Devil’s Bowl Speedway, NASCAR Green to Donate Trees to Irene Victims
Ceremony to take place during Vermont 200 on Sunday
WEST HAVEN, VT – Devil’s Bowl Speedway will reach out to Vermonters affected by Tropical Storm Irene in a ceremony on Sunday, September 15. Prior to the start of the season’s final championship stock car racing events on Vermont 200 Weekend, Devil’s Bowl Speedway – through the NASCAR Green “Clean Air Project” – will celebrate the donation of 90 trees to long-term recovery committees and other beneficiaries across Vermont, where they will be used to repair some of the damage still remaining from the August 2011 storm.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway was one of five NASCAR-sanctioned speedways selected to participate in the NASCAR Green Clean Air Project in 2013 – a program striving to improve environmental sustainability through recycling, tree planting, and alternative energy programs. The Clean Air Project, which also involves the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, captures 100% of the emissions created by race vehicles through tree planting.
The trees donated through Devil’s Bowl Speedway, which are scheduled for distribution in October, will serve a dual purpose – reducing the track’s carbon footprint while helping to replenish the devastated landscape. Andrea Varney, representing the Rutland County Long Term Recovery Committee and other beneficiaries, was key in organizing the allocations of many of the trees throughout Central Vermont.
“I thought it might be tough to find homes for 90 trees. In fact, they were spoken for within minutes,” recalled Varney, Volunteer and Resource Coordinator for the Rutland County Long Term Recovery Committee. “We had a great need for trees to provide stabilization for a riverbank in Mendon that was washed away during Irene. The Central Vermont and Northfield-Roxbury Long Term Recovery Committees also quickly identified sites where tree plantings would contribute to the region’s Irene recovery. This donation has been a wonderful resource to share across the state and is very much appreciated by all those benefitting from it.”
The tree donations through NASCAR Green mark Devil’s Bowl Speedway’s second major community outreach effort for Tropical Storm Irene survivors in Vermont; in June 2012, the track hosted the “I Am Vermont Strong 100” race event which included a donation drive for the Vermont Disaster Relief Fund. For more information on NASCAR Green, visit http://green.nascar.com. For information about the ongoing Tropical Storm Irene recovery effort, visit http://vtstrong.vermont.gov.
The Vermont 200 Championship Weekend is Devil’s Bowl Speedway’s final event of the year. Championship racing events begin at 1:30pm on both Saturday, Sept. 14 and Sunday, Sept. 15. Adult general admission is $10 on Saturday, $20 on Sunday, or $25 for a discount two-day ticket; admission is free for children 12 and under both days. Free camping is open Friday through Monday.
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is located on Route 22A in West Haven, VT, four miles north of Exit 2 on U.S. Route 4. For more information, visit www.devilsbowlspeedwayvt.com or call (802) 265-3112. Devil’s Bowl Speedway is on Facebook at facebook.com/DevilsBowlSpeedway and on Twitter at @DevilsBowlSpeed.
Sources: Justin St. Louis/Devil’s Bowl Speedway PR