Richmond International Raceway has joined with former NASCAR Busch Series champions and other stars to participate in an auction at the track next month to benefit former champion Sam Ard and his wife.
Ard, the 1983 Busch champion and two-time Richmond winner, was diagnosed last May with Alzheimer's disease. His wife, Jo, was diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease that could lead to blindness.
"Sam Ard is a great part of the NASCAR Busch Series history, and Richmond International Raceway's history," said track president Doug Fritz. "It is warming to see the tremendous support we have been given by the NASCAR family for the auction during our 25th anniversary celebration of the NASCAR Busch Series."
The silent auction will take place May 5 and 6 at the track amphitheater outside turn one.
Among the items up for bid are:
- Autographed driver gloves from Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton.
- A Jimmie Johnson-autographed Excedrin diecast car.
- No. 24 and No. 48 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series crewmember firesuits.
- No. 5 Nextel Cup Series sheet metal.
- A Bill France-autographed NASCAR hat.
All proceeds from the auction will go directly to the Ard family. Items for the auction will continue to be collected through May 5. Fans can see a daily update of items up for bid at www.rir.com.
---
THE GOOD LIFE: Life as a Formula One driver has its perks. Not only does Californian Scott Speed drive a Scuderia Toro Rosso Cosworth on the racetrack, he also has a cool car to drive around Europe.
Red Bull drivers David Coulthard, Christian Klien, Tonio Liuzzi and Speed all have Maserati Gran Sport coupes. An Austrian Maserati dealer lent them the cars for the year. The drivers were allowed to choose the color of their cars, and Speed picked red.
Speed, the first American to drive in the elite globe-hopping series since Michael Andretti in 1993, also tried his new motor home for the first time. Most F1 drivers stay in hotels on race weekends, but 1995 Indianapolis 500 winner Jacques Villeneuve, Coulthard, Jenson Button and one or two others stay in their own motor homes at the track at the European races.
"The advantage is that you have less stress," Speed said. "You have your food exactly as you want it. You can travel light - your clothes are already there. It is easier, but we will see how it turns out. This is the first time we tried it."
Speed, who finished 15th in last Sunday's San Marino Grand Prix, is also enjoying considerable improvement on the track as he gets more used to living the F1 lifestyle.
"The team is improving every day, as the whole setup was new at the start of the year," he said. "Now we have three races under our belt and are back close to home, the improvement in the way everyone is working is clear to see, and there's still more to come."
The next race is the European Grand Prix in Germany on May 7. Speed's home race, the United States Grand Prix, is July 2 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
---
WINNING WOMEN: While other racing divisions are hoping to develop female drivers who can win, the National Hot Rod Association is already there.
In the tradition of retired Hall of Famer and three-time NHRA Top Fuel champion Shirley Muldowney, Angelle Sampey is leading the Pro Stock Motorcycle division and Melanie Troxel is out front in Top Fuel.
Sampey, a three-time series champion, holds a 63-point lead over defending champion Andrew Hines, while Troxel is leading David Grubnic by 156 points.
The question constantly brought up to these women is why they can win in drag racing while women in other forms of the sport have trouble competing.
"I think probably the biggest reason would be just the simple fact that drag racing is more of a mental sport than a physical sport compared to every other sport out there," Sampey said. "(IRL star) Danica Patrick or any NASCAR team or anything like that, I mean, there's a whole bunch of mental aspects that go along with it, but there is a big physical side of it as well, just the endurance of how long the race is, stuff like that.
"I think there are women out there who can win. I think Danica is very capable of winning. I think there are women that can do what those guys are doing. They just have to train harder."
Sampey said the motorcycles are probably the biggest physical challenge for women and men in the NHRA "because of us being outside of the vehicle on top of having to move from side to side, using our body weight."
"I have to train harder than the guys I race against. I have to be stronger, which is why I do the type of training I do. I train in kick boxing, Jujitsu, mostly for reaction times and strength and endurance."
Sampey said she believes any woman can win in racing.
"In motorsports, if you find a woman that's as interested as a man, I think she'll do just as well," she said. "I don't see any separation between the two."