Brookside Motorsports Update- january 20, 2008

The annual CRA Awards Banquets took place on Saturday, January 13 in Anderson, IN.  Competitors from all four Divisions were honored for their accomplishments during the 2007 season.  The Brookside Motorsports team was well represented by the entire Matthuis family along with a number of other crew members.

After the welcome by Series Director Glenn Luckett and the blessing by Doug Hastings (CRA Chaplain and Brookside team member), a delicious buffet was served to the 250 attendees as they enjoyed sharing stories and memories of the 2007 season.  The awards presentation followed dinner. Brookside Motorsports owner Shawn Matthuis and driver Sean Matthuis were honored in the Super Late Model Division for finishing 8th in overall points.

Shawn and Donna Matthuis took advantage of the gathering to speak with several race teams and sponsors about the expanded ministry plans for the 2008 season, specifically related to a “Family Tent.”  This tent, to be set up at each event, in cooperation with the CRA Series, will offer kids and families a place to stop on the way into the track to see and sit in a show car, play interactive games, and receive content rich prizes.  Staffed by volunteers, this will allow better interaction with families and the opportunity to demonstrate one on one the love of God in an intentional way.

The Brookside team is well underway with the rebuild of the #0 Kid’s Corner Radio late model race car ( www.kids-corner.org ), and are still seeking additional  sponsor partners as we plan for an exciting 2008 season.  You can contact Shawn Matthuis at 815-485-0033 if interested.  The first race will take place in Nashville, TN on March 29…as we approach that date, we’ll keep you posted on team developments.

Also joining us this year will be Al Longtin, driving a car sponsored by Moody Radio.

CRA has a web site at www.craracing.net Visit our Photo Gallery page to click on links to all our 2007 season pictures (scroll to the bottom of the page).

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Brookside Motorsports Update- November 26, 2007

The 2007 season came to an end for the Brookside Motorsports team at the Winchester 400, where Sean drove the Kid’s Corner Radio/WMBI Radio #0 late model to a 14th place finish.  With that persevering finish, Sean finished 8th in overall points in his rookie season as a CRA Late Model Division driver.  We were pumped and extremely thankful for the protection of God’s hand on Sean, the car, and our team the entire season.

We are extremely grateful for our sponsors that stood with us during the 2007 season.  It was amazing to watch God provide the resources needed, just when we needed them, each step of the way.  We are now in a similar position to watch God provide, having the engine and rear end rebuilt to return the car to the condition it was when we began 2007. But, all the resources needed to make that happen are not in the bank account.  So if you or someone you know would like to be the instrument God uses to meet this need, please contact us by email or phone.

We met as a team in November and reviewed the 2007 season and mapped out a strategy for 2008.  We will add a second car and driver to the garage, welcoming Al Longtin, a recent road racer who will now make the transition to oval racing with us in the CRA series.  AB Resources, Al’s company, was one of our faithful sponsors in 2007. 

We listed a number of things that we want “step up” next year, and most of those center around ministry.  We will work extremely hard to be competitive in the races, and there is no doubt Sean can drive the car fast, but we also know that making an eternal impact on the lives of the people involved in the series is a higher goal.  We are already working on some ideas which we believe will touch people’s lives and point them towards the God we know who loves each of his creations and longs to have a personal relationship with them through His Son Jesus Christ.  CRA has asked me to serve as Chaplain again next year, and I am excited about the opportunity that brings to share messages each week and to encourage and pray with drivers and teams.

The CRA 2007 Series Awards Banquet will be January 12, 2008 in Anderson, IN, where each of the top 15 Super Series teams will be recognized and given their awards.  The racing schedule for 2008 should be published by then, and we will be working throughout the winter to make ready the Brookside Motorsports cars for competition beginning at the end of March in Nashville, TN.  Kid’s Corner Radio (www.kids-corner.org ) has indicated their interest in sponsoring Sean in the #0 again this season, and we are working on another ministry to sponsor the car Al Longtin will pilot each week.

Stay up with all the latest news about Brookside Motorsports by visiting www.brooksidemotorsports.com .  We soon hope to post a recent audio feature that played on WMBI-FM in Chicago that featured the team and our efforts during the 2007 season.

As always, if you would like to be dropped from this email update list, please reply to this email and write “unsubscribe” in the subject line.  If you know of people who would like to be added to the update list, have them contact me at doug.hastings@sbcglobal.net

We trust you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are looking forward to celebrating the birth of Jesus this Christmas.

Have a wonderful Christmas Season and we’ll update you in January 2008.

Brookside Motorsports Update October 15, 2007

The Brookside Motorsports team traveled to the famous Winchester Speedway (Winchester, IN) this past weekend for the Winchester 400, a 400 lap event for the CRA (Champion Racing Association) series final points race of the season.  Pardon the long update here…read what you want and skip the rest.

PRACTICE

Arriving at the track early Saturday morning, we unloaded the trailer and quickly got to work.  Jason Marion joined me in the “tire barn” as we picked out our 12 tires we would use for the 400 mile event.  Normally we are looking for 4 tires, so the task was much bigger and tougher this time around.  Stacks of tires were everywhere.  While we did that, the rest of the team took the car to the technical inspection area to be cleared to run the first practice session.

