Mike Janis and his Mike Janis Racing Team (MJR) field a 2015 Chevy Camaro on the NHRA Pro Modified tour full-time. Although going 5.80 seconds at over 250 mph in the 1/4 mile, winning national events, setting world records and running for Championships is exciting, there are some other topics that get Mike and his team excited. MJR has been a part of many fundraisers and involved with many charities throughout the years. However, it was something else that caught the attention of the two-time Pro Modified World Champion earlier this year; Protect The Harvest.
Per www.protecttheharvest.com their Mission Statement states; The animal rights movement in America, led by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), has evolved into a wealthy and successful attack group determined to end the consumption of meat, threaten consumers access to affordable food, eliminate hunting, outlaw rodeos, and circuses, and even ban animal ownership. Protect The Harvest was created to fight back and defend American families, farmers, sportsmen, and animal owners from the growing threat posed by the radical animal rights movements. Protect The Harvest has three objective; Inform, Protect, and Respond. One would ask how a two-time World Champion like Mike Janis would even know about Protect The Harvest? Protect The Harvest was started by Forrest and Charlotte Lucas, owners/founders of the very successful American company, Lucas Oil. Lucas Oil is a proud supporter of Mike Janis Racing and throughout the years Mike and his team always look for ways to give back to the community. After really taking a deeper dive into what exactly Protect The Harvest was all about, Mike felt this was a very important topic to share with everyone and raise awareness around.
“First off I can’t thank Lucas Oil and the Lucas family enough for being a partner and supporting Mike Janis Racing” said Mike Janis, Owner/Driver at MJR. “At the end of the day, we support the people who support us and believe in what we do. I will be 100% honest and be the first to tell you that I had no idea what Protect The Harvest was all about. My son, and Crew Chief for our team Mike Janis Jr. came to me the one day and said “I really think we should take a look at what this Protect The Harvest deal is all about.” After work I would go home and visit the website and do some research to really find out what the passion behind this organization was. It didn’t take long to discover without an organization like Protect The Harvest our future generation could be in danger of many things. To know that it could impact my grandkids was something that really hit home with me. We need to be honest with ourselves when saying a few things; hands down the United States of America is the greatest place to live in the entire world. We are very blessed and fortunate for the freedom and opportunities which we are given every single day in this country. Go anywhere else and you will not get those same opportunities. First off we need raise awareness of the problem at hand. The group, HSUS is trying to destroy the traditions and livelihood of which this amazing country was built upon. We can all sit back and pretend it’s not a serious topic, or little by little we can educate people and inform the people of how they can make a difference. Could you imagine going to a restaurant twenty years from now and trying to order a cheeseburger only to find out the only thing that comes out on the plate is a bun with ketchup on it? Or not being able to go hunting because some radical group is trying to overturn how this country was built. When we were in Gainesville, Florida earlier this year for the NHRA Gatornationals, I was sitting in the car getting ready to run. I turn my head to the side to find Forrest Lucas reaching in the car to wish us good luck. Right after that, I see him pointing to the front of our car and talking with my son. After we made the run, I had asked what Forrest was pointing at and talking about. My son then told me he was pointing at the Protect The Harvest decals on the car and kept saying over and over “This is important, VERY IMPORTANT.” Right then and there we wanted to help make a difference. It is not a fast process, nor a process that will ever be complete. There will always be a constant battle with these radical groups, but if we can show one person at a time the outlook of the future without an organization like Protect The Harvest, we will be one step ahead. I believe there are many ways to do just that. People need to understand what Protect The Harvest is all about first and foremost. Protect The Harvest is protecting “our way of life.” It is protecting and raising awareness to our current generation so they have the same traditions passed down to them which were passed down to us. Sometimes actual visual images can help understand a situation a lot better. Imagine a poster of a child with the year 2015 on it looking up at a food menu with all the different food choices, and then directly next to it another child with the year 2030 on it looking up at the same food menu. The only difference will be the child in 2030 looking up at the menu will be looking at a completely blank one. This is a very serious topic and if you are passionate and understand that people can make a difference, I encourage you to help support Protect The Harvest and understand what they are trying to do and the difference which they are making in this fight. As Protect The Harvest states “We need to keep our traditions alive for future generations.” TRADITION is a very strong word and has a lot of meaning. Being a part of a tradition makes one feel good inside, it makes you feel like you are a part of that something. We are excited to help one step at a time” said Janis.
With all this being said, Janis and Team are going to be help supporting a local group of kids at the Erie County Fair this week in Hamburg, NY. A very good customer and friend of ours, Bob Robbins (who campaigns the Aftershock Monster Truck on a national level) and his boys Triton and Montana are a part of the “4-H Project Market Animals” during the fair. We went and had a Protect The Harvest banner printed up and they will be displaying the banner at their stall during the show. Triton and Montana raised pigs all on their own for the past seven months… the correct way of feeding them and caring for them. They will now be able to sell the pigs to people and the funds received from this go directly towards their future college funds through this 4-H Project Market Animals. It is something as great and awesome as this that will not even exist years from now without a group like Protect The Harvest. Stand up for what you believe in and don’t let TRADITIONS die. Traditions are what define each and every one us and tell the story of where we came from.
Next up for Mike Janis Racing is the 2015 Chevrolet Performance NHRA U.S. Nationals September 2-7 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Mike Janis sits 3rd in the NHRA Pro Mod Championship Points Standings, only 9 points out of 1st place and his coming off a big win at the NHRA Summit Equipment Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.
About Mike Janis Racing
Mike Janis Racing, Inc. is a professional drag racing team that competes full-time in the NHRA, IHRA, and PDRA Pro Modified division. Mike Janis is a two-time Pro Modified World Champion and is currently number two all-time for most wins among Pro Modified drivers. Mike owns and operates Jan-Cen Racing Engines which designs and builds world class race winning engines along with their trademark Mike Janis Superchargers for customers all throughout the U.S., Canada, Australia and Europe. www.mikejanisracing.com www.facebook.com/mike.janisracing.
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