For Blake Koch, it’s all about sharing.
The rookie driver in NASCAR’s second-highest racing series, Nationwide, knows the success he’s had in the Daystarracing.com car is a combined effort with his team, sponsors and loyal fans.
In fact, Koch often times races on used tires.
That’s right, hand-me-downs from some of the deeper-pocketed race teams.
But the sharing that inspires Koch the most has nothing to do with racing at all. Sure, racing is his passion.
But more than anything, he wants to share about Jesus.
“I’ve been a Christian for a long time,” said Koch, a West Palm Beach native. “I put my life in God’s hand, but never had an opportunity to share where people would listen to me.
“When I started racing, God gave me this platform where they will take the time to hear what I have to say.”
And when Koch starts talking, buckle your seat belt, because he’s got a lot to say and isn’t about to waste a second to slow down.
A 25-year-old, Koch accepted Christ at a Tampa church camp, and was baptized, too, but his story is just now hitting high gear.
“A lot of people will ask about my testimony or my beliefs and I just get to share my story with so many people who are willing to listen,” Koch said. “Hopefully it will at least affect one person.”
It’s safe to say Koch has reached at least one. In fact, on any given race weekend, you can find him spending time outside the track, meeting folks, signing autographs, making small talk, basically anything he can think of, to connect with a fan and ultimately share the love of Christ.
It’s a specific outreach ministry Koch calls “Guerilla Evangelism,” and it’s rooted in personal relationships.
“We’ll get out on the golf cart and go to the camping area and there’s always thousands of motor homes, people in tents hanging around,” he said. “I’ll go out there and start playing corn hole or whatever it takes to make a little relationship there and tell them what I’m all about as far as my faith in Christ and how I got here and our whole mission in this NASCAR world.”
The mission, as Koch puts it, is not complicated. Yet often times much easier said than lived.
“Basically the biggest thing I try to do is show humility and love,” said Koch, who is part of a pre-race bible study/prayer time with other Christian drivers, like Daytona champ Trevor Bayne and Michael McDowell. “When I get out of the race car, I feel like my job is to have a smile on my face, no matter what.”
And after races like Dover on May 14, when Koch wrecked on the first lap and finished last, coming out all smiles isn’t always natural. But even if he has to sit in the car to regain his composure, Koch is aware of the eyeballs that are on his every move.
“The more I get closer to Christ, through racing, being able to talk about my faith, expressing my relationship with Jesus, the more I realize I need to be Christlike,” he said. “Mediocrity is not OK.”
Even if that’s the reality of racing on a cheeseburger and fries budget in a lobster and caviar world.
The bar, through Koch’s windshield, isn’t even a Top 10 finish. Sure, he’d take that any weekend of the year, but in NASCAR, as he points out, “Money buys speed.”
So he doesn’t get caught up in the numbers. His race team has 8 employees; others out in front have 200.
“Our expectations are from 10th place on,” said Koch, who stays focused by keeping his sights realistic. “As long as your expectations are in the right place.”
Koch’s best finish was 16th at Talladega on April 16. He also finished 18th at Darlington on May 6.
And on Saturday, Koch raced at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but finished 34th after his engine blew out on lap 82.
With races almost every week through Nov. 19 in Homestead, Koch is hoping to improve on his season-best 16th finish at some point this year, but if not, he won’t lose any RPMs over it.
“For me to think that I’m talented and I can drive a race car just as good as anyone else, I’m completely wrong,” he said. “This is all in God’s plan, because I put my life in His hand.”
But the more success, the greater Koch’s potential impact. And for that reason, he wouldn’t mind seeing a checkered flag at some point in his career.
“NASCAR fans are so loyal it’s unbelievable,” Koch said. “After you go hang out with them, outside the track, they’re a lifelong fan and they’ll go to my website and they’ll see my testimony.”
To that dynamic, Koch understand the microscope that being a NASCAR driver entails.
“Once they’re a fan because of your racing, they’re going to support every decision that you make,” he said. “If I’m sponsored by Pepsi and my fans are drinking Pepsi and then I go to Coke, they’ll go to Coke. It’s unreal. Because we develop that one-on-one relationship.”
The same one-on-one that he knows will lead NASCAR fans to Christ.
“There’s such a big opportunity with 75 million loyal fans,” he said. “It’s one of the only sports that says the invocation before every race, ends it in Jesus’ name and the crowd goes nuts.”
