By Linda Ladwig "Bou"
When we NASCAR fans watch a race, whether we are sitting in front of the TV or in the stands, we often dream about racing against our heroes, or at least helping our favorite driver win a Winston Cup race. We imagine ourselves carrying tires in the pits, or planning race strategy from atop the war wagon.
Now we, the fans, have the chance to actually help a NASCAR driver. It just won't get us a pit road interview with Jeanne Zelasko.
That driver is Kenny Wallace, known to his fans as "Herman", or "The Herminator". When Kenny moved to Eel River Racing after the 2000 Winston Cup season, the team, owned by New England businessman Jack Birmingham, had just lost the Viagra sponsorship to Mark Martin's Rousch Racing team. However, they were optimistic about landing a sponsor for the 2001 season. With Barry Dodson providing solid leadership as Crew Chief, Kenny felt that his experience would take Eel River Racing from a team with potential to a weekly contender on the circuit.
Weeks passed, and the Pontiacs in Eel River's Mooresville, NC shop were still bare white. One-race deals with Hills Brothers Coffee, Williams Brothers Lumber Company, Food City and Ray-O-Vac Batteries helped the #27 car make the field for the first eight races of the 2001 campaign. The team was finalizing a sponsorship deal with Crown Royal when NASCAR stepped in. The sanctioning body would not approve the sponsorship. Hard liquor doesn't fit the family-friendly image NASCAR is trying to promote. A compromise deal that would have a Crown Royal-sponsored fishing tournament on the car was also denied.
Then came Talledega. This was the track where Kenny finished second to the late Dale Earnhardt last October. The team secured a one-race deal with the Subway sandwich chain, and were hopeful that a strong finish would lead to season-long sponsorship. Those hopes faded when Kenny missed the field, posting a 52.793-second lap. He was a mere 1/100th of a second slower than Kenny Schrader's #36 Pontiac, the slowest car to make the field on time. Eel River Racing's 39th place in owner's points was too low to guarantee a provisional start.
At this point, you would think that die-hard Kenny Wallace fans would be completely disillusioned. But not only are they proudly sporting their Herminatorwear, they are organizing a grassroots movement to raise funds to sponsor Kenny for one race.
It started as a "crazy idea", suggested by Tina B., a NASCAR fan from Memphis, and Dennis Michelsen, a staff columnist for a racing web site. Tina brought it up during the weekly Monday night fan chat in the nascar.about.com chat room. The family of regular chatters was enthusiastic, and soon the idea was spreading throughout the online race fan community.
Fans had already begun sending contributions directly to Eel River Racing, but now Dennis Michelsen has coordinated with Dale Johnson, who handles Public Relations for Kenny Wallace, and created the "Race Fans Making A Difference" Fund. They have set a goal of $150,000 to sponsor the #27 car for one race. Fans can mail a check, contribute online, or phone in a donation. Amounts can be as small as $1.00. Details are available on Kenny's site, www.kennywallaceracing.com. If the goal is not reached, the donations will go to Lukemia Research, a charity Kenny and his wife, Kim, chose.
Kenny's fans are determined to make the sponsorship deal happen. We're an amazing group! From Maine to California, Alaska to Florida, we can't help but love "our Herman". We'll do whatever we can to make sure we hear his infectious laugh in the garage area on race weekend. Maybe my donation will only finance a "dot" on the "i" of the "Race Fans Making A Difference" Pontiac, and not get me a dip in the hot tub at Hammond's Hollywood Hotel. But hey, I've got to keep something to dream about!
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