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As I mentioned in my column last week, the IWK 250 is taking place this coming Friday and Saturday at Riverside Speedway, just this side of Antigonish. A portion of the proceeds, as well as some memorabelia from the race which will be auctioned off on E-Bay, are going directly to support the IWK Children's Hospital. Last year the amount raised was right at the $20,000 dollar mark and they hope to set the bar higher this year.
On Thursday several drivers are travelling to Halifax with the Reagan Smith car to visit the hospital and brighten the day of the children. It is this type of generosity that makes me proud to be a race fan. As I understand it, both Reagan Smith and Eric Amirola, the two NASCAR stars entered in the event, will be among the IWK visitors.
Riverside is not the only race track to give back to the community either. Last weekend, Speedway 660 had a food drive with all the donations going to the Food Bank. River Glade Speedway has the Atlantic Burnout competition at the conclusion of a race event every year. Last Sunday they held this years event and a pile of money was raised for the "Friends of the Moncton Hospital" for equipment purposes.
In fact,most of the tracks hold these types of fundraisers every year and most of these events take a lot of planning and many hours of work, and I would like to publicly "Thank Them" for their efforts.
"Big" Steven Pettipas, the former Atlantic Grand Prix wrestling star, and former flagman at Speedway 660, suffered a heart attack last week and will be going for bi-pass surgery shortly. We wish him well and a speedy recovery. He will be missed around the various tracks.
The next weekend is a great salute to the early drag racers, many of whom called Cumberland County home, and who strutted their stuff at the now defunct Scoudouc Dragway. This event, which is drawing tremendous competitors, takes place in the Miramichi City area at Miramichi City Dragway.
On the rumour front, a couple of new ones are making the rounds. The first one simply states that Centre for Speed has cancelled its race program until August 3rd and if car counts and fan attendance don't improve, the track will close. Several attempts to confirm this have been made but no one is answering calls. It would be a shame if this happens because Centre for Speed is a great facility that has simply been a victim of the energy crunch.
The other rumour concerns Petty Speedway, which has been closed for several years now. Apparently a deal had been struck earlier to revitalize and reopen the facility but late last week, apparently the funding fell through and all plans are now on hold. This was a tough, challenging track in its heyday but was a victiom of the times several years ago.
There has been some shifting of alliances in NASCAR recently. Mark Martin will end his short tenure with Dale Earnhardt Inc and join the powerful Hendricks team for 2009. This leaves Casey Mears as the odd man out but with his talent, he'll land on his feet. Tony Stewart has also made plans to leave his ride at the end of this season to form his own team in conjunction with Haas Racing. It will also mean a return to "BOWTIE" power for the talented driver.
With the hotter temperatures of summer, the racing has also reached a "fever-pitch" and makes an enjoyable outing for the whole family. Come on out and join us at a track near you. You won't regret it. Gentlemen (and Ladies), Start Your Engines !!!
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