We had the car “in the ballpark” as we unloaded, but needed to really fine tune the handling since we knew the competition would be extremely tight amongst the 40 cars registered for the race.  Adjustments were made to tire pressures, springs, and shocks to help the car handle better, and we took a breather before the second practice session.

QUALIFYING

Qualifying took place at 5:00pm, and we were 11th in line to take to the track.  Qualifying consists of 2 laps at top speed.  They take your quickest time of the two laps and place you in starting order based upon everyone’s fastest time.  After 38 cars had made their qualifying laps, we found ourselves starting in the 25th position.  A total of 40 cars would start the event, with the 2 promoter’s choice positions going to Nextel Cup drivers Kyle Busch and David Stremme.

After a flurry of pre-race activities including an autograph session on the front stretch, the 400 lap race of endurance began.  This track is known for eating up cars and spitting them out, so we knew we could get a good finish if we were still running at the end of the race.

RACING

Just before the race began, as Sean climbed into the car to strap in, we met as a team around the driver’s side window and had a word of prayer.  We knew it would be a long day and prayed for patience, safety, teamwork, and for our team to behave in a manner that would represent Christ and His Kingdom in a positive way.

The green flag flew shortly after 1:00pm ET and we were off and running.  On lap 50, we slowed to avoid a wreck in front of us in turn 2, but one of the other drivers didn’t react quite as fast as Sean, and ended up sliding into the driver’s side rear quarter panel, tearing it up really bad.

We came to the pits, and made repairs with duct tape and tie wraps and sent Sean back out.  We knew we had a long day ahead of us with the car in that condition, but were still committed to the original goal of finishing the race.  Sean drove hard and even with the damage, was very competitive and enjoyed some good green flag racing.  We continued to take advantage of the yellow flags to come in and make adjustments to the car, change tires, and refuel.

On lap 350, Sean radioed in and reported he had lost a cylinder and was running on only 7.  Robbing him of his full power, he held on to finish the race in 14th place, up 11 spots from our starting position.  Final official results of the point standings should be posted in a few days, but we are hopeful we moved up one more position as a result of this good effort.  We started this race in 9th place in overall points.

MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES

The schedule was very hectic, and the Chapel service slated to take place on Sunday morning just had too many other competing demands on drivers and teams, and so it didn’t happen.  What DID happen was the opportunity for me to pray before the race with one of the teams who we have become friends with and encouragers to one another.  I was also privileged to give the invocation before both the Saturday evening race program and the big Sunday event. 

We handed out Kid’s Corner “ministry bags” to kids and adults during the autograph session, and had many opportunities to point families to the Kids Corner web site (the address is largely displayed along both sides of the car.  There was great interest and we hope the “seeds” we plant with the ministry bags yield much fruit for the Kingdom of God.

We took lots of pictures this weekend, so click here and enjoy the visual reminders of this  Winchester weekend.

Special thanks to a couple of our sponsors this week including the AB Resources (financial planners) and Dry Trax (race track drying equipment).  These two, along with our other sponsors, have been very supportive of our efforts this season and we could not have attended all these races and had the ministry opportunities we have had without their encouragement and financial investment.

Stay tuned for future updates and plans for the Brookside Motorsports team by visiting www.brooksidemotorsports.com   Once final season results are posted, we will send out an update to summarize our season efforts.

Read all about the CRA Series at www.craracing.net

As always, if you would like to unsubscribe to this newsletter, please send an email to doug.hastings@sbcglobal.net and we will remove you right away.  If you know of others who would like to receive the updates, have them email the same address with their request.

Have a great week!

Brookside Motorsports Update September 24, 2007

Friday, September 21

Once again the Brookside team traveled to a new track for us, this time being the O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis.  Practice and qualifying were on Friday so a small contingent from our team left at 3:00am Friday morning to make it down to the track in Indy.  This was a big weekend, with a big winning purse, so it drew more cars than normal.  Prior to Friday, 46 cars had pre-registered.

The second practice session went smoothly, but the car was still loose.  Our hopes would be for the track to cool down by 7:00pm when qualifying would begin.

As we had anticipated, the competition was extremely tight.  If you are “off” just a ½ second on lap time, you can find yourself way back in the field.  There were 38 drivers who were to qualify.  Positions 1-20 would be determined by qualifying, and then positions 21-24 would be from owner’s points.  Positions 25 -28 would be the first four finishers from the last chance race.  Positions 29-30 would be the first two finishers from the Lucky Dog race, and positions 31-32 would be 2 cars still not in the field called “the promoter’s choice.”  The “spread” between the fastest and 35th qualifying time was 0.785 seconds. The fastest qualifying time was 21.284 seconds, a new track record.  Sean qualified the #0 Kids Corner machine 32nd, which meant we would have to race in the last chance race to actually make the field.  That last chance race took place Friday night, and we finished 5th which meant we would have to race the lucky dog race on Saturday night.

