September 30, 2022
The only time I ever remember him fudging the truth a little was when he spoke about racing. My father-in-law Lloyd Moore was one of the charter members of NASCAR. He grew up on a farm, but hated farming, instead turning his attention to all things mechanical, which led to his racing jalopies in and around Chautauqua County, NY. Which in turn, led to his driving for Julian Beusink, one of the first to put together a team of drivers. Lloyd raced NASCAR from 1948-1956, against such early pioneers as Lee Petty, Curtis Turner, Tim and Fonty Flock, and others. This is where his fudging the truth comes in.
I asked him one day why he gave it up. “They were getting faster, and I was getting slower,” he replied, but that wasn’t entirely the truth. The fact of the matter is, around that time, his mother’s prayers were answered when he walked the aisle and prayed to receive Jesus Christ in the little Wheeler Hill church just over the hill from his home. His conversion opened his eyes to the fact that his wife and daughters needed him more than the racing circuit. He gave it all up for Jesus and for them.
I could write volumes of the stories he told, of how he taught me everything I know about cars, and a lot about life, and what is really important in the end. His beloved 1948 8N tractor sits in my son’s barn, but his daughter resides in my heart.
When Lloyd died, my sons gave the eulogy. “We are followers of Jesus Christ today because he made the decision to give up racing for his family,” Nate said. It’s true; that decision made nearly seventy years ago continues to bear fruit today. Much goes into making an Everyday Hero, but for Lloyd Moore, it all began when he turned his back on a sport he loved and turned his face towards Jesus Christ.
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