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2001
NEWS ARCHIVE
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Visit Florida Stock Car Racing Sponsors!
by Robin Smith Miller
On the night that NASCAR Winston Cup stars donned their tuxedoes for the annual points banquet and a tribute to racing's lost hero, Dale Earnhardt, Sr., the Southwest Florida racing community set their VCR's to view it later. 
They came in droves to the Wal-mart Super Centre of Lehigh Acres parking lot to take part in the First Annual Noise for Toys Car Show to benefit local needy children during the upcoming holiday season.
Over 50 vehicles were on display at the show including stock cars, dragsters, Pro Monster trucks, AMA drag bikes, NASGRASS racing lawn mowers, show cars and motorcycles. It is estimated that over a thousand people in the small community of Lehigh Acres, in Eastern Lee County came to the event. By the end of the evening a Randy "Hondo" Fox's limited late model hauler was full of toys, a car trunk was overflowing with food and almost $300 in cash was presented to Liz Eilf, director of Lehigh Community Services who was on hand to accept the donations.
As the crowd met many of Southwest Florida's finest racers, Nocturnal Passion, a local rock and roll band, provided music. The Bayshore Elementary Cloggers also entertained the throng of people and CAT Country 107 was on-hand with a live remote broadcast. Santa Claus, courtesy of Karnac.com, even made a visit to the kids, riding in on NASGRASS driver Jerry Gilbert's racing lawn mower. Wilson's Fine Food Concessions, whose trailer usually is parked in the pits at Charlotte County Speedway, set up shop and provided delicious Italian sausage, hamburgers and hot dogs to the milling throng and donated $121 at the end of the evening to the event.
Drivers who participated in the event included twenty drivers from Charlotte County Speedway. Newly crowned limited late model 6-Pack champion Randy "Hondo" Fox, current limited late model champion Glenn Morris, and past limited late model champion Mike "Hobo" Hovis took part, as did fellow division drivers Buzz "The Bomb" Martin, Richie Anderson, and Chuck Sweet. Collier County late model driver Lee Collins was there, as well the father and son team of Kenny and Karo Vaughn. Current open wheel modified division Chris Dean attended and turned around and won his second consecutive championship the next evening at CCS. Rookie driver, Christine Gibson was also present from the open wheel division. Past champion Kenny Eaton represented the sportsman division. Past pure stock champion Danny Caylor, Mark Evans, Steve Ogborne and Joe Butler made a showing for their division. Current mini stock champion Keith Risinger and Doug Wilson were there, as well. Donna Connolly and "Terrible" Terry Price showed their road warriors and Randy Sober brought his FASTRUCK series racing truck.
Noise for Toys Slideshow Number One
Noise for Toys Slideshow Number Two
The drag racing community was represented by combo dragster, Terry Colley. AMA drag biker Perry Melneciuc and Pro Monster truck driver Len Boland, attended as did a local swamp buggy driver. The NASGRASS racing lawn mower series was represented by Jerry Gilbert and Mike Miller. Several show cars, jeeps and motorcycles also took part in the show.
Boston Red Sox great Mike Greenwell, who had just been placed on the nomination ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame the day before, attended the event although his new late model race car was not ready for exhibition. Peter Drinkwater, one of the members of the new Southern Thunder management greeted all of the drivers and fans, marveling on the generosity of the drivers who race at Charlotte County Speedway. The Karnac.com gang of Jack Smith, Rick Anges and Bill Hunt thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle and stayed until the end, despite a long ride home.
Prizes for a raffle were donated by Gatti's Jewelry, Perkins Restaurant, Curve Ball Sports Bar and Grill, Maria's Restaurant, Genesis Hair and Nails, Radio Shack, Flower Fashion Shoppe, Beall's, Mr. and Mrs. BBQ, Video Plus, Charlotte County Speedway, Papa John's Pizza of Collier County, and Florida's finest racing Website, Karnac.com. The staff of Gambro Health Care of Lehigh Acres donated toys for the event in lieu of having an office gift exchange.
Special thanks go out to Cory Titenson (Walmart), Nocturnal Passion, Bayshore Elementary Cloggers, Wilson's Fine Food Concessions, David from CAT Country 107, Scarlett Fox, Kim Foster, Bill Hunt, Gail Cook, Doug Wilson, Max Miller, Clear Channel Broadcasting, Keels and Wheels Magazine, Karnac.com, Mel Toadvine, Peter Drinkwater (Charlotte County Speedway), Modern Air Conditioning and Del Beckner.
The East Zone elves who put the event together include Randy and Scarlett Fox, as well as their entire race team; Sara Carmean and Buzz Martin; Kim Foster and family; Terry and Julie Colley; Chris and Missy Dean; Christine and Tom Gibson; Danny and Mandy Caylor; Kenny and Lisa Eaton; Doug Wilson and family; and Robin and Max Miller. Plans are already in the works for next year's event that is expected to be even bigger.
-Robin Smith Miller
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