CARQUEST Champions for Charities Driver Spotlight: Russ Wood
Stafford Springs, CT — The CARQUEST Extreme Tuesday Champions for Charities Event at Stafford Motor Speedway scheduled for June 28th is building in momentum and excitement as the drivers gear up to raise funds for their respective charities. The impressive field of open wheeled division champion drivers represents over 50 championships among 14 drivers. This week’s spotlight is on Russ Wood, the 7-time ISMA Supermodified Champion, and he will be racing to raise funds for Racing Against Cancer.
“I developed a relationship with Racing Against Cancer when my kids were racing at Sugar Hill,” said Wood. “My kids did some fundraising for Racing Against Cancer and they raised 2 or 3 thousand dollars a year for three years. Over the years we’ve lost some close friends to cancer and Racing Against Cancer is a great organization to be associated with. Cancer research has been making some gains, but there is still a long way to go and it will be nice to able to help contribute towards finding a cure for cancer.”
As part of Wood’s fundraising efforts, Racing Against Cancer and Stafford Speedway will host a track walk on June 19 as a prelude to the 20-lap CARQUEST Champions For Charities race. All funds raised at the Track Walk will be credited to Wood and will help him earn a better starting position as starting lineups will be determined by how much money each driver raises for their charity. The starting grid will be set with the drivers who have raised the most money starting up front. Fans are encouraged to get involved in the event by donating to their favorite driver or favorite charity. The track walk kicks off at 9am on June 19th with walker check-in and registration, and the walk runs from 10:00am to 3:00pm. For further details on the Racing Against Cancer Track Walk, or to sign up for the walk, fans can click on the track walk link that is posted with Russ Wood’s name on the CARQUEST Champions For Charities Entry List, which can be found by clicking the CARQUEST Champions For Charities banner found on the www.staffordmotorspeedway.com homepage.
The 2010 ISMA Supermodified season saw Wood drive to his 7th career ISMA championship, breaking a tie with Chris Perley for the most driver championships in ISMA history. Wood also pushed his career win total to 49 this past season, and he ranks second in career ISMA wins with only Perley ahead of him. While some of the CARQUEST Champions For Charities drivers will be complete novices when it comes to driving a Wild Thing Kart in their 20-lap race, Wood has some previous experience behind the wheel of a Senior Outlaw Kart.
“My son had a Wild Thing Kart and I ran it a couple times in a father’s race, so I won’t be totally unfamiliar with the kart,” said Wood. “But a racecar is a racecar and I’m sure that we’ll all have a lot of laughs racing each other. My goal is to have a lot of fun and I’m sure this race will be a blast.”
In addition to his CARQUEST Champions For Charities duties, Wood will be behind the wheel of his familiar #29 for the 50-lap ISMA Supermodifed event and will be looking to drive into CARQUEST Victory Lane for the second consecutive year.
“I always seem to run good at Stafford, so I’m definitely looking forward to the race,” said Wood. “I have a win there and I think I’ve been in the top-3 in the other races there, so Stafford seems to suit me pretty well. I think it’s been a great race every year we’ve been to Stafford and I’m looking forward to this year’s race.”
Racing Against Cancer™ is a Federally Recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the raising of funds for cancer research, patient services, youth tobacco educational programs, and awareness. Racing Against Cancer™ was founded in 1996 and the program has generated over $660,000 for the fight against cancer. For more information, please visit www.RacingAgainstCancer.com.
CARQUEST Extreme Tuesday will take place on June 28, 2011 and will also feature the ISMA Super Modifieds, NEMA Midgets, and Pro-4 Modifieds. Tickets for CARQUEST Extreme Tuesday are on sale now at the Speedway Box Office and are priced at $30.00 for adult general admission tickets, $5.00 for children ages 6-14, and children ages 5 and under are admitted free of charge when accompanied by an adult. Reserved seating is priced at $32.00 for all ages. As always, Stafford Motor Speedway offers free parking with overnight parking available.
For more information, or to order tickets to the 8th Annual CARQUEST Extreme Tuesday event, contact the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at 860-684-2783 or visit us on the web at www.staffordspeedway.com.
Sources: Scott Running/Stafford Motor Speedway PR