.    It has been a mad dash to get both cars ready for this weekend, but it appears we are ready to take some laps and go fast.

We are extremely excited about the launch of the Family Fun Zone tent at this event.  Donna Matthuis, along with several other key volunteers will “man” this tent that will include interactive games, prizes and a full size show car (pictures below) very similar to the one the fans will see on the race track.  We hope to provide an “added value” for families and at the same time, have them enjoy a friendly and fun experience and send them away with “prizes” and gifts that have ministry value.  CRA recently featured the Family Fun Zone with a very kind article on their web page at http://www.craracing.net/news/2008/april2008/familyzone41408.html    We’ll be handing out copies of “Blind Spot,” a kids fiction racing book by Chris Fabry and Published (and provided) by Tyndale Publishers.  The Five Love Languages Men’s Edition, by Gary Chapman has been provided by Moody Publishers for the “big kids” that visit us in the Family Fun Zone.

A huge “high five” goes out to the crew at VanBruggen Signs, who have transformed our “totor” and trailer into a rolling billboard for www.Kidscorner.net  They have been a huge support during these early days of getting our cars (and trailer) ready for the season.

We hope to hold a Chapel Service on Sunday morning before the driver’s meeting.  We’ll be having “church” at the track when many of you will be attending your home church….if you remember…pray for us as we continue to build relationships with the drivers, crews, track and race officials.

Early next week we’ll send along a report on the weekend, with a link to pictures of both the racing activities and the Family Fun Zone.  We continue to seek sponsors for both our racing and Family Fun Zone activities….if you know of someone who might want to partner with a racing team that also focuses on ministry, please have them contact Shawn Matthuis at 815- 485-0033.  We continue to be amazed at how God provides the support at just the right time for us to take the “next” step.

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Newspaper Article on the Brookside Motorsports team

Neighbors Brookside article Sept 2007

Click here for archived news stories