SONOMA, California — Four charitable events combined to raise more than $120,000 at the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekend at Infineon Raceway.
Most of the proceeds will benefit the Sonoma Chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities, which has distributed more than $3 million to qualified youth groups in Sonoma County since 2002.
The Children’s Champions Grand Marshal’s Banquet generated $71,000, while the 7th annual Charity Auction hosted on NASCAR Sunday in the Wine Country Winner’s Circle raised $27,000. The Kasey Kahne Custom Chopper Raffle, a joint venture between Speedway Children’s Charities and the Kasey Kahne Foundation, netted an additional $25,038. Plus, an additional $1,200 was donated by participants in the post-race Track Walk on Sunday.
The Grand Marshal’s Banquet was held on Friday, June 19, at beautiful Cline Cellars in Sonoma and featured Grand Marshal Ken Stabler, the legendary Oakland Raiders quarterback. The sit-down dinner, which also featured NASCAR drivers David Ragan, Boris Said and Marcos Ambrose, attracted more than 400 people.
“This is an outstanding result, achieved against a very challenging economic backdrop. We are grateful for the effort and generosity of everyone who supported these events,” said Steve Page, president and general manager of Infineon Raceway.
The top-selling item at the charity auction was a Dale Earnhardt Jr. signed helmet, which netted $4,500. Other top selling items included a custom Snap-On Tools toolbox ($2,700) and a Tony Stewart signed piece of sheet metal ($1,750).
Nearly 3,000 tickets were sold for the Kasey Kahne Custom Chopper Raffle, with Santa Rosa resident Mike Ruckrigl wining the motorcycle, which was built by Orange County Choppers. Kahne, who won the Toyota/Save Mart 350, picked the winning ticket on NASCAR Sunday in the Wine Country Winner’s Circle.
For more information about the Sonoma Chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities or to donate, please contact Denise Sliver, (707) 933-3950 or dsilver@infineonraceway.com.