Saturday, September 22

We prepared for the two practice sessions to take place during Saturday afternoon prior to the lucky dog race.    We had several conversations with other teams and other experienced racers who had driven this track, and decided to basically change almost everything (springs and sway bar) on the car’s set up to see if we could get some additional speed out of the Kids Corner late model.  The first practice was rough, with Sean scuffing the wall in turn one.  We brought the car in and went over everything carefully, made some very minor repairs, and got ready for the 2nd practice session.  The 2nd session found the car very close to what we wanted and we made several small adjustments during the 30 minutes. 

After several major wrecks in the late model modified race right before our race, we finally saw the green flag around 9:30pm.  We stayed clean, moved up little by little, and hovered around the 20th position for the first 50 laps.  On lap 51 when racing a veteran CRA driver for position, the other driver didn’t get clear of us on the front straight before he tried to slide in place in front of us.  It resulted in contact between the two cars, taking the other driver out of the race.  Sean continued without coming in contact with anything else, but was sent to the tail of the field for being involved in the crash causing the caution.  Since caution laps did not count in this race, we decided to come to the pits to access damage, insert a spring rubber in the right rear spring to help with our handling and add some fuel.  Sean drove hard for the remaining 49 laps, dodging several other incidents on the track.  When the night was done, we finished in the 21st position, gaining 8 positions from our start.

The chaplain opportunities were numerous this past weekend, which included offering prayers at all the driver’s meetings, giving the invocation both Friday and Saturday nights before the race program began, and holding a chapel service on Saturday morning.  Almost 30 people came to chapel, where I talked about “Having an Attitude of Service,” using some material I had learned from the Purpose Driven Life series of several years ago.  I was greatly encouraged to have several CRA officials along with some crew members from a couple modified late model teams attend the chapel service this week.  We also took some time to pray for a couple drivers who had been involved in a hard crash the night before, one who had been admitted to the local hospital with a fractured shoulder.  If you remember, pray for Kenny Tweedy and his continued recovery.

Once again we took the opportunity to pass out more Kids Corner “ministry bags” in the stands to kids with their families.  These bags are always a great “hit” with the kids and their parents.

Our next race is the big 400 lap event at Winchester Speedway on October 13-14.  We have several weeks to repair the car and getting it set for that fast ½ mile oval.

Pictures from the Indianapolis race can be found by clicking here.

You can always stay on top of what is happening with our team by visiting www.brooksidemotorsports.com .

Information about the CRA Racing series is found at www.craracing.net

Watch for an email next week highlighting another of our sponsors and a couple of our fun crew members.

Have a great week!

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Brookside Motorsports Update October 8, 2007

We have been preparing for the longest race of the season…the Winchester 400.  After the last race in Indianapolis (O’Reilly Raceway Park), we pulled off both front fenders and the right side door.

We’ll be in Winchester on Saturday and Sunday October 13-14 for the fast ½ mile Winchester 400 lap event.  Many regular CRA drivers along with other late model drivers from around the country have entered the event.  In addition, Nextel Cup drivers Kyle Busch and David Stremme will also be racing for the win.  We’ll bring you an update early next week on the results.

Team Member profiles:

A BIG thanks to our sponsors:

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                                       Brookside Motorsports Update september 19, 2007

Last weekend we battled the Berlin Raceway in Marne, MI just outside Grand Rapids.  Many of the teams registered for this race were local, so much of the competition was way ahead of us on experience at this track.  A smaller contingent of our team went on Friday for practice and qualifying.  We fought a “tight” racecar throughout practice.  We then were able to put on the new set of tires for qualifying, and between those and several major adjustments (changing springs, etc.) we loosened the car up…probably too much.  Sean qualified the #0 Kids Corner/Camp Manitoqua/ Riverton Cabinets/AB Resources late model in the 20th position. 

After qualifying on Friday, we had to turn in our tires to the “impound” area for them to hold until the final practice was over on Saturday.  After that final practice session, they released our tires to us to put on the car for the race.  We again struggled with the car during practice, but were careful on adjustments, knowing that with the race tires, we were pretty close on our set up.

As the sun went down and the temperatures dropped, the race began and Sean stayed clean and raced hard.  There were long green flag runs, with only three yellow flags during the 125 lap event.  The car was still very loose, and Sean “saved” it several times coming off the corners as it was trying to spin out.  When the night ended, Sean drove to a 12th place finish, moving us to 9th place overall in series points.

Ministry opportunities were again a big part of our weekend.  I gave a Chapel message on “Having an Attitude of Joy” and reminded all of us that JOY isn’t dependant on our circumstances.  A simple but powerful prescription for JOY includes Jesus first, others second, and yourself last.  In order to put Jesus first, we shared how important it is to have a personal relationship with Him.  Donna, Summer, and Cheyenne Matthuis passed out ministry bags to the families in the crowd as the track announcer explained what we were doing.  Each bag contained some Kids Corner material and a CD with sample programs.   We also linked up with the track chaplain Larry Bush, and had visits from several local race fans that had seen the recent article on the #0 Kids Corner car in the West Michigan Christian News publication.

