NASA SoCal driver and five-time regional Time Trial champion Pastor Aaron Schwartzbart has been on a mission to combat street racing for more than two decades, and his MotorGospel Ministries has just released a new documentary chronicling his efforts, and those of the Los Angeles Police Department: “Driving Fast and Saving Lives Since 2001.”
With assistance from NASA SoCal and the NHRA and many other individuals and organizations, MotorGospel Ministries has championed an anti-street-racing campaign in conjunction with local police departments and cities in the Southern California region since 2001. Drivers ticketed for street racing can get alternative sentencing to community service with MotorGospel Ministries, which brings them to the track for anti-street-racing outreach programs to show them how to get their need for speed in a safe and controlled environment.
“If you want to ski, go to the snow. If you want to surf, go to the beach,” Schwartzbart says. “If you want to race, go to the track.”
The film just received the audience award for best TV documentary from the Marina del Rey Film Festival.
In addition to exposing drivers to how racing should be done, MotorGospel Ministries’ After School Auto Shop Club is offered at its Granada Hills, Calif., facility and at police stations throughout Los Angeles. Students in the program are exposed to opportunities in automotive and motorsports industries, and some have gone on to careers those fields. The goal of the anti-street-racing campaign is not just enforcement, but also education.
Schwartzbart is quick to point out that he is but one of many people who have made the program as successful as it has become. The film project he co-produced with Neil Newman, “Driving Fast and Saving Lives Since 2001,” highlights just how many people have been involved in such an important campaign.
“There is not room in one press release to list all of the interesting and highly-engaged folks who appear in the movie, but if this program has saved any lives, we have you to thank for it,” Schwartzbart said. “To anybody with a dream, Neil and I can testify that you don’t need to see the entire journey to take the first step!”
You can watch the trailer for the documentary on YouTube. If you want to watch the documentary in full, you can find it on Roku, Tubi, Apple TV, TakenTV, and soon on Amazon Prime. All proceeds from the film are going to MotorGospel Ministries’ anti-street-racing campaign.
