Dale Jr. sheetmetal up for bid in charity auction

Racing community donates memorabilia, collectibles

The 16th Annual Stocks For Tots event to benefit underprivileged children is set for this Tuesday, December 14 from 6 p. m. until 10 p. m. at Lakeside Industrial Park in Mooresville, N.C. Each year, the Park-home to many NASCAR teams-becomes one big festival of speed for the Stocks For Tots campaign.

Spearheaded by Rusty Wallace and Penske Racing executive Don Miller, Stocks For Tots was created as a way to bring together stock car racing and its fans, while raising awareness of the child abuse problem in North Carolina. The fundraiser is hosted by the local chapter of the National Exchange Club as part of its Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) initiative.

Admission to Stocks For Tots is a brand new toy or a cash donation, which will entitle the donor to the wristband required for entry. Toy and monetary proceeds go to help underprivileged youngsters in the area.

"This will be the first year that we've held Stocks For Tots on Tuesday night," said Ron Johnson, one of the key figures behind the event's success. "We think that will allow even more people to attend. In previous years we've held it on Thursday night. But sometimes people are busy getting ready for Christmas parties and other functions toward the end of the week. So, we think Tuesday will be more convenient for many fans."

The first fundraiser was held at the Mooresville Armory in December 1989. In the years since, the annual event has raised over $350,000 and distributed nearly 30,000 Christmas toys to children in the region.

"We also like to send toys to needy children in other areas," Johnson noted. "After Hurricane Floyd, Don Miller filled one of the Penske transporters with 5000 toys which he delivered to children in and around Kinston, NC. This year, we hope to have enough toys so that we can send some up into the North Carolina mountains that were hit so hard by flooding a few months ago."

Many shops-along with the N. C. Auto Racing Hall of Fame-will be participating with dozens of racing personalities on hand to sign autographs.

Celebrities already scheduled to be on hand to sign autographs include: Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Rusty Wallace, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle, Brendan Gaughan, Carl Edwards, Ted Musgrave, Shane Hmeil, along with legends Ned Jarrett, Buddy Baker, Bobby Allison, Rex White, Tom Pistone, Jim Vandiver, Dink Widenhouse, motorsports artist Garry Hill, famed crew chief and Fox Sports analyst Larry McReynolds and many, many other motorsports personalities.

One of function's highlights is a huge charity auction featuring a plethora of collectibles, souvenirs and race-used memorabilia. Here's a look at a few of the items up for bid:

"The race teams are very generous about donating to this cause," said Johnson. "We always have a great selection of sheet metal and other collectibles-just about anything you could imagine. The dedication shown by all the people in the racing community is the reason Stocks For Tots has been so successful over the years."

Lakeside Industrial Park is located just off I-77 at Highway 150 (Exit 36). For more information on Stocks For Tots, check out the event's web site at www.stocksfortots.com