CLAYTON - The megachurch known as C3 offered up extra helpings of patriotism -- aided by a NASCAR icon -- for its Sunday services, "God and Country Day."

Worshippers arriving at the church complex saw a Vietnam-era Huey helicopter resting on the lawn. Many C3 members came bearing gifts -- care packages for troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But the prime attraction was Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s revered race car, an 800-horsepower NASCAR speedster sponsored by the National Guard. Some skipped their regular service just to glimpse Dale Junior's racing machine.

"Dale Junior represents a lot of blue-collar hard-working people, and that's the majority that comes to church," said Keith Boykin, a plumber from Clayton. "He represents pretty much what's good about America. He comes from solid country roots."

Curiosity seekers and churchgoers including Boykin surrounded the car, admiring its aerodynamic shape and near-mystical symbolism. While kids and dads posed, moms raised cell phones to take digital pictures.

Such unabashed mixing of the sacred and secular is characteristic of C3, one of the state's largest churches; its telegenic pastor Matt Fry digs rock 'n' roll and vaguely resembles U2 frontman Bono.

"Christians can and should have fun," Fry said outside the church. "People will come to where there's life and where there's authenticity."

The decade-old C3 Church is known for worship services modeled on big arena rock shows, with huge crowds swaying and praying in the auditorium.

As part of "God and Country Day," C3 members were encouraged to bring care packages to be shipped to N.C. National Guard members. About 2,000 boxes were collected Sunday, representing nearly half the annual haul of Fairway Ministries, the Durham organization that sends the packages to the troops.

A typical church in this area can deliver only about 200 to 300 packages on a Sunday, Fairway president Glenn Robertson said.

"The blessing is when these guys receive these boxes -- what it means to them to get something from home," Robertson said.

About a half-hour east of Raleigh, C3 serves a congregation grafted onto the state's military rootstock. Many church members have relatives or friends in the military, and supporting the troops is not just a slogan.

Samantha Whitaker, a C3 member for eight months, brought a care package, even though her family sends packages to a relative serving in Iraq. For Whitaker and many others, a millionaire race-car driver like Earnhardt remains a working-class hero who embodies local values.

"Dale Junior -- he's just a good hometown boy," Whitaker said. "You support Dale Junior, and you're supporting the troops even more."

In the auditorium, 3,000 people turned out for the two services. The easygoing Fry, who earned a wrestling scholarship to Jerry Falwell's Liberty University, today favors funky Oakley glasses, a shaved head and designer jeans.

The minister's stage appearance was preceded by a 10-member rock group. He punctuated his sermon with frequent jokes and informal expressions: "cool," "hang out" and "awesome!"

As Fry paced the stage and sermonized, he occasionally sipped from a can of Amp energy drink, raising the can in a salute to the audience. His image and movements were shown on four big screens.

His sermon was dedicated to the theme of courage, and it was enlivened with NASCAR references instantly recognizable here.

"You might be a NASCAR fan if you say, 'But officer, I wasn't tailgating -- I was drafting,' " Fry quipped from the stage.

But the No. 88 race car on display was not the one Earnhardt drives. It's one of eight show cars for public demonstration purposes, said Robert Thorpe, a show car representative for Hendrick Motor Sports, the company that provided the vehicle. But it's still capable of a top speed of 210 miles per hour and will get 5 miles per gallon.

The replica did not disappoint Wayne Batten, a first-time visitor to C3 who usually attends a Baptist church in Raleigh.

"The car is awesome," Batten said. "Earnhardt Junior is my man."

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