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Topic: Local sprint car driver headed to the races at Ocean Speedway
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Page 1 of 1 of 1 replies
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April 10, 2011 at
11:11:08 PM
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Joined:
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01/15/2007
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This message was edited on
April 10, 2011 at
11:22:28 PM by oceanspeedway
Local sprint car driver headed to the races at Ocean Speedway
By KIMBERLY WHITE
Posted: 04/09/2011 01:30:23 AM PDT
Click photo to enlarge
Professional auto racer James Bondurant gives Wes Knipe a chance to sit... (Shmuel Thaler/Sentinel)
SANTA CRUZ -- When James Bondurant hits the dirt at Ocean Speedway on Friday evening, he'll do it in a car built on a backbone of faith.
Bondurant, 32, returned to Santa Cruz in late 2009 after spending the previous five years in Hollywood as a member of the professional race circuit.
About a year after he returned, he started a youth bible study group that now meets weekly at the Keener-Bondurant race shop on Water Street. Some of those youth -- including one young woman who Bondurant described as an even better mechanic than himself -- spent the past six months helping him build the winged, 700 horsepower, 1,300-pound winged sprint car he'll race at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds for a $1,500 grand prize.
"When I was a kid, I wanted to get out of Santa Cruz and go to Hollywood and be a star," said Bondurant, the grandson of professional race car driver Bob Bondurant. "But then I realized the best racing was right in my own backyard."
For several hours Friday afternoon, the bright blue sprint car sat on the sidewalk in front of Classic Cleaners on Soquel Avenue, with Bondurant cheerfully speaking with families that dropped by to admire his handiwork and signing autographs.
Classic Cleaners is one of about a dozen businesses sponsoring Bondurant, who actively works to disengage youth from gang activity and instead turn that energy toward something more constructive -- like auto mechanics.
"If you're spending your money
and your time on your car, your dream, there's no time or money for a gun," explained Pamela Whittington, a self-described car fanatic who owns the dry-cleaning business and also is actively involved in community-oriented youth activities.
Bondurant had what he called a "religious awakening" in 2001 when his racing career took off, and when he returned to Santa Cruz in 2009, he began attending Scotts Valley Vineyard Church -- an establishment he had previously eschewed. He enjoys working with youth so much, in fact, that he's seeking an area youth to mentor and join his pit crew.
"I want to teach these kids that they can do something with their lives," said Bondurant, adding that many youth who get into drift racing also are involved in gangs. "Don't just sit on the couch and party your life away. Do something with it."
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April 11, 2011 at
05:37:31 PM
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Joined:
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12/29/2008
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James,
Best of luck this season! I love what you're doing. Not ashamed of your faith in Christ and incorporating into your daily life! AWESOME!!!!!!
Steve
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