Daredevils, Conflicts, Faith Pack Story on the Speedways
by Randall Murphree
July 26, 2005
(AgapePress) - The Orly Mann Racing Team is a diverse fraternity of men and women who are passionate about racing. They fill the pages of California with action, adventure, conflict, fear, love, drugs, cancer, near-death experiences and a healthy dose of Christian principles as they apply their faith in the super-fast world of racing.The novel (Xulon Press, 2005) is Ken Stuckey's first installment in a series of racing titles he hopes will not only entertain the faithful, but also engage the faithless. The story-line, the fast pace, and the suspense are superb. The characters are appealing. I think he's got a good shot at a victory.
"My purpose in writing the series," said Stuckey, "is to reach the racing fan with genuine stories that are authentic in location and action and at the same time present the gospel in a practical, real setting." The Molalla, Oregon, Evangelical Free Church pastor brings authenticity to the script via more than 40 years of involvement with the racing world, 15 of them on a racing crew.
Now, I confess I'm not a NASCAR fan. In fact, the whole racing scene makes me yawn, then scramble around to be sure my ear plugs are handy. But somehow, Stuckey makes me a fan for a brief time, helping me realize that the sport's insiders include men and women who struggle, pray, get angry, fail, repent and live just as the rest of us do.
He talks about molly steel tubes and magnetos and other stuff I've never heard of and don't understand. Still, he has me speeding down the home stretch toward the finish line, smelling the burnt rubber and the sweat and the oil.
Stuckey's principal players include legendary driver Orly Mann, his Speed King sponsors and several of his crew members.
Among the young crew men are Doug and Paolo. Along with their friend Alphonse, they befriend Ricky, a teenage gang member who helped trash their hotel room. The three men, all Christians, lead Ricky to faith, but he disappears back on the streets. Will he reappear later in the series? I hope so. Ricky is one of those kids you want to cheer for. He needs a break.
Another of their friends is beautiful 21-year-old champion dragster Loren Janine. Doug has a real thing for Loren, and refuses to believe his friends when they insist she's on drugs. Speed King founder Harry Hornbrook, who is terminally ill, is another major character. His company is threatened by a buy-out, thus making Orly Mann's future uncertain as well.
Confused? Stuckey's not. See all the story possibilities? Stuckey does. He easily focuses on a strong main plot, but still twists and turns enough to keep the reader racing through the pages.
California is a rewrite of Stuckey's earlier title published by a major Christian house, but he has regained rights to it and two other completed books in the series. He is recrafting them to portray the Christian faith in a gripping drama that will reach a wider audience.
"What good is our faith if we cannot live it?" Stuckey asked. "Orly Mann struggles with some of the same issues that you and I do." The author should be proud of his creation; Mann is a worthy hero.
"Bristol should be released later this summer, with Texas to follow soon after," Stuckey said. "Our goal is to fill out the series with ten titles." Apparently, Orly Mann will be driving the big ovals for years to come. Watch for race dates and times.
Randall Murphree, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is editor of AFA Journal, a monthly publication of the American Family Association.