This weekend we travel to Indianapolis for the Circle Track Nationals…one of the highest paying short track late model events in the country.  There are already 46 cars registered to try and make the race, so pray for us as the competition will be rigorous.

Pictures of our Berlin weekend are posted and ready to view.  Click here.

Team Member profiles…..

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  Brookside Motorsports Update September 4, 2007

They call it the fastest ½ mile high banked race track in America…the Winchester Speedway.  It was all that and more this past weekend as the Brookside Motorsports Kid’s Corner Radio/Camp Manitoqua/ DryTrax/WMBI #0 late model went racing.  This was a two day event called the “World Stock Car Festival.”  Over 150 cars and trucks packed the infield pit area representing 8 different classes of competitors (see picture below).

Monday began with a Chapel service.  I am again grateful for the opportunity the CRA officials gave me to hold this short devotional time.  About 20 drivers and crew members came to the pit grandstands, where I talked about having an “Attitude of Perseverance.”  I used several verses from Philippians 3 where the Apostle Paul talks about “pressing on…”   Little did our team know that a different kind of perseverance would play a big part in our race day activities.

We started 15th, and with 100 laps of racing, the game plan was to stay clean and out of trouble and be around at the end to get a good finish.  This track has a way of jumping out and biting you, and we knew many cars would be casualties along the way.  Sean noticed around lap 40 that we had lost a spark plug on one cylinder, therefore running on only 7 cylinders instead of 8.  Not a good thing, but not “terminal” at this track.  We were running 11th on lap 70 when one of the competitors hit the back wall and needed medical attention.  The CRA officials threw the red flag and we stopped in turn 1.  When the wreck had been cleared, they started the cars moving, but Sean reported something very wrong with the car.  We encouraged him to keep it moving and maybe it was vapor lock or something else since we had been stopped for a few minutes.  After 8 laps of green flag racing and Sean visibly fighting to keep the car out of the wall the whole time, he came to the pits.  We discovered we had lost the spindle on the driver’s side of the rear end axle.  Repairs were attempted, but such a complicated mechanism is not quickly put back together.  We lost several laps while we worked, but then got Sean ready to take the car out the way it was, and to log as many laps as possible going as fast as he could and still control the car.  A yellow flag came out at just the right time and we joined the field on lap 84.  Sean courageously drove the car for those final 16 laps, and when the race was completed, we finished in the 8th position…a pretty phenomenal day!  Several veteran teams marveled at Sean and his perseverance at driving the car on 7 cylinders and a partial rear axle….many teams would have parked the car and called it a day.

Not giving up on race day is important, but even more important is perseverance in life… something God wants to see from us as His children.  We can’t live off past successes in the Christian life, or dwell on past failures.  “Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”  If you are wondering what exactly this means and would like to know more about having Jesus Christ in your life, please contact me….I would love to share with you how you can make that happen.

During the Monday racing events, Donna, Summer, and Cheyenne Matthuis along with several other team members passed out ministry bags to the kids and families in the stands.  These included a Kids Corner Radio CD, a flying disk, along with a new youth fiction book about racing by Chris Fabry called “Blind Spot.”  (Special thanks to Tyndale Publishing for providing those books for us to pass out).

One final story….when we were at Winchester in April, we met a gentleman that works the gate where the cars and haulers enter the track.  We gave him a bottle of wax from one of our sponsors and encouraged him for the cheerful way he served at the track.  That same gentleman was there this past weekend, doing the same duty.  When he learned we were holding a Chapel service, he asked if we would pray for his daughter who battles diabetes and just had her leg amputated.  What a chance to share the love of Christ with a man who was concerned over his daughter…and it all started because of our sponsors and the open doors for ministry that are created by the sponsor items we distribute to the fans at every race.

Pictures from Winchester are posted on the web… click here.

Watch for an email next week spotlighting several of our highly valued sponsors and a couple Brookside Motorsports team members.

Our next race is September 14-15 in Marne, MI at the Berlin Speedway just outside Grand Rapids.

CRA Series Racing information is found at www.craracing.net

If you know of someone who would like to receive these updates, point them to doug.hastings@sbcglobal.net

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Brookside Motorsports Update August 15, 2007

On August 11 the Brookside Motorsports Kid’s Corner Radio #0 took to the Illiana Motor Speedway ½ mile flat track for the CRA Series Elmer Musgrave Memorial 100 lap feature event.  Plenty of CRA regulars along with a good contingent of “local” late model drivers were on hand.

Qualifying was next and the field was very tight just like in Anderson.  Sean qualified the #0 25th.  After some team discussion, crew chief Jim Rogers moved forward with having the team change front springs and sway bar to try and tighten up what was an extremely loose race car.

