Hands On™ Updates
A Day at the NHRA
By Jennifer NelsonBelieve In Tomorrow recently jump-started a longtime relationship with the National Hot Rod Association as a continuation of its Hands On Racing program. Hands On Racing, like all Hands On Adventures, is meant to ignite the imaginations of critically ill children and inspire them to follow a particular person or event, compelling them to focus on the future rather than present or past treatment. This season’s first Hands On Racing event took place in Gainesville, Fla. Below is a first-person account from a Believe In Tomorrow family.
The day started off with a brief ride from our hotel to the Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Florida. Upon arriving at the gate we were greeted by Chaplain Larry Smiley. Mr. Smiley then introduced us to Lindsey from the NHRA and his fellow Chaplains: David and Sandy. This was the beginning of a very exciting day for the Nelson family.
We were given our tickets and headed into the gate to begin our adventure. We were taken to all of the trailers and were introduced to the drivers of most of the cars. Each driver was friendly and willing to sign autographs and our t-shirts. We went into their “pit” areas and looked at the truly amazing cars. The noise was so loud it reminded me of being on an Air Force Base with jets landing all around. This made it very exciting!
Our tour guides David and Sandy were very helpful and answered the millions of questions that Taylor had about the cars. Taylor and Joshua were especially excited when one of the drivers, Robert Hight, asked them if they wanted to sit in his car. This was the highlight of their day! They each got into the car and enjoyed a little lesson on how it worked from Mr. Hight. Then it was on to the races!
Once we finished with our personal tour of the pit area we were escorted to our seats to watch the cars that we had just seen up close. This was the really exhilarating part of the day. When sitting in the stands, we had to wear their ear plugs because the noise was deafening. When the cars raced by in front of you, the vibration could be felt throughout your whole body. It was so strong that your vision became blurry. The cars, which ran upwards of 300 miles per hour in less than four seconds, were very powerful machines. This would be exciting for anyone, but our teenage boy was in heaven. We had a truly wonderful day, thanks to the generosity of the NHRA and Believe In Tomorrow!
A Revived Hands On Adventure Begins: National Hot Rod Association
Members of the 35,000 licensed competitors in the National Hot Rod Association invite Believe In Tomorrow children from coast to coast to participate in an exciting season of top speeds and adrenaline.
On race day, whether it’s in Phoenix, Houston, or Chicago, critically ill children and their families will get a tour of open race pits, meet the drivers, place their handprints on driver’s memorabilia and receive special reserved seating for the event.
The goal of the program: to help critically ill children focus on the future rather than the present or the past. Oftentimes, children undergoing treatment get caught up in the routine of hospital visits. Thanks to the generosity of the National Hot Rod Association, children with life-threatening illnesses will receive a day they may never forget and a tool for speeding recovery.
Critically ill children will get the chance to visit one of seventeen major cities around the country to attend this event. Many children and their families who attend the event with Believe In Tomorrow become lifetime supporters and enthusiasts of drag racing.
Drag racing, or “hot rod” racing at speeds that sometimes topple 300 miles per hour, found its first supporters in empty plains of the arid West, and a lifetime supporter in Wally Parks, the founder of National Hot Rod Association.
In 1953, Parks saw the first official race of his association – meant to organize and keep drivers safe – zoom past on the track of the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds in Pomona, Calif. Forty-six years later, with an exponential accumulation of fans, the 2009 season for the National Hot Rod Association will begin again February 5.
Believe In Tomorrow will join the tour in Phoenix, Ariz., beginning Feb. 20.