Five things about ... the Kenny Irwin Jr. Foundation

INDIANAPOLIS -- Reva Irwin is proof that time doesn't necessarily heal all wounds.

Kenny Irwin Jr.

She's a mother who lost a son nearly a decade ago to a race track. The pain she feels today still is unrelenting.

To talk about the accident is to relive the events that caused her son, Kenny Irwin Jr., to be killed that day during a practice session at New Hampshire International Speedway.

It's difficult but Irwin talks through her tears in order to keep her son's memory alive and to support the charitable foundation she and her husband created, the Kenny Irwin Jr. Foundation and the Dare to Dream Camp located in New Castle, Ind.

This past weekend Irwin hosted Finish in Style, a fashion event that drew a crowd of more than 75 female racing fans as well as fashion fans to help the Kenny Irwin Jr. Foundation.

Held at Saks Fifth Avenue in Indianapolis, the event raised in the neighborhood of $20,000 so that underprivileged children can attend the camp this summer.

Although due to the lack of funding stemming from the weakened economy, the camp may have to cut the summer's sessions by half, Irwin said.

"I'm just so happy so many women showed up [Saturday] but, yes, we are not going to have as many weeks of camp as normal because of funding but we will still have about eight weeks," she added.

Irwin is hoping the fashion show will make a difference.

2. Checkered flag sponsor ...

From left, Joceyln Zeigler, Natalie Repenning, Sally Trebing and Pam Boas attend the fashion show.

The Tony Stewart Foundation, a corporate sponsor, showed up in full support of the event. Stewart's sister, Natalie Repenning, was the big winner in the silent auction and mother, Pam Boas, shared stories about the friendship Irwin Jr. and her son shared off and on the track.

"He [Stewart] would be here himself if he could, they were fierce competitors in midgets and sprints and the Silver Crown cars but became friends once Kenny got to NASCAR," Boas said.

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Nestled on 27 acres, the Dare to Dream Camp is funded by contributions and donations and offers racing-themed camping for underprivileged, at-risk, neglected and abused children between the ages of 5 and 17.

Until her son's death, Irwin didn't realize how much her son helped needy children who didn't have the means to go to summer camp.

"He helped to send lots of kids to camp once he moved to North Carolina like to the YMCA," Irwin said. "So my husband and I decided to start the camp and we saw this nasty old place and two years later we had the camp. And now it's a wonderful place. Kids who have never even had ice cream before get to come here and forget about their troubles at home."

Kelly Franks, sister of Irwin, is the director of special events and donor relations for the Kenny Irwin Jr. Foundation. She said the Dare the Dream Camp has struggled to gain the exposure other NASCAR foundations have enjoyed so she is working to change that, which is why the fashion show at Saks during the month of May, when everyone is fired up about racing ,was a good opportunity.

"We wanted to put a fashionable spin on racing as well," Franks said. "And it is something that has never been done before and for me it was important for the ladies to have fun."

Susie Launder

While the Saks fashion director displayed outstanding lines from Marc Jacobs, Dior and Tory Burch, it was Susie Launder's ensemble that created the most buzz.

A personal friend of the Irwin family, Launder found checkered-flag stiletto boots on eBay and paired them with a denim jacket covered with NASCAR patches she designed to honor Irwin. She also wore a button with Irwin's photo pinned to the lapel of her jacket.

"We were at Michigan International Speedway for a race and I got Kenny to sign the jacket so it's pretty special to me," said Launder, who traveled from Madison, Wis., to attend the fashion show.

Initially, she met Irwin and his family while working for Rayovac, one of his race sponsors.

"Reva is a dear and personal friend and I think what her family is doing [Saturday] is wonderful," Launder said.

"The camp is amazing and during the summers we just like to come down and hang out."