As the race began, Sean reported the changes were a big improvement, and he gradually moved his way up to 15th.  Around lap 50, he was dueling it out with Nick Baran (another CRA rookie) and a local Illiana driver.  For a series of laps, the three of them were racing hard and then Nick got real loose and started to lose it coming out of turn two.  He let off the gas right when Sean expected him to be taking off down the back straight, and Sean ran into the rear end of the #87, damaging the left front of our car (picture below).  A quick trip to the pits determined we couldn’t do much to fix the damage, tires were still good, and Sean went back out on the track to start at the tail of the lead lap.  Sean raced hard for the remaining 40 laps, with the car really “going away” on the last 20 laps where he did a phenomenal job hanging on to it through each turn.  We finished 17th, gaining 8 spots from where we started…all in all a good effort.

The CRA Series again allowed me to do a chapel service, where I shared some material I had heard several years ago from a radio colleague, Bob Lepine of Family Life Today.  I spoke on the Seven Irrefutable Truths.  Several of the young drivers were there along with a few others.  Pray for a young man named Chase…his grandfather brought him to the chapel service, and he stayed for part of the time and seemed to be listening.  His grandfather has a burden for his grandson who he says is “searching.”

It was great to have several from the Back to God Hour team with us at the race track, and Jack Strong led us in a team prayer in the race trailer prior to the racing events of the evening.  After the races, we passed out lots of Kids Corner CD’s to the kids and goodie bags, this time for the adults in the crowd.  Sean signed flying disks for all the kids- each having a Kid’s Corner sticker with the web address attached.

Thanks for being interested in our racing and ministry activities.  Click here for pictures from the Illiana event.

Our next race is Labor Day Weekend in Winchester, IN.  We’ll bring you an update on our activities before then.  Keep up with the Brookside Motorsports Team by going to www.brooksidemotorsports.com .  Have a great week.

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Brookside Motorsports Update August 7, 2007

On August 4, after almost a month since our last race at Angola Motor Speedway, we took off for Anderson, IN  Speedway for a 250 lap CRA Series event.  This was twice as long as any other race so far this season, and we went into the event knowing we would learn and grow as we got ready and executed our race day strategy.

Arrival:

Arriving at 2:00pm, we checked in and tackled the two things we always do as we arrive.  We take the car for technical inspection and we go to the tire “barn” and get in line to choose our tires for the day.  Tech went smoothly, but the tire experience this race was a bit more challenging, since we were allowed 6 tires for the race instead of four. 

Practice:

Practice went very smooth, with Sean taking the #0 Kids Corner Radio late model out for two sessions.  On the second session, we had the 6th fastest time and felt good about the set up on the car, and decided to use that set up for qualifying. 

Qualifying:

30 cars were on hand for the race, and Sean was the 22nd car to go out and qualify, and after all had made their laps, Sean had qualified 22nd.  The gap between fastest qualifier and us was .369 seconds, so to say the least, the competition was extremely tight.

Racing:

We were running steady but got caught up in several other incidents, causing additional damage to the body of the #0.  The temperatures in the car were extremely hot, and Sean battled the effects of the heat and physical strain of a 250 lap race.  On lap 205, the heat overtook Sean and he was unable to continue.  Bringing the car to pit road, we helped him out and draped him in cold wet towels to cool him down.  As the final 45 laps unfolded several other cars dropped from the field, and at the end of the race, only 12 of the original 30 cars were still running.  The #0 car finished 17th, gaining 5 spots from where we started. 

While our night ended in a disappointing way, we were grateful for the things we learned.

Life is often filled with disappointment, but we are reminded that the God we serve is a faithful God, and knows our struggles and frustrations.  We take great confidence in knowing He knew well ahead of the race all that our team would experience this past Saturday.

After the race, we again had many opportunities to share bags of ministry “stuff” with the families who came to see us in the pits.  Along with touching many fans’ lives after the race, I was also grateful for the opportunity to hold the chapel service again for the drivers and crews.  I spoke about the changing world around us, and the fact that God is in the business of change, doing work in our lives to help us become the people He wants us to be.  We had a few more people attend the chapel, and I continue to be encouraged by the growing interest in the chapel services.

We’re thankful for additional sponsor money that came in this week to hopefully enable us to carry on through the rest of the season.  We continue to marvel at God’s timing in bringing in the resources just when we need them to keep our racing and ministry efforts going.

Next week we’re at our home track, the Illiana Motor Speedway in Schererville, IN for the CRA Series 100 lap Elmer Musgrave Memorial.  Races start at 7:00pm, with a full schedule of 4 cylinders, Mid-Americans, Sportsman, and late model competitors.  Come see us and cheer on the Kids Corner Radio/WMBI Radio #0.

For more information about the CRA Racing series, visit www.craracing.net

Keep up with the Brookside team at www.brooksidemotorsports.com

Pictures of this weekend are posted at http://community.webshots.com/album/560188911nPTalV?vhost=community

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UPDATE AUGUST 1, 2007

The following article appeared on the CRA Racing web site several weeks ago highlighting the ministry aspect of the Brookside Motorsports team.

Doug Hastings and Brookside Motorsports Are Spreading An Important Message Through The CRA Super Series

Salem, IN (July 16, 2007) – Doug Hastings and the Brookside Motorsports team are spreading an important message through their participation in the CRA Super Series. Hastings has been providing a Chapel Service at the CRA Super Series events this season since the untimely death of Victory Chapel’s Wayne Moeckel. Hastings is a member of the #0 Brookside Motorsports team with rookie driver Sean Matthuis and owner Shawn Matthuis based out of New Lenox, Illinois.

