Race Fever 2005 Raises $175,000 for AIDB Foundation
5/2/2005 - Race Fever 2005 Raised $175,000 FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa Sams, Communications & Media Specialist (256) 761-3207 or sams.lisa@aidb.state.al.us FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 29, 2005 Race Fever Raised $175,000 Race Fever 2005 was a great success, attracting over 1,200 supporters and raising $175,000 for the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind Foundation (AIDBF). The 20th annual event, held Friday night at the Speed Channel Dome at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, featured a barbecue dinner, silent auction and live auction, including art, race driver-autographed merchandise, a John Deere UATV 4 – wheeler and opportunities to shake hands with all of the drivers during the pre-race introduction ceremonies. The John Deere UATV 4 fetched $7,500 at auction. It is part of the 650 Trail Buck Series and includes front and rear rack extensions with integrated hand guards and stylish silver accents rear bumper, floor bars, brush guards and rims. Greg Hubbard of Montgomery bought it for his favorite personal pastime, hunting. Hubbard plans on returning to Race Fever in 2006. “I’ve been to almost every Race Fever over the last 20 years and I always plan on returning,” stated Hubbard as he strolled behind the trailer hauling his prize out of the doors. NASCAR legends helmet with the signatures of Red Farmer, Ray Fox, Junior Johnson, Benny Parsons, Richard Petty, Buddy Baker, Bobby Allison and Ned Jarrett heated up the bidders as they furiously fought each other with higher and higher bids, and a refurbished 2003 E-Z-Go Golf Cart donated to the AIDB Foundation sold for $3,200. “We had a wonderful time and we were sold out for over a month so we knew that our 20th celebration would be a success. Most importantly we raised $175,000 to support the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind,” said Lynne Hanner, AIDB Executive Director of Institutional Advancement. Sonny Smith, legendary basketball coach, once again served as host for the occasion, welcoming guests from all over the United States and Canada to the Speed Channel Dome for the festivities. Ned Jarrett served as master of ceremonies, interviewing over 25 race drivers onstage before most took time out to sign autographs for fans in attendance. Some of the race drivers and personalities attending included Bobby LaBonte, Kyle Petty, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart. Two happy Race Fever attendees were Mike Bechtholdt and Bill Hill of Northern California, whose winning $3,000 bid bought them Sunday’s Nextel Victory Lane Experience. These two winners were admitted into Victory Lane while the driver and team celebrated. After post-race interviews, the lucky bidders had their photos taken with the Nextel winner. “This was our first visit to Talladega. We are having a great time and we’re coming back to Race Fever 2006,” replied Bechtholdt as he was asked about the event. Throughout the evening, several people were honored for their continued support of Race Fever since the beginning in 1986 including Phil Barkdoll for his services as the Official Race Fever Auctioneer, Ned Jarrett as the Master of Ceremonies and Bill France, Jr. for his vision and the Talladega Superspeedway. Alabama School for the Blind (ASB) students performed a drum therapy session, which helped to jump start hearts, Helen Keller School (HKS) B Boys provided musical entertainment and the Christian band, Damascus Road, kept the room rocking throughout the evening. Also, the Alabama School for the Deaf (ASD) cheerleaders performed several dances keeping the crowd charged up for the live auction. Race Fever is the largest source of unrestricted funds for the AIDB Foundation, the private fundraising arm of the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind. Through five campuses in Talladega and nine regional centers throughout Alabama, AIDB serves more than 11,000 children and adults who are deaf, blind and multidisabled each year. Plans are already being made for Race Fever 2006, which will be held on the Friday evening of the April race weekend at the Talladega Superspeedway. Tables are already filling, so to reserve your table before it sells out again, call (256) 761-3317 or go to http://www.racefever.org/racefever.asp to buy your tickets online. For more information about Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind, please visit AIDB.org. Karyn Zweifel AIDB.org Site Manager Visit AIDB.org, the country's most comprehensive source for education, rehabilitation and services for people with vision or hearing loss.