Nicholas Short needed a beer, and no one could blame him. It would be difficult to deny anyone who had just watched a full load of dreams and hard work literally go up in flames a little time to wallow in self-pity.
And that was just what Short was preparing to do as he cracked open a Heineken and collapsed in front of his TV, soon after a hauler fire that occurred on the way back from the 12 Hours of Sebring, where driver Brian Kubinski had performed well in the fledgling team’s Speed World Challenge GT Corvette CR6.
Now, the Corvette was a charred mix of metal, melted rubber and plastic. Short said he had been assured the hauler he had leased was insured so that its contents would be covered in the case of such an accident, but Nationwide was not on his side on that one. The hauler was covered, but its contents were not. Through the smoke, everything seemed like a lost cause.

And one fiery, backhand from fate left Short with a beer in one hand and grasping at straws with the other. Then, the TV came on and Short found his straw, but it wasn’t one that anyone could have expected. He had landed on a program about St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, which specializes in the treatment of terminally ill children, and perspective returned. He was a little ashamed.

The loss not only threatened the future of the race team, but of Short’s Competition Race Parts, all of which operates out of a small shop down the road from Lowe’s Motor Speedway that offers engineering services courtesy of Short — a 25-year racing pro, fabrication, parts and most everything racing. It’s a small shop with five employees, including Short. The race team doesn’t have a major sponsor or a bunch of factory support.
And one fiery, backhand from fate left Short with a beer in one hand and grasping at straws with the other. Then, the TV came on and Short found his straw, but it wasn’t one that anyone could have expected. He had landed on a program about St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, which specializes in the treatment of terminally ill children, and perspective returned. He was a little ashamed.
Short decided the team would race again this season and, instead of begging for a hand up from friends and business partners, Short would offer a hand, pledging all winnings from the remainder of the season to St. Jude’s and Concord, N.C.’s Wings of Eagles Ranch, which offers equestrian programs for special-needs children and adults. The team will also raise money for both organizations while at the track, setting up a special fund to handle contributions.
“It shouldn’t have taken this to make me do it, but it opened my eyes,” Short said. “It’s good to do something — it’s hard to explain, but it feels good to do something… With the charities, it gives you something to aim for, something to stay driven about. It shouldn’t have taken this, but it’s turned this into more of a positive than a negative.”
Short found himself inspired by the faces on the television screen, by the courage and laughter of children he doesn’t know. So, he would have to work harder — at least he could work and walk into the shop every day. The team would race because racers race, and sure, it was bad, but it could’ve been worse. Nobody was hurt in the fire. The car’s frame survived and has been restored.
Even so, it appears a little crazy at first glance, this giving away money when you’re taking out loans just to get back on the track.
“It’s really sobering to look at those kids, and say, ‘damn, it’s just not fair,’” he said. “And it isn’t.”
Jenny Parnis, CRP’s de facto public relations manager and do-it-all specialist who happens to also be Short’s fiancée, thought so when first told of her future husband’s brainstorm — a “pay it forward” approach to racing.
“I believe in karma, I really do,” said Parnis, who will also be volunteering at Wings of Eagles Ranch in the fall despite no real experience with horses. “You know, I think it has helped us feel better about what we’re doing and made it easier to deal with our situation.”
Some of those friends and business partners stepped up to help get CRP’s Corvette back together, even if it took a bit longer than Short initially expected. Kubinski will be back on the track for the first time July 17-20 when the series heads to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
And when CRP Motorsports returns to action, it will carry St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and Wings of Eagles Ranch as part of its livery.
“We want to give back to the people who have helped us 10-fold with sponsorships and whatever we can,” Short said pointing to a large undecorated black toolbox that will be the team’s new pit box. “We’re going to use the pit box there for them and to get the message out about our charities…This is not going to be a one-year thing. We want to do it from this year forward…I know a lot of people help St. Jude’s, but every little bit can help.”
In theology, St. Jude is the patron saint of the lost cause, which may or may not include burned-out race cars. At CRP Motorsports, there was certainly loss, but from that loss came a noble cause — making life a little better for someone else, which is a better reason to race than most.
(Instructions on how to donate to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and Wings of Eagles Ranch through CRP Motorsports will soon be available at www.competitionraceparts.com.)