When Kyle McGraw was a child, he thought he'd have to choose between becoming a pastor or a motocross racer, since both required Sundays. Instead, God combined the two passions through Fellowship of Christian Athletes. After falling in love with motocross at age five and later serving in student ministry, McGraw eventually found a way to bring the Gospel to the track.

He and his wife, Erica, had two children, and their daughter got involved in motocross as well.

The couple was first exposed to FCA Motorsports through the FCA Supercross Experience, an event centered around the pre-race chapel service and track walk before the race is open to the public. Kyle took one of their daughters, an avid racer herself, to the event in Atlanta. Through that experience, he made connections with ministry leaders and began to see ministry possibilities.

Kyle first joined FCA staff part-time in 2019, and the vision God gave him for motocross ministry began expanding. Yet he was still working full-time for the University of Florida, and he and Erica had built their dream home. It seemed risky, but the McGraws gave all that up for the sake of the ministry.

Sensing confirmation of this calling, they sold their home and moved their family of four people and two dogs into a 220-square-foot camper to live at the motocross track in Orlando. In addition to holding Sunday morning services on the track, they led a Wednesday night family group that included a meal and Bible study.

After three years in Orlando, three donors helped the couple purchase a home north of the city. They still travel throughout Florida on weekends to share the Gospel and host Sunday church services on the track.

“We're able to come in and be the church for the people who are at the races because that's what their lives revolve around,” Kyle said. “It is important for FCA to be able to come into those spaces and say, ‘We're going to bring church to you guys.’”

Kyle said the motocross community is in many ways an unreached group of people, with many investing their lives into the sport and homeschooling their kids to allow for more training time and flexibility to attend races.

Given the intense level of competition the kids perform under and the pressure their families often place on them due to financial investment in the sport, Kyle McGraw assures the kids they are more valuable than their performance results. Ultimately, he reminds them that their identity doesn’t rest in what they achieve or what their sponsors say about them.

“The reason why the kids get to come in and open up to us so well in FCA is we're not financially invested in those kids,” Kyle said. “If a kid goes out and gets last place and comes off the track crying…I'm going to walk up to him and try to encourage him.”

Erica McGraw, who is also on staff with FCA as an administrative assistant, said it’s important for them to communicate to families that they love them unconditionally, “just like Jesus.”

Through the ministry, Kyle McGraw said they have seen friendships repaired and kids come to faith in Christ and get baptized.

Ryan Lotti said traveling to races every weekend made regular church attendance nearly impossible until his family met the McGraws. Through the track ministry, both of his sons were baptized, and one has even expressed interest in ministry.

“(The ministry) reignited my faith and ignited that passion for my family, as well,” Ryan said.

Ryan said Kyle is gifted at connecting with the kids, explaining things in ways they understand and using motocross analogies they can relate to.

Donita Povolny, Vice President of FCA Motorsports, said the goal of the ministry is to permit families to be passionate about racing while also following Jesus. In addition to involvement with church at the motocross track, the goal is for families to find a home church in the off-season and establish continuous involvement in the body of Christ.

“Kyle has this way of having conversations with anyone and everyone, meeting them right where they are, and accepting them for exactly who they are,” Donita said. “People want to share things with him and want to be a part of what he’s doing.”

Donita Povolny, vice-president of FCA Motorsports, asks for prayer as they develop a motorsports-themed New Testament and that its distribution would cause many to fall in love with the Bible.

Learn ways to get involved with FCA Motorcross here!