West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin is presented his Official NASCAR Membership Card by, from left, Ed Martin, Paul Mullins and Mark Dyer.

W.Va. ONMC chapter honors Gov. Manchin

Charleston chapter takes lead role in spreading NASCAR goodwill

The Charleston, W.Va., Local Chapter of the Official NASCAR Members Club has been busy spreading NASCAR goodwill since its origin earlier this summer.

There have been organized race watch parties at a local restaurant, weekly meetings, a weekly newsletter and most recently, a cooperative fund-raiser with the West Virginia Radio Corporation that raised more than $130,000 for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

As of Sept. 28, the local chapter can also call West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin a proud member and honorary president.

Gov. Manchin gets ready to take the NASCAR showcar for a spin around the state capitol grounds.

In a special recognition by NASCAR at the state capitol in Charleston last week, Gov. Manchin was presented with his Official NASCAR Members Club (ONMC) membership card and named honorary president of the local chapter.

As a result, Gov. Manchin becomes the first governor in the United Sates to join the ONMC and earn the title of honorary president for a local chapter. An avid NASCAR follower and lover of motorsports, Gov. Manchin encouraged his colleagues across the country to follow suit.

"It's an honor to be the first governor to be named an honorary local chapter president of the Official NASCAR Members Club," Gov. Manchin said. "I'll take that honor and carry it proudly. I'd also like to challenge the other governors across the country to become involved. NASCAR is such a great family sport and the Members Club is an outstanding way for NASCAR fans to connect."

Mark Dyer, NASCAR vice president of licensing, was in Charleston for the event and applauded West Virginia for its longevity in supporting the sport.

"West Virginia has long been a hotbed for NASCAR," Dyer said. "It is certainly one of the top states in the country in terms of fan support. The ONMC is all about bringing NASCAR to the cities and towns across America. NASCAR fans all across America are gravitating toward the local chapters and the Charleston chapter has been a leader in this area."

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Paul Mullins, a native West Virginian, has been the driving force behind the Charleston local chapter. The retired mail carrier has been a NASCAR fan "since I was five or six and my dad would take me to the local dirt-track races."

He and his wife, Pam, have been true ambassadors for the sport. It was Mullins who helped organize the fund-raiser for Hurricane Katrina relief earlier this month.

"West Virginia is NASCAR country," Mullins said. "The people in Charleston and in West Virginia truly love NASCAR. My wife and I really enjoy the Members Club and it is an honor for us to be involved with the local chapter."

Ed Martin, National Director of the ONMC Local Chapters, recognized Mullins for his contributions to the development of the local chapter concept.

"The local chapters are growing at a rapid pace," Martin said. "We have more than 600 applications in all 50 states so far for chapter presidents.

"Paul Mullins has stood tall among the Members Club. His leadership with the Charleston local chapter has been exemplary. What he and the other members did with the West Virginia Radio Corporation to help raise more than $130,000 for Hurricane Katrina is amazing and is a prime example of the power of the local chapters and the NASCAR fan base."

Also in attendance at last week's event was Bob Brant of Race Plates, a Morgantown, W.Va., company that administers the sale of official NASCAR registration license plates in eight states across the U.S. West Virginia was one of the first states to participate in the program and thus far, sales of the NASCAR plates have generated more than $700,000 for the state.

Additionally, Eric Denemark, president of the West Virginia Motor Sports Association, praised his state's love affair with NASCAR.

"I saw a study recently that showed West Virginia had more NASCAR fans per capita than any other state in the country," Denemark said. "I think it's a tribute to that passion that we had this event here. When you have your state's governor proclaim his support of NASCAR, that's a pretty strong statement."

Following the presentation in his office, Gov. Manchin led the group outside where he climbed into a NASCAR showcar and took it for a spin around the capitol parking lot. It wasn't the first time the governor had been behind the wheel of a NASCAR racing machine.

"I'm a proud graduate of the Richard Petty Driving Experience," Gov. Manchin said. "They wouldn't let me go any faster than 140 mph and I didn't particularly like that, but what a thrill to be able to participate in something like that."

For more information on the Official NASCAR Members Club, log on to NASCAR.com and click the Members Club link.