NASCAR WCUP: T. Wayne Robertson NASCAR Winston Cup Preview Set for January 6
3 December 2000
Posted By Terry
Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The 12th annual T. Wayne
Robertson NASCAR Winston Cup Preview will be the first official NASCAR
Winston Cup event of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup season. The event is set
for Saturday, January 6, 2001 at the Lawrence Joel
Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C.
All NASCAR Winston Cup Series drivers are scheduled to attend the event named in memory of its creator, T. Wayne Robertson. Robertson, the president of R.J. Reynolds' Sports Marketing Enterprises for 13 years, was killed Jan. 14, 1998, in a Louisiana boating accident.
The T. Wayne Robertson NASCAR Winston Cup Preview is the largest single-day charitable event in North Carolina. In the 11-year history of the event, the Winston Cup Preview has raised more than $2 million for charity. The 2000 event raised $220,000, which was divided among the four primary charities: Brenner Children's Hospital in Winston-Salem, Speedway Children's Charities, the Winston Cup Racing Wives Auxiliary and the T. Wayne Robertson Memorial Fund.
"The T. Wayne Robertson NASCAR Winston Cup Preview is one of our biggest events of the year," Winston Cup Preview Director Mark Freidinger said. "Those of us who are involved in this sport are very fortunate in many ways. From drivers to team media contacts to all of the many sponsors and the media, this event is an opportunity to give a bit back to our community. All of us involved with the NASCAR Winston Cup Series are very grateful for the success our sport has enjoyed.
"T. Wayne Robertson, the founder of this event, took it personally. He had a wonderful vision, and he was a great friend to just about all of us who are involved, including the drivers. We're proud to honor T. Wayne's memory with an event that was so important to him."
The charities that will benefit from the 2001 T. Wayne Robertson NASCAR Winston Cup Preview are Brenner Children's Hospital in Winston-Salem, Speedway Children's Charities, the Winston Cup Racing Wives Auxiliary and the T. Wayne Robertson Memorial Fund. Perhaps the biggest attraction at the Winston Cup Preview is the annual auction of racing apparel, equipment and sheet metal. Most of the items for auction are autographed, making them valuable NASCAR collectibles.
"The auction is by far of the most popular parts of the event," Freidinger said. "The NASCAR Winston Cup teams and tracks are extremely generous in their contributions for the auction, and that's what makes it so successful. The auction provides a major portion of the money we raise for charity each year."
Race fans from some 30 states across America attend the Winston Cup Preview. Fans have an opportunity to see a showcar from nearly every NASCAR Winston Cup team along with many souvenir trailers. It's also the first chance race fans have to see the new paint schemes for the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup season.
In addition to the Winston Cup drivers, the top-three finishers in the 2000 NASCAR Busch Series Grand National Division will be in Winston-Salem to sign autographs. The 2000 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion, Greg Biffle, is also scheduled to attend. Hayes Jewelers of Lexington, N.C., Coca-Cola, Food Lion and the Ford Motor Company are presenting the 2001 T. Wayne Robertson NASCAR Winston Cup Preview.
Doors open at 8:30 a.m. The event ends at 6 p.m.
Tickets for the 2001 T. Wayne Robertson NASCAR Winston Cup Preview are available through the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum (in person or by mail) or Ticketmaster at (336) 722-6400. Tickets are $15 for adults. Children under the age of 12 will be admitted free with a paying adult.
Text Provided By Denny Darnell
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