It’s Not How You Start, But How You Finish

NASCAR’s seemingly interminable season has started. Until Nov. 21, from Fontana, Calif. to Homestead, Fla., another 35 Sprint Cup races will be run, the greatest suspense being whether we’re in for a fifth consecutive installment of “The Jimmie Johnson Show.”

The Daytona 500 featured a surprise element – potholes – which prompted two red flags to halt racing. In this race, “pothole position” trumped pole position.

My NASCAR baptism came in 1997 at the Talladega Superspeedway, a sprawling 2.65-mile track where, like Daytona, cars ride two, three and even four-wide, bumper to bumper, at speeds approaching 200 miles per hour. Most memorable was a multi-car pileup on a restart midway through the race. I recall Ricky Craven’s car going airborne, flying over several cars on turn one.

From the first green flag, the spectacle of colors, the thunder and rumble of engines, even the smell of racing fuel, captivated my senses, transforming me into a fan. My zeal has waned somewhat in years since, but I’ve always marveled at the real-life truths demonstrated during each race.

Sunday, Johnson started third but mechanical and tire problems dropped him to 35th. Jeff Gordon started 21st, led some laps, but crashed on the last lap and finished 26th. Meanwhile, Jamie McMurray started 13th and made a late charge to win “The Great American Race” for the first time. The moral of the story: It’s not how you start, but how you finish.

It’s the same in everyday life. Anyone can begin well, in marriage, a job, or a hobby. But how will you finish?

That’s one reason the apostle Paul declared, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). If you don’t finish well, how you perform during early or intermediate stages matters little.