The cockpit of a racecar may not be the first place you may think of
finding a verse of Scripture, but thanks to Stevie Waltrip, wife of
NASCAR hall of famer Darrell Waltrip, you may just find one there.
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association tells the story of Stevie and her NASCAR-racing husband, Darrell, and how the Lord gave her a very specific ministry.
Stevie grew up in a Christian home and knew about God, but it wasn’t
until later in life that she truly came to understand the Bible and to
develop a relationship with Christ.
A friend shared the Gospel with her and she believed.
“I had never heard that before in my life, and that was the picture I
needed,” Stevie shared. “That moved me from wherever I was spiritually
to a whole other plane. I was on my knees, and I had my hands raised in
the air. I’m crying. It was awesome.”
Stevie’s love of the Lord grew quickly. Soon, she was putting Scripture
verses in her husband’s racecar where he would see them.
“I believe God’s Word is living and powerful and life changing so I put
Scriptures on the dash of his car not for any other reason than to just
help him focus on what truly was most important to give him
encouragement,” Stevie said.
When Darrell was in a serious car accident, God’s Word became more real to him.
“He spent a night in intensive care. I think the Lord used that to knock him conscious,” Stevie quipped.
When Darrell recovered and went back to racing, Stevie continued to put
Bible verses in his car, but now Darrell was more receptive and
appreciative of them.
Stevie soon began to become known for her Bible verses. Once, Stevie
recalled, when she was giving her husband a Bible verse, racer Dale
Earnhardt, Sr. asked, “Well, where’s mine?”
Although she was surprised at Earnhardt’s request, Stevie quickly ran into the racing pit and found something to write on.
"From that point on, I started giving Dale Scripture every race,”
Stevie said. “Most of the time I gave (Darrell and Dale) the same
Scripture, but every once in a while they would be different. Dale would
always take both of them. He would read them, and then he’d decide
which one he wanted.”
After looking at Stevie, with a laugh he'd say, "I got the good one, didn't I?"
Although Darrell has retired as a NASCAR driver, both he and Stevie
continue to be involved with racing. Darrell has a job as a NASCAR
analyst with Fox and Stevie will be attending the Daytona 500 this
weekend where she will share a Scripture verse with Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
The legacy she began lives on.
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