Fans still talk about seeing Harry Gant, Junior Johnson, Rusty Wallace, Cale Yarborough and many others climbing back into race cars for the Scotts Saturday Night Special last month.
Now others are too because they were benefactors of the magical night.
Charities from across the country serving missions across the board this week received a total of $85,000 from Bristol Motor Speedway in the names of the participants of the March 21 Scotts Saturday Night Special, a 50-lap event pairing celebrities and former BMS winners
For winning one of the celebrity heats and the main event, teammates Sterling Marlin and Andy Petree (ESPN analyst) were able to designate $25,000 ($12,500 each) to the Epilepsy Foundation of Middle and West Tennessee and Samaritan's Feet.
Epilepsy is the third most common neurological disorder behind stroke and Alzheimer's disease. Epilepsy is a medical condition that produces seizures affecting a variety of mental and physical functions. It's also called a seizure disorder. When a person has two or more seizures, they are considered to have epilepsy. One in 10 adults will have a seizure sometime during their life and many seizure types do not cause a person to lose consciousness. In 70% of cases the cause is unknown. (epilespytn.org)
The goal of Samaritan's Feet is to provide shoes to 10 million individuals without them in the next 10 years by teaching them a biblical story of faith, hope, and love, demonstrating those truths in touching them by washing their feet, and treating them to a new pair of shoes and socks. (samaritansfeet.org)
"This was a wonderful event and the response has been incredible from the fans who were here to watch these guys race," said Jeff Byrd, president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway. "To have these great organizations benefit is just icing on the cake."
The "Pennies for Wessa" campaign (penniesforwessa.org) picked up $5,000 in the name of Rusty Wallace for his second-place finish. The program was started by Charlotte Observer motorsports writer and radio personality David Poole, who passed away April 28. Wallace's teammate, Ray Evernham, designated his $5,000 share to the Jeff Gordon Foundation, which supports research and the successful treatment of pediatric cancer.
Other charities ranged from drivers' local concerns such as schools and hospitals to national groups like The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and the Komen for the Cure, Susan G. Komen Foundation. Motorsports-related groups such as the Victory Junction Gang Camp, Motor Racing Outreach and Bristol's own Speedway Children's Charities also were named benefactors of the event.