"Our #0 team is sponsored by the Kids Corner Radio program, and one of our main goals, in addition to being competitive with our race team, is to use our involvement in racing to spread a much more important message about God and His love for people," remarked Hastings. "That is why I have been excited to be given the opportunity to pick up the Chapel duties.  I hear wonderful things about Wayne Moeckel and the impact he had on many of the people in the series, and while I’m not trying to replace him, I hope I can be available for teams just like he was.  The CRA Series is a traveling community and in every community there are people with challenges, hurts, concerns, and issues. I want to be available to talk with people, and even pray with them if they want that kind of support."

Hastings is Chicago area born and bread, and has been a racing spectator since his Dad started taking him to Raceway Park in Calumet Park/Blue Island, IL when he was 5 or 6 years old.  When Raceway closed several years ago, he than began spending more time over at Illiana Motor Speedway in Schererville which is only about 15 minutes from his home. One night he saw a racecar with the "WMBI" radio station call letters on it, and wondered who that was.  Hastings had worked for WMBI/Moody Broadcasting for 25 years and was curious who was giving them the promotion. He met Shawn Matthuis, and developed a friendship with him. Hastings and his son began casually working with the Brookside Motorsports Mid-Am team last year, and when the team decided to make the jump to the CRA Super Series, Shawn asked them if they wanted to be a part of the official team.

"Our team sponsors give us lots of things to hand out to people, and we are doing that at every CRA Super Series event this season.  The "bags" we hand out to kids have t-shirts, flying disks, a special CD with two Kids Corner Radio programs on it, along with a small devotional guide for their parents. Racing is exciting, but going in the right direction in life is a bigger deal.  Hopefully our team can be a positive influence in the lives of the other teams we come in contact with."

17-year-old Sean Matthuis is currently 11th in CRA Super Series points halfway through the 2007 season and is second in the Team Full Throttle Driver Development Services Rookie Of The Year standings to John VanDoorn. Matthuis was the 2006 Mid-American Sportsman Class Champion at Illiana Motor Speedway and was the 2005 Rookie of the Year in the Mid-American Sportsman Class Champion at Illiana Motor Speedway. The teams main sponsor is Kids Corner Radio (www.kids-corner.org) with additional sponsor help from WMBI 90.1 FM, Riverton Custom Cabinetry, Browns Chicken & Pasta, Fratello Coffee Co., Mold Solutions, Berkett’s Foods, AB Resources, and Brookside Lawn Corp. More information on Brookside Motorsports is available at www.brooksidemotorsports.com.

Hastings welcomes everyone to the Chapel Services at each CRA Super Series event, which are held right before the CRA Super Series drivers meetings.

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UPDATE JULY 18, 2007

We appreciate your continued interest in the Brookside Motorsports Team.  Even though we are “off” for several weeks, we continue to work as a team, and also “play” a bit

We continue to get ready for the upcoming race in Anderson on August 4th.  The will be the longest race of the season thus far, so we are grateful for the extra weeks of preparation.  We hope many of you will think about making the trip down to Anderson (Indy suburb) and take in the race.

The CRA Series did a very complimentary article on the outreach of our team that went to their entire email list, along with being posted on their web site.  Visit this link to find it near the top of their home page.   www.craracing.net This is another great outreach opportunity that has come our way.

Many thanks go out to our sponsors for continuing their generous support.  This team operates on faith, and God continues to prompt people and businesses to support us and our efforts, just when we need it.  If you or someone you know would like to be a part of this team and the phenomenal outreach it has in the racing community, contact our team owner, Shawn Matthuis at 1-815-482-1078….there is room for you.

Have a great week!

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UPDATE JULY 2, 2007

On Saturday, we made some adjustments to the suspension and added some spring rubbers (to stiffen the car up) during the final one hour long practice session.  We had to make a quick carburetor change just before qualifying, so the CRA officials allowed us to turn two laps just prior to the qualifying session to make sure everything was good on our car.

Sean drew the 19th qualifying number, and turned a good first lap but an even better second lap.  When qualifying was finished, Sean was to start in the 11th position…inside on the 6th row.  It was a gorgeous night for racing and after driver introductions and opening ceremonies, the 125 lap race was underway.  After an early yellow flag, the restart had the cars all bunched up going into turn three.  A car “checked up” two ahead of us, and we tangled with the car just in front of us, causing some front fender damage.  We raced that way until a lap 17 accident where Sean hit the brakes in turn two to avoid the cars blocking the track and spun to a stop.  During the yellow, we brought the car to the pits to repair the front end fender damage and sent Sean back out on the track.  You start at the tail of the field after you pit, so we were faced with picking cars off one by one, having 108 laps left in the race.  Sean was doing just that…moving forward…getting up to 12th place.  During the long green runs, it was evident that everyone was using their brakes heavily, since all the cars had “glowing” brake rotors (they get so hot they turn bright red).  On lap 100, while still on the lead lap, Sean brakes completely failed going into turn one, and he did a phenomenal job of holding on to the car, running off the track onto pit road, and downshifting to slow the car down.  Our night was over, but thankfully came to an end with everyone safe.  The unofficial results early Sunday morning had Sean finishing 19th.

