NASCAR: Roush Racing Concord Facility Makes Donation to Concord Fire and Life Safety Department
20 April 2000
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
CONCORD, N.C.--This week the NASCAR Winston Cup teams have a weekend to rest and recuperate after the conclusion of a nine-week stretch of consecutive races. This break in the action, though, has not stopped the weekly operations in the race shops, as the competitors head back into action on April 30 at California Speedway. On Thursday, April 20 the Nos. 17 and 97 Roush Racing teams will take time out of their busy schedules to be on hand for a public ceremony at Concord (N.C.) Mills Mall, in which their pit box will be donated to the Concord Fire and Life Safety Department. The race-used pit box is a mobile storage unit that the team uses over the course of a weekend to keep race equipment, such as tools and parts. Shop fabricators, to meet the specifications of the Fire and Life Safety Department, had to alter the pit box before it was commissioned into use. This three-week process will culminate on Thursday with a 15-minute dedication ceremony with attendees of the City of Concord Department of Fire and Safety, including Fire Chief Randy Holloway.
The dedication ceremony will take place at 1 p.m. EDT inside the Concord Mills Mall, nearest to Entry 7 by the AMC Theaters. Also in attendance will be two-time Winston Cup champion crew chief Jeff Hammond and members of the Nos. 17 and 97 Roush Racing teams. Team members in the new Roush Racing facility will be on hand starting at noon to meet the public, and answer questions regarding the operations of the facility and other race-related topics. Both DEWALT Racing and John Deere Motorsports transporters will be staged in the mall parking lot alongside the Concord Fire and Life Safety's fire truck, while two race cars will be unloaded for display inside of the mall over the weekend.
"We were approached by members of the Concord Fire Department about the possible donation of our pit equipment last month," said John Deere Motorsports crew chief Jeff Hammond. "In our shop we have about 20 crew members who live in the city of Concord, and we felt this was a good way for all of us to become involved in the community where we now work. Safety is very important in our operations, and likewise, in a public location such as the Concord Mills Mall. Hopefully this is only the first of many opportunities that we will have to work with the Concord community."
The Concord Mills Mall opened its doors to the public last September and the Roush Racing facility began operations in November. The new Roush Racing facility currently houses the Nos. 17 and 97 teams, but will be joined by the No. 16 FamilyClick.com team by the end of the month.
This three-team facility is an attempt to consolidate Roush Racing's five Winston Cup operations, the largest motorsports team currently on the NASCAR circuit.
Text provided by Kevin Radvany
Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot photos
and racing art, please visit The Racing Image
Galleries and The
Visions of Speed Art Gallery .