Evernham raising funds with bike and auto show

In the middle of what is probably the third-busiest racing week all season, NASCAR team owner Ray Evernham is taking a couple of days to give a little.

What he's giving to NASCAR fans in the immediate area surrounding the Charlotte/Concord racetrack is a chance to see some of the unique cars and motorcycles that NASCAR drivers, team owners and crew members have.

A Ray Evernham Foundation, Racing for a Reason was originally founded in honor of Ray J. Evernham to raise funds for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the fight against blood related cancers and supports other worthy causes.

• Official Web site, click here

What he's giving to those battling cancer in all its forms is a little bit of hope.

Evernham and Racing for a Reason, the charitable organization he founded in 1997, are presenting a Custom Bike and Auto Show fund-raiser beginning Wednesday at the Cabarrus Arena north of Lowe's Motor Speedway on Highway 49. The two-day event showcases the custom bikes and automobiles from the NASCAR community.

"There are a lot of good people in our sport," Evernham said. "It just feels like the right thing to do. My son Ray J., I really feel his life was saved by the work and the donations and the effort that other people made to fight leukemia and I need to do that for other mothers and fathers of children that are affected by cancers."

More than 70 exciting custom bikes and cars owned by the biggest names in NASCAR will be on hand, including Evernham, Elliott Sadler, Travis Kvapil, Kyle Petty, Richard Petty, Mike Helton, Kenny Wallace, Todd Kluever, Steve LeTarte, Kyle Busch, Dale Jarrett, J.D. Gibbs, Kasey Kahne, Kenny Francis, Scott Riggs, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mike Bliss, Greg Biffle, Mike Helton, Roger Penske and special guest Dave Perewitz.

"NASCAR fans are always looking for ways to connect with their favorite drivers and NASCAR celebrities, and they are always willing to support causes for those in need," Evernham said. "Our Custom Bike and Auto Show creates an exciting event where fans can meet top drivers, see some amazing vehicles and help raise funds in support of our mission -- to help those in need and fund the ongoing research to find a cure for cancer. We're excited about the opportunity to bring this event to Charlotte during the race week, and appreciate the support of the drivers and NASCAR celebrities who are sharing their vehicles and time with the event."

The October in Charlotte race week, with a lot of fans already in the area for this weekend's Bank of America 500, is the culmination of the year's fund-raising program for Racing for a Reason, and it's also a chance for Evernham to take advantage of a "home game" for the drivers and teams.

But it's also one of the busiest weeks for the community. How does Evernham find the time to do something like this?

"I hired Aimee Giroux about a year ago to handle our charity," he said with a smile. "The bottom line is, it's important that we find the time no matter what. There's just a certain amount of time in your life that has to be dedicated to helping other people, or paying back some of the fortune that you were allowed to have.

"We lead a pretty good life, so you have to dedicate some of that back to helping other people."

Sign of the times

Unilever has found business success with the Ultimate Chargers program and the unique sponsorship arrangement with Gillet Evernham Motorsports.

• Complete story, click here

Evernham joins many of the top team owners and drivers in his charity work, and there's a definite spirit of cooperation among them, he said.

"We trade a lot of stuff," he said. "You have to know that all the guys are busy, and that's why we wanted to do something where everybody didn't have to show up. They can just send their cars. The demands on people's time are pretty tough. Our charity stuff isn't as big as some of the others, but I thought that guys could easily send a car or motorcycle and help support it."

Racing for a Reason, like Evernham said, was founded to support research into cancer, and "80 percent of the money goes directly to the organizations.

"We help a lot of small, different groups, but mostly it's for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America, blood-related cancers," he said. "We also support a lot of local groups, like high schools, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. We helped build some schools and that sort of thing."

It's the desire to give back that differentiates NASCAR from other professional sports, he said.

"That's something that's always impressed me about NASCAR people," he mused. "That's something I'm happy to be associated with because of that. You do find more people from the NASCAR side who are working hard at trying to do things for charity."

There's also that built-in networking that allows young up-and-comers access to top levels, simply by virtue of how the sport thinks, collectively.

"Motorsports is like that," Evernham said. "Networking is the same in any business, but the one thing about motorsports business that I appreciate is, most people who have gotten to the top positions have worked real hard to get there, and they don't forget that. They look back and realize that there were other people who sacrificed for them, so they are more apt to lend a hand to someone coming up."

The event gears up from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time on Wednesday and from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET on Thursday. Event festivities will include vehicle displays, appearances by numerous NASCAR celebrities, opportunities for photos with top drivers, a silent auction for autographed memorabilia, race tickets, a Gillett Evernham Motorsports Experience, and a custom painted trash can by Perewitz, a legendary bike builder.

A number of NASCAR drivers and celebrities will appear at the Custom Bike and Auto Show on Wednesday afternoon and evening, including Evernham, Kahne, Biffle, Sadler, Helton, Kyle Petty and Kyle Busch. Perewitz also will appear.

A complete schedule of events is available at http://www.racingforareason.org/event/. Event tickets may be purchased ($5 in advance, $10 day of show, children 12 and under free) at the box office at the Cabarrus Arena or by calling (704) 920-3976. Visit www.cabarrusarena.com for directions.