I was also privileged to do a Chapel service again this weekend…continuing with my series on “Attitudes,” speaking this time on having an attitude of love.  We continue to be encouraged to see the young drivers and crew members come to Chapel on a consistent basis.  The CRA officials are very supportive of the Chapel time, and schedule it into the activities at every race.  We hope through these brief times of interaction, we are impacting the lives of those who attend and pointing them towards God.

We’re off for several weeks now, waiting to hear when the event at Illiana might be rescheduled.  Thank you for your support, and for supporting our sponsors. 

Of course, information on the CRA series can be found at www.craracing.net There is a great magazine article there that tells all about the series…you’d enjoy reading that if you’re an avid race fan.

Have a great week!

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UPDATE JUNE 20, 2007

Last Sunday the Kids Corner CRA Late Model was displayed at a Father’s Day car show at the Park View Church in Orland Park.  Many people came by the car and over 200 bags of Kids Corner “goodies” were given out to those who stopped by prior to or just after the church services.  This was a great opportunity to expose a lot of people to the car, ministries, and sponsors associated with what we do.

On Tuesday June 19, Dave Mitchell, News Director for WMBI radio in Chicago visited the Brookside Race Shop and recorded some interviews for airplay.  He has produced about a 3 minute feature called his “Audio Journal” which will play in Chicago on 90.1 FM at 5:45am and 8:45am on Thursday June 21.  If you happen to get this before that happens and are out of the Chicago area, you can listen on-line at www.wmbi.fm and click on the listen now button.  Below is a picture of Dave next to the car at the shop…he went home with a souvenir, the damaged front end nose of the car from our race at Anderson several weeks ago.  I believe he had a great time hanging out for an hour or so with revving engines and racing fuel vapors!

I’ve posted the links to the pictures from Anderson at http://good-times.webshots.com/album/559476247ZBiUny?vhost=good-times

We are at Illiana Speedway this Saturday for the big CRA Elmer Musgrave Memorial 100 lap feature.  The racing program begins at 7:00pm, with the CRA feature probably beginning around 7:45pm.  Stop by and visit with us after the races, when the pits are opened for all spectators.

Have a great week!

UPDATE JUNE 12, 2007

The Brookside Motorsports team traveled to the Anderson Speedway for the 125 lap event on Saturday, June 9.  The car had been prepared carefully for this high-banked ¼ mile oval track.  Handling is key here as the track is rather tight and passing is a challenge.  Practice sessions went well, but we always want to make the car a little better with each session and we didn’t make as much progress as we hoped.  In any event, Sean Matthuis went out and qualified the #0 Kids Corner Ford Taurus 18th and looked forward to what the race might bring.

The race started with some blazing excitement as one of the competitors starting up front had an oil leak which caused a fire on his car going into turn 3 on the first lap.  Everyone “checked up” and the result was a number of cars spinning, including the #0.  Sean hit the brakes to avoid cars in front of him which resulted in a spin into the infield and sustaining some limited damage.  One thing we had to do was change the right rear tire…our crew responded quickly and we were ready for the restart just a few minutes later, although we had to start from the rear of the field due to us pitting.  Since this was a “four tire race” the brand new tire which got damaged on lap one had to be replaced with a tire we used in practice, with close to 50 laps already on it.  The prospect of putting another 125 on that tire didn’t seem hopeful, but Sean drove smoothly and took care in not burning it up too soon in the race.  There were several yellow flags but for the most part, this was a race with long green runs.  In the end Sean drove the #0 Kids Corner car to an 11th place finish, also being awarded the Isky Racing Cams/Lane Automotive Hard Charger Award. 

We held a chapel service again this weekend, and were encouraged to see several new young drivers and crew members come to be a part.  I spoke on having “An Attitude of Hope,” continuing a mini-series of chapel messages that began with “An Attitude of Thankfulness” several weeks ago at Berlin Speedway in Marne, MI.  After the race, the Brookside team handed out close to 40 bags of Kids Corner and other sponsor “goodies” to kids and their parents who flooded the pit area for a closer look.  Sean signed t-shirts, flying disks, and other stuff as the kids enjoyed seeing the characters from the Kids Corner radio program on the car.  Each bag contains a CD with special Kids Corner radio programs that share God’s love for them in a fun and unusual way.

We’re “home” for a couple weeks, racing at the Illiana Motor Speedway on the 16th and 23rd.  The 16th will be a “tune up” session for us as we prepare for the Elmer Musgrave Memorial CRA race on the 23rd.  Be listening on June 21 on the WMBI morning program as Dave Mitchell does an “audio journal” feature on the team and our outreach opportunities.

