Let's go ahead and get this out of the way: PDRA Pro Boost driver – and PDRA chaplain – Tommy D'Aprile does pray to win.

Well, OK, it's a little more complicated than that. So let's let him explain when we asked if he prays for victory.

"I pray about everything," D'Aprile said. "I pray, 'Lord, I want to win this race this weekend. My desire is I want to qualify No. 1 and I want to win.' But what I do after that is I say, 'Lord, your will be done, not mine.' If I don't get my way, I'm not going to say, 'Ah, I prayed about it, and nothing happened.'"

As PDRA chaplain, D'Aprile has prayed with his on-track competitors. And that includes praying for a victory for them. Yes, in a sense, D'Aprile has prayed for a loss – for himself.

But it's all for a higher purpose. When he sees a fellow driver who might be struggling, D'Aprile offers to pray with and for them.

"I say, 'Let's pray for this. Let's pray for your win,'" D'Aprile said. "I'm not kidding you. They'd beat me, and they'd win the race and we would laugh, and I'd say, 'I'm not praying for you anymore.'

"The truth of the matter is, I'd rather take the loss on the race track than to have them doubt what God can do. Because God can do anything. Anything. It's us who doubt."

Being a chaplain and a born-again Christian while also being a fierce competitor could seem to be a bit of conflict of interest, of sorts. All Christians are admonished to serve others, but how can than happen when you're trying to beat another driver, to end their day, to keep them from winning and making money?

That's an oversimplification, of course. And for D'Aprile, he doesn't race to get glory for himself. He does his best to check his pride at the gate and let his humility and positive attitude shine through. And in the process, maybe God's love will come through, too.

"I'll tell you the truth: If I'm bragging about me, then somebody needs to call me out," D'Aprile said. "I will not brag about me. The Lord says, 'Be a servant.' People know, I think, my reputation. I've been around long enough, and I'm really hard on myself about cutting a good light and driving well.
"There was someone we were racing years ago, and he was just angry and mean. I remember him coming up to me and saying, 'I just can't not like you.' All I would do is give him a big hug and say 'Hey, good luck.'"

But make no mistake, as a competitor, D'Aprile wants to win. And when he doesn't win, he's critical of himself. At a recent race, D'Aprile's day ended when he went red. A driving mistake, for sure, and no one was angrier that he was.

"I said a couple words last race," D'Aprile said. (We can all probably guess what they were).

"I thought, 'Yeah, I've still got some carnal in me, for sure,'" D'Aprile said. "I was just not happy about my performance. But that's what I like to relate to people. I don't have any witness if I'm winning all the time. I wrote a column one time and said, 'The true victory is in the loss.' If you can lose and still be gracious and loving … that's huge. 

"That's what our Junior (Dragster) kids do, and that's what adults don't do too well."

The reaction from people close to him over the red light was eye-opening for D'Aprile. He wanted to sulk and be mad and blame himself for the team's failure, but no one would let him. 

"I had to learn a lesson," D'Aprile said. "When I preach, people know I'm far from perfect. But I'm loving the Lord, and I'm grateful for the death of my Lord and savior because I can't be anywhere close to perfect. 

"When I red-lit, I knew it. I lifted off the throttle immediately because I didn't want to drive angry. I was mad, yeah, I was mad. I got to the top end, I threw my hat at the golf cart, and I walked back. I wanted my own pity party for a while."

His son told him to not worry about and his daughter called to encourage him. His Al Billes team picked up his spirits, too.

"I thought, 'At least my team will be a little miffed and let me have my pity party,'" D'Aprile said. "Well, as soon as I got back, they said, 'Hey, no big deal.'"

The lesson for D'Aprile? Use his weaknesses to further God's kingdom.

"I have to go through these things so I can be a witness to others," D'Aprile said. "I can't just tell them, 'You should be fine' – and I've never gone through anything. Your witness is huge. And I use everything."
Including his competitiveness. Oh, yeah, when D'Aprile pulls into the waterbox, he wants to rip out the throat of the driver in the other lane.

Well, those are our words. He'd never say that. In fact, D'Aprile says he doesn't race anyone else: He's racing himself. But he definitely wants to win.

"I will never tell people, 'I lost, and it didn't bother me,'" D'Aprile said. "No, it did bother me. I'm competitive, and I come here to win."

Win or lose, though, D'Aprile ultimately has a different purpose than many drivers. 

"I love to race," D'Aprile said. "But I love serving the Lord and I love people more. My legacy, I don't want it to be how many races I won – but how many hearts I touched for the Lord. People will remember your character. They're not going to remember how many races you've won. "