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NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series News Release: Contact – ROBY HELM – (865) 207-4157

July 24, 2013

NeSMITH CHEVROLET DLMS “RIDE FOR LIFE” 2-SEAT RACE CAR BENEFITS AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY AT CLAYHILL MOTORSPORTS THIS SATURDAY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CARTERSVILLE, GA – Three drivers from the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series will donate their time and talent to benefit the local chapter of the American Cancer Society by giving race fans the opportunity to take the “Ride For Life” at Clayhill Motorsports in Atwood, TN this Saturday night.

The “Ride For Life” Program is a special way the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series and its competitors take time out of their busy schedules in the fast-paced and highly competitive world of dirt late model racing, and give back some time and effort to help the American Cancer Society find a cure for the nation’s most deadly disease.

It also gives the fans an opportunity to do the same, and at the same time do something few fans get to experience. The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series “Ride For Life” Program involves the fans bidding for a ride at race speed around the track in a special built two-seat dirt late model race car.

The American Cancer Society Ride For Life program will be a part of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Touring event at Clayhill Motorsports in Atwood, TN this Saturday night.

NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Regulars and Clayhill Motorsports NeSmith Chevrolet Old Man’s Garage Weekly Racing Series Late Model Favorites Ricky Waggoner of Martin, TN, Tait Davenport of Benton, KY, and Ronnie Cooper of McKenzie, TN have donated their time and talent to give three race fans that are the highest bidders the Ride For Life.

Waggoner has won six NeSmith Chevrolet Old Man’s Garage Weekly Racing Series Late Model races this season at Clayhill Motorsports and is a contender for the $10,000 WRS National Championship.

Davenport is fifth in the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Touring Division point standings in the battle for the $20,000 Touring Championship, and has also won two NeSmith Chevrolet Old Man’s Garage Weekly Racing Series races this season at Clayhill Motorsports.

Cooper is also a front runner in NeSmith Chevrolet Old Man’s Garage Weekly Racing Series competition at Clayhill Motorsports and is tenth in the WRS point standings out of over 300 drivers. Cooper has also competed in nine NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Touring events this season.

“The Ride For Life dirt late model is a real race car, just like the ones the fans see in competition,” NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS President of Operations and Communications Roby Helm said. “It’s the same type of chassis and the same GM Performance Racing Engine all of our competitors use. The only difference is that is has a passenger seat so race fans can take the Ride For Life.”

At selected events on the 2013 NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series schedule; race fans will have the opportunity to bid for a six-lap ride at race speed around the track with their favorite driver. They can also make a donation to the American Cancer Society that gives them an opportunity to win a ride through a drawing. All of the proceeds go to the local chapter of the American Cancer Society.

“This is a rare opportunity for the race fans to experience the sport of dirt late model from a new perspective in that they can see, hear and feel what their favorite driver does, but instead of watching them at a distance from the grandstands, they can sit right next them in the race car,” Helm said. “They see the wall coming up fast, they hear the constant roar of the engine, and they feel breeze coming through the cockpit and the g-forces leaning them to the right in the seat. There is no amusement park ride that can come close to the 100 mile per hour Ride For Life.”

The “Ride For Life” is a rare opportunity for race fans because it is such a unique opportunity. It would be equivalent to a fan at an NFL game coming out of the stands to catch a pass from a top quarterback, or a fan at a major league baseball game coming out of the stands to step into the batter’s box to try to hit 90 mile per hour heat from a professional pitcher.

The American Cancer Society Ride For Life Program has become a community project in the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series.

“Our competitors and sponsors have gladly stepped forward at being the caretakers of the American Cancer Society Ride For Life two-seat race car,” Helm said. “Like any other race car, the Ride For Life race car needs the same maintenance and preparation that a competitive race car needs. They donate parts, products and their time to make sure the Ride For Life car is race-ready.”

Helm said the race teams prepare the Ride For Life race car so it will turn competitive lap times around the track with a passenger that would easily qualify the car for a NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series main event.

“The Ride For Life race car brings a lot of enjoyment to fans and competitors alike, but the biggest thrill will be using the proceeds to help the American Cancer Society find a cure for Cancer,” Helm said. “Cancer has affected all of us because we have all had a loved one or a close friend that has been a victim of this deadly disease.

“We have to find cure,” Helm said. “While most race fans and competitors are not doctors and scientists, we can play an important role in helping them find a cure by helping to fund the research they need. The American Cancer Society people have told me that one in three people have a high risk of being afflicted with a form of cancer. I tell the fans in the stands to look to their right, and then look to their left, and one of them, including themselves stands a good chance of getting cancer.”

Cancer has hit the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series close to home this season, as its 2012 Weekly Racing Series Champion, 22-year-old Chase Washington of Houlka, MS, was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma early this year. He underwent major surgery to remove a foot and a half cancerous portion of his small intestine.

While doctors were confident they removed all of the cancer from Washington’s small intestine, he will still have to take six chemotherapy treatments during an 18-week period over the summer. The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series has used the “Ride For Life” two-seat dirt late model to raise money to help offset some of Washington’s medical expenses.

The hope of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series is that while a fan is getting the enjoyment of the Ride Fort Life at speed around the race track, the money they spent for the ride will be the money that puts the research over the top and finds the cure for cancer.

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