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UPDATe: JUNE 5, 2007

After hours of working on the #0 Kid’s Corner CRA Late Model Ford Taurus getting ready for Columbus, OH, the decision was made that the car just wasn’t ready to race competitively. Sean is a “get up on the wheel” kind of driver, but he needs a race car ready for the task at hand and that just wasn’t the case.   As a team we decided to miss the Columbus race, in exchange for getting additional work done on the car and being fully ready for this coming weekend in Anderson, IN.  We’ll take to the ¼ mile high banked Anderson Speedway on Saturday night for the Anderson 125.  Once again they have asked me to hold a chapel service for the drivers, crew, and track officials.  I believe WGNR, the Moody Owned radio station in Anderson, will be running a feature this week they recorded with Brookside Motorsports car owner Shawn Matthuis talking about the race and the Kids Corner car.

On July 16 and 23, we’ll be at our “home” track, the Illiana Motor Speedway in Schererville, IN, where owner Mike Mikuly announced this past Saturday he has big plans for improvements to the facility including all new bleachers to be installed before the 2008 season.  He stated emphatically the track is “NOT FOR SALE,” putting to rest rumors that the track was soon to be, or already sold.  The full story can be found at http://www.craracing.net/news/2007/june2007/illiana60307.html   This is good news for racers and race fans in the South Suburban Chicago, Northwest Indiana area.  The June 23 date is the CRA Series Illiana Speedway 100 lap feature event, with a good group of cars anticipated for this annual event.

There are links at the bottom of the Picture Gallery page to all the CRA races so far this season....check them out!  

I’ve attached a picture of a cute little guy with his Kids Corner T-Shirt proudly displayed.  We continue to enjoy the opportunities to spread the word about the Kids Corner radio program and trust the seeds we are planting in the lives of these young people will bear fruit in them realizing their need for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  For more information about Kids Corner, visit www.kids-corner.org

Thanks for your support…if you’re a local Chicago race fan, come see us at Illiana on the 16th or 23rd. 

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Update:  May 30, 2007

Kid’s Corner Radio #0 attempts double header weekend

This past weekend the Kid’s Corner/ WMBI/Browns Chicken & Pasta #0 Ford Taurus made its way to Berlin Speedway (Marne, MI- just outside Grand Rapids) for the Berlin Raceway 125.  We arrived in time for the practice sessions, and were working to dial in the car to prepare for qualifying when the sky opened up and rain came pouring down.  Within minutes the race was cancelled and rescheduled for August 25.  We packed up the gear and the car and headed towards Jackson MI for the night, halfway to Toledo, OH, the location of our Sunday 100 lap event.

We got up Sunday morning, unloaded the car and pit cart in the parking lot near the hotel, and worked for a couple hours changing shocks and springs, setting the car up for the ½ mile Toledo Speedway.  We then loaded back up, drove to Toledo, and arrived in time to unload and get ready for the practice sessions. Practice went well and we worked a little each session on making the car turn better in the corners.

Sean Matthuis qualified the #0 in the 18th starting spot.  We didn’t quite have the set up on the car figured out (we’re encouraged to see the Nextel Cup teams don’t always have it figured out every week either!), so Sean had to get up on the wheel and drive a tight race car the entire race (it wouldn’t turn in the corners- forcing him to be slower than desired in the turns).  Sean did a great job logging laps and staying out of trouble.  We stopped several times under yellow flags (yellow flag laps don’t count) to make some adjustments, but there was never enough time to make the major changes needed to get the car a lot better.  When the night was over, Sean finished in the 15th position, and was awarded the “Speed-Media Best Appearing Car Award.”

Ministry opportunities continue to be afforded to us, and I was able to hold a chapel service on Sunday that was attended by about 15-20 crew, track officials, and drivers.  I spoke about having an Attitude of Thankfulness, and encouraged those who were there to think about three things they were thankful for.  I also made friends with the local track Chaplain, who asked me to give the invocation at the beginning of the racing program.  It was a special honor to remember our service men and women who have given their lives for our freedom, and to pray for our troops serving around the world standing in harms way in our stead.

The track promoters also noticed that some of our team members were going through the stands, handing out bright neon green bags filled with Kids Corner “stuff.”  The P.A. announcer wanted to talk to someone from our team about what we were doing and why, so Shawn Matthuis got the opportunity between races to talk about our team, our sponsor, and the “stuff” we were giving away.  We continue to thank God for these opportunities to sew the seed of His love and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

Many of you have asked when we will be racing locally at the Illiana Motor Speedway.  We will be there two weeks in a row very soon…June 16th preparing for the next week (June 23) which is the CRA Series event at Illiana.  Make sure you hang around after the races and come visit us in the pits (open to all spectators after the races conclude).

For more information on the CRA Racing series, visit www.craracing.net

We head to Columbus, OH this weekend for the Buckeye Bash on the 1/3 mile Columbus Motor Speedway.

Thanks for your continued interest and prayers for this racing effort. It is our hope that we will grow as a team, continue to improve on our performance, and have a positive impact for the cause of Christ in this racing community.

To receive regular email updates, send your request to doug.hastings@sbcglobal.net