Posted on 02/12/2004 4:35:24 AM PST by Prov1322
Bobby Labonte plans to ride with 'Passion' for the 500 By Shannon Rose Sentinel Staff Writer
February 12, 2004
DAYTONA BEACH -- Bobby Labonte won't need God as his co-pilot this weekend. He will have Jesus on his hood.
The hood of Labonte's No. 18 Chevrolet, normally sponsored by Interstate Batteries, will carry a promotion for the Mel Gibson movie The Passion of the Christ during Sunday's Daytona 500. It's a one-week deal that has given the team and the film a jolt of publicity.
Labonte, who also will compete in one of today's Twin 125 qualifying races at Daytona International Speedway, hasn't hidden from the bigger picture of the sponsorship and how it will affect people.
"I'm really pretty much saying that there is a movie coming out Feb. 25, and it's probably going to be the biggest movie made," Labonte said. "It shows the last hours of Jesus' life and what took place. If you are a believer, then you'll go watch it, and it will affect you one way. If you're not, it will affect you a different way.
"I'm not going to explain to somebody what they are going to see before they go and see it. They can go see it and judge for themselves whether they believe or not believe."
The movie has created a stir around the world for its portrayal of Christ's last hours. It also has prompted some church leaders as well as the Anti-Defamation League to press Gibson to add a postscript rejecting any anti-Semitic interpretation of the movie.
None of that concerns Labonte, team owner Joe Gibbs or Interstate Batteries Chairman Norm Miller, who saw the film at a screening in California. All three have made it clear through the years that they are proud of their faith.
"I'm a true believer in Jesus, and I'm a Christian," Labonte said. "It's going to be a great movie, and I look forward to seeing it."
Labonte's team reportedly will have actor Jim Caviezel, who plays Jesus in the film, in the pits during the race.
Many in NASCAR stress the sport's family atmosphere and Christian values.
There are prerace invocations and weekly infield services for drivers, crewmen and officials, and NASCAR always takes a break on Easter weekend.
On the christianitytoday.com Web site, drivers Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Dale Jarrett are featured. It's also common for athletes in all sports to thank God and express their faith in postgame interviews and news conferences.
Still, it's a strange twist to the series' marketing history. After all, the sport exploded financially by selling -- among other products -- Budweisers, Winstons, Hooters and Viagra.
Two years ago, NASCAR asked Morgan Shepherd to remove a Jesus decal from his truck-series vehicle. But there were complaints -- "Maybe it was the atheists," Shepherd has said -- and NASCAR reversed itself on the issue. Shepherd still displays a "Racing for Jesus" logo on his No. 89 Busch Series car.
This time around, NASCAR approved the Passions paint scheme and has not heard any complaints.
Tom Gilchrist, decked out in a faded Labonte T-shirt and a backward Interstate Batteries hat, is a longtime Labonte fan, and he is proud of the statement the No. 18 team is making.
"I like it a lot," said Gilchrist, of Ellenton, which is near Bradenton. "We are good Christian folks."
Michael Waltrip, who isn't hesitant to express his faith, sees the pairing of the movie and the No. 18 as a perfect fit.
"Joe Gibbs' and Norm's faith are well-publicized," Waltrip said. "Everybody knows they are Christians, and they believe in the Bible, and they believe in Jesus. It gave them the opportunity to share their faith with many others by having the Passion movie on the hood of that car."
Gilchrist said this is perfect timing for such a display of religious values, mentioning Janet Jackson's breast-baring incident at the Super Bowl.
"If they want to put other things on TV," said Gilchrist, gesturing to his chest, "then they can put Jesus on it."
While it's smart not to expect anything remotely religious to show up in the Super Bowl halftime show next year, as far as NASCAR is concerned, there is nothing wrong with displaying one's devotion.
"I'm sure glad we have the freedom to talk about what we feel is right," Waltrip said.
Shannon Rose can be reached at srose@orlandosentinel.com. Copyright © 2004, Orlando Sentinel
(Excerpt) Read more at orlandosentinel.com ...
I wonder how long it will be before liberofascists define any religious speech as hate speech, and try to ban it? Religious speech is virtually outlawed in public schools already.
The homosexual marriage debate is already eliciting cries of "Bigotry!" from the liberofascists when a person's religious convictions motivate defense of marriage as an exclusively heterosexual union.
Thank God for NASCAR. Pro football can't be trusted anymore to deliver family entertainment.
After a race at Talladega a couple years ago Labonte quipped that he wouldn't know how to react if he actually finished a restrictor plate race on his tires instead of his roof - ROFL
Another car for me to add to my NASCAR collection. I predict this one will sell out faster than Little E's MLB Allstar cars.
Can you see it?
Bobby is front runner for 3/4 of the race but 'the networks' focus on Jeff and Jr in 4th and 5th.
We live in historical and interesting times.
The cars should come in 2 size. 1:68, which is about the size of a Hot Wheels car, and 1:24, which is about 6-8 inches long.
1:68 cars generally run in the 9.99-16.99 range, 1:24 in the $25-$50 range. Some cars are more expensive, but they are generally rare cars that the initial run has sold out on. (ex. I recently bought a limited edition 1:24 Dale Jr 2001 MLB Allstar Car on E-bay --- $170 -- and that was a GREAT price for that car. I have seen them as high as $600)
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