Michael Waltrip was among the drivers who shared time with Wessa Miller at Bristol.
Wessa Fund continues to gain traction
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It's not your usual coin collection; in fact, an armored guard would be in order. The Pennies for Wessa Fund has become a grass-roots phenomenon within NASCAR.
The seed was planted by writer David Poole in an effort to assist the needs of Wessa Miller and her family. Wessa has spina bifida and her story was told in a heart-touching feature
in the Charlotte Observer. And this weekend the NASCAR community gave the fund a financial shot in the arm.
Racing fans know the story of the little girl who gave Dale Earnhardt a lucky penny the day before he won the 1998 Daytona 500. Of course, Wessa is the little girl who gained fame for giving the Intimidator the penny that he glued to the dashboard of his No. 3 Chevrolet on Feb. 15, 1998. Later that year, at Bristol, Earnhardt presented the family a new van to help the family in its daily needs.
Eleven years later, the Miller family returned to Bristol on Saturday. Wessa met a number of drivers, including Dale Earnhardt Jr., her favorite driver. NASCAR Angels will highlight her story and return to Bristol on an episode to air the weekend of May 9-10.
As part of the broadcast, Goodyear Gemini has committed to a full tune-up and new tires for the 11-year-old van. Richard Childress said he will make a $1,000 donation to the Pennies for Wessa Fund, and Rusty Wallace designated $5,000 of the proceeds from the Saturday Night Special legends race for the fund.
The NASCAR Foundation has partnered with NASCAR Angels and Motor Racing Outreach to launch an online auction to raise funds for the MRO Benevolence Fund to support causes like Pennies for Wessa. The auction features a variety of items including autographed memorabilia from numerous Sprint Cup Series drivers, including Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch, exclusive VIP experiences at upcoming races and items from the Dale Earnhardt Foundation, Richard Childress Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing and NASCAR Performance.
The online auction continues through Friday on www.nascar.com/foundation. (Continued)
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