Fans pitch in more than $180,000 at Fontana

FONTANA, Calif. -- As NASCAR roared into Southern California for the SONY HD 500 at California Speedway, race fans geared up to help the American Red Cross Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. Over the course of Labor Day weekend more than $180,000 was raised.

Collections at the speedway's main grandstands and infield camping areas totaled more than $70,000. Ameriquests' total collections at their booths were nearly $40,000 and they also committed an additional $70,000 in matching funds.

The total collection amount does not include the following, all of which will be reconciled later this week:

"We were excited about coming here as a sponsor on this race weekend, especially since California Speedway is in our backyard with our headquarters in Orange County," said Brian Woods, Ameriquest's Chief Marketing Officer.

"With what happened recently with the hurricane, we realized this was the first major sporting event since the hurricane. We wanted to take our marketing efforts and turn them into fund raising efforts. The fans really stepped up and contributed. It is very inspiring. What we did this weekend is in addition to the $5 million commitment from Ameriquest that was kicked off during the Ameriquest 300."

"We are extremely thankful to the great race fans, the speedway, sponsors, just the entire racing community that supported our efforts for Hurricane Katrina relief," said Sandy Silva, CEO of Inland Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross.

"We are counting on continued support from the racing community and all communities. The American Red Cross has been on this disaster since the beginning and will remain until all needs of the victims are met. The local chapter looks for support from companies like the California Speedway and their partners, and this effort will continue for months ahead."