Brief History of NFRM

Christian outreach and ministry in motor sports Introduction spans six decades. In the 1970’s, the efforts of Bill Frazier to provide chaplain ministry at Talladega; the work of Hal Marchman and Central Baptist Church to provide child care for NASCAR drivers at Daytona; and the vision of Ed Quattlebaum to begin ministry at Darlington Speedway – these pioneers launched the idea of “Raceway Ministries.” In that same decade, Missouri pastor Frank Stark attended a Daytona 500 race and — while looking out across the campground at that speedway – declared, “Somebody ought to be doing something.” Even though God spoke to those men individually, several of them eventually collaborated and began Raceway Ministries work at Darlington, Talladega, Atlanta and in the ARCA series.

Throughout the 1980’s the vision began to take hold. In 1988, Frank Stark’s ministry greatly expanded and Max Helton founded Motor Racing Outreach. Then, as the 1990’s began, ministry at speedways multiplied to Martinsville, Dover, Bristol, North Wilkesboro, Rockingham and other raceways.

The mid-1990’s were pivotal for the formation of “Raceway Ministries.” A formal meeting to discuss organizing took place in January of 1994 at Charlotte Motor Speedway with 24 leaders of the Raceway Ministries movement in attendance. Then, in 1995, at Darlington, South Carolina, the “Fellowship of Raceway Ministries” was organized, with John Fox of Martinsville, Virginia selected to serve as the first president. NASCAR began expanding to all areas of the United States in the last half of the 1990’s, and continued that expansion into the 2000’s. All along the way, what became known as the “National Fellowship of Raceway Ministries” (NFRM) continued to develop, as well, and by 2007, local Raceway Ministries teams, affiliates and chaplains were situated at all the major NASCAR venues, as well as at multiple local short tracks. Annual gatherings continued, taking place in January of each year, typically located in towns and cities where ministry was taking place locally at a speedway, and attendance at the gatherings reached as many as 300 folks, representing ministries from all across the United States.

The legacy and work of the NFRM continues today. And, even though the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 presented challenges to racing and to Raceway Ministries work, everyone with NFRM is excited about continuing to meet the ministry needs of the motor sports world as we emerge from the pandemic. We are grateful for a rich history of outreach in this unique niche, and we anticipate great things moving forward. We hope that you will join us!