Fans interested in racing memorabilia and collectibles will want to mark Thursday, Aug. 21 on their calendars and place the Eastman Motorsports Club Racing Memorabilia Auction on their list of things to do during Bristol's upcoming August race week.

The auction will take place Aug. 21 on the third floor of the Bruton Smith Building.  The auction preview starts at 5 p.m. with bidding scheduled to get under way at 6 p.m.  Proceeds from the event will benefit the Bristol Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities.

Items on the auction block include autographed sheet metal, crew uniforms and die-cast collectibles. Some of more popular items will likely be items autographed by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne and Ken Schrader. Also, a chrome helmet autographed by Darrell Waltrip will be up for bids, along with a hand-painted Sharpie helmet.

"Each year the Eastman Motorsports Club members contact and travel to a number of race shops collecting items for the auction," said Claudia Byrd, chair of the Bristol Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities. "Their tireless efforts benefit our area children to a tremendous degree. It's difficult to find the words to express the genuine appreciation we all feel for their dedication and hard work with this event."

The Eastman Motorsports Club (EMC) is affiliated with the Recreation Department of Eastman Chemical Company based in Kingsport, Tenn. Membership to the club is open to all employees. 

The Bristol Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities, which aids children's agencies in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, has raised in excess of $4 million over the past 11 years.