Smoke Show Event Raises Record $217,000 for Speedway Children’s Charities
FORT WORTH, Texas (TMS) - Two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart possesses a passion for charitable causes that nearly rivals his one for racing.
Stewart made a special visit Tuesday to Texas Motor Speedway to conduct the inaugural “Smoke Show” fantasy camp to benefit the Speedway Children’s Charities-Texas Chapter and the event raised a record $217,000. That total makes the “Smoke Show” the largest grossing single-day event in the history of SCC-Texas Chapter.
“Tony has a huge heart when it comes to charities and we can’t thank him enough for the time and effort he put in for the ‘Smoke Show,’” Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage said. “It was an incredibly successful event that will make a very significant impact with Speedway Children’s Charities and the non-profit organizations it provides financial assistance to through grants this year.”
The “Smoke Show” benefiting SCC was born from a public relations event with Stewart last year that was held with a select group of media. The concept was transformed into a fund-raising event and Stewart was more than willing to participate once again. Twenty-nine participants, who paid between $6,000 and $8,250 for the day, enjoyed the full race experience, complete with driver suit, parade laps, driver introductions, Victory Lane celebration and two 10-lap driving sessions where they got behind the wheel of a stock car. The group even got some driving tips and, of course, some good-natured ribbing from the 2006 Dickies 500 winner.
But the day didn’t end there – every camper also received a thrilling, high-speed three-lap ride-along around Texas Motor Speedway with Stewart. He also gave each a signed pair of Oakley driver gloves and a pair of Oakley “Tony Stewart” sunglasses as another memento from the day. Participants also received the opportunity to bid on items during a live auction at lunch that included a signed custom “Smoke Show” helmet, signed Stewart quarter panel and a signed canvas original painting of the No. 20 Home Depot car.
“The real heroes are the 30 people who made the generous donation to participate in this event,” Stewart said. “It was a lot of fun for me and I hope it was for everyone else today. It is a pleasure to donate my time for Speedway Children’s Charities and lend a hand in making an impact in the local community.”
The money raised will be distributed to non-profit organizations across Denton, Tarrant, Collin and Dallas counties. In 2007, the SCC-Texas Chapter distributed a record $752,466 to 198 organizations across the Metroplex. Since its inception in 1997, the chapter has raised more than $4.7 million for Dallas/Fort Worth area organizations.
<Tags: Texas Motor Speedway, TMS