Denny Hamlin delivers for Red Cross

Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown, Benefiting Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU, Returns to RIR, April 25

 

Late Model Event to Benefit the Denny Hamlin Cystic Fibrosis Research Lab

For the third year in a row, the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown is set to open the Spring race weekend at Richmond International Raceway. The race, which typically features a dozen NASCAR drivers and celebrities battling on the ¾-mile track with some of the best local Late Model Stock Car drivers, will serve as a fundraiser for the Denny Hamlin Cystic Fibrosis Research Lab at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU.

In 2012, the Denny Hamlin Foundation committed to a 3-year grant totaling $150,000 for the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU (CHoR). Funds from the grant, which are raised through events like this year’s Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown at Richmond International Raceway, will help accelerate the Denny Hamlin Cystic Fibrosis Research Lab's ability to bring new therapies to cystic fibrosis patients. In addition, the newly established Denny Hamlin Foundation Summer Scholars program will help train the next generation of CF research scientists.

"Every dollar we give to cystic fibrosis makes a difference,” explained Hamlin, Virginian and driver of the No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. “You never know. This could be the year that we find a cure."

The Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown at Richmond International Raceway has brought some of the best late model racing action to Hamlin’s hometown track for the past two years and is sure to provide another great show for fans who come out to support cystic fibrosis research.

“We are excited to once again host the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown at Richmond International Raceway,” said RIR President Dennis Bickmeier. “RIR is proud to partner with Denny to raise awareness and money that will assist one of the best research teams as they work to find a cure for cystic fibrosis.”

The Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown and BLUE OX 100 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East races will run on Thursday, April 25, as part of an action-packed opening day of the Spring NASCAR weekend at Richmond International Raceway.

"The Showdown has had some of the best late model racing in the past,” added Hamlin. “This year will be no different. We've invited the region’s finest drivers to compete against some of my Sprint Cup Series friends. I can't wait to get back to Richmond. It's going to be wild!"

Cystic Fibrosis is a fatal genetic disease that affects about 30,000 children and adults in the United States. CF causes chronic infections in the lungs and inadequate digestion of nutrients. There is no cure for CF, but medical advances have doubled the life expectancy of children in the last 30 years and increased the overall median age of survival to 38.

Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU (CHoR) has a large research staff focused on finding a cure for CF. This research group has been critical in developing new therapies for CF. They recently discovered a promising CF lung disease treatment that is in development and undergoing pre-clinical testing at CHoR. As the only accredited CF center in the region, CF patients cared for at CHoR have access to the latest therapies and can participate in groundbreaking clinical studies.

Click here or call 866-455-7223 to purchase tickets for the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown. All tickets are general admission and $25. Children 12 and younger are admitted free with a ticketed adult. Thursday’s ticket also includes the BLUE OX 100 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race.

Tickets are on sale now for the Toyota Owners 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Advance tickets, including seats in Turns 1 and 4, start at $45, and can be purchased online by clicking here or by calling 866-455-7223. Tickets for the ToyotaCare 250 start at $30 in advance and can be purchased online by clicking here or by calling 866-455-7223. Children 12 and younger are admitted free with a ticketed adult in general admission sections on Friday.
Courtesy Richmond International Raceway

Denny Hamlin Donates To Help Kids

When children enter the big red barn at the Children's Museum of Richmond on Friday, thanks will go to several donors to the new Little Farm exhibit.

Capital grants came from the Robins Foundation ($50,000), the Richard Gwathmey and Caroline T. Gwathmey Memorial Trust ($25,000), the Marietta McNeill Morgan and Samuel Tate Morgan, Jr. Foundation ($25,000), the Richard S. Reynolds Foundation ($20,000), the Barbara J. Thalhimer & William B. Thalhimer, Jr. Family Fund of The Community Foundation ($5,000) and the Ruth Camp Campbell Foundation ($2,000).

Demolition and construction services were donated by Graybeale Construction. The Virginia Farm Bureau's Save Our Food campaign will support the exhibit with a $100,000 sponsorship.
A second exhibit including a life-size fiberglass milkable cow has been provided by and sponsored by the Southeast United Dairy Industry Association Inc. for $15,000.
. . .
NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin is helping children in the race for rehabilitation with a $20,000 gift to build a gym at the new Children's Hospital therapy center in Midlothian.

The gift was presented at the main hospital this week as part of a send-off celebration for 14 long-term pediatric patients departing for the unit's annual "Beach Trip."

"Partnering with the Richmond Children's Hospital is a natural fit for us," said Jennifer Reuss, executive director of the Denny Hamlin Foundation. "Denny has always had a place in his heart for children who are disabled or ill, and his hope is to give them the means and the inspiration to win the battles they fight."

The Denny Hamlin Foundation gift will help build the main gym in the South Therapy Center's new location later this year to meet increasing demand for outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapy for children in the community.

The day trip to the beach was for children who live at the hospital because of their medical conditions. All 14 use wheelchairs, and many also rely on ventilators and feeding tubes. For some, it was the first time they have been able to enjoy the simple pleasure of going to the beach.
. . .
Four neighborhood revitalization projects in Richmond are $10,000 ahead, thanks to the Greater Richmond Association for Commercial Real Estate golf tournament.

Proceeds from the tournament were donated to Virginia Local Initiative Support Corp. (LISC), part of the nation's largest nonprofit intermediary in the community development and affordable housing arena.

In Richmond, LISC helps support the Beckstoffer development of up to 75 housing units in Church Hill, the Carrington Gardens/Northridge redevelopment of more than 200 units in Highland Park, the Hippodrome development of 32 units in Jackson Ward and the Six Points rehabilitation of six houses to create units for ex-offenders in Highland Park.

The charity golf tournament was held May 6 at Independence Golf Club. In previous years, the tournament has split the proceeds between two groups, but this year it chose only one, said president David Auman.

Greta Harris, Virginia LISC executive director, saw links between the two groups.
"In many ways we are players in the same market," Harris said. "However, Virginia LISC targets a specific customer: residents of underserved communities who need a leg up."
. . .
An anonymous donor has pledged half of the remaining $40,000 needed to build My Space, a universal design playground, at the James City/Williamsburg Community Center. Other donors must match the $20,000 donation before the end of the year.

Fundraising for the $133,000 playground began last November by members of the Leadership Historic Triangle class of 2009. As of May 26, the project still needed approximately $40,000 in donations before ground could be broken on the 5,100-square-foot playground.

Visit http://www.myplaceplayground.camp9.org for details.

Racing in Richmond - Hamlin, Stewart, Busch and Logano Set to Trade Paint for Charity

Denny Hamlin Foundation Announces Second Annual Benefit Race at Southside Speedway

Denny Hamlin, Chesterfield, Va. native and driver of the #11 FedEx Toyota Camry in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, is once again racing for charity at Southside Speedway this spring – and he’s bringing his friends.

On April 30, 2009 Hamlin will host the second annual “Short Track Showdown” at Southside Speedway in Richmond (Va.) to benefit the Denny Hamlin Foundation, and this season Hamlin is being joined by some of NASCAR’s biggest stars. Two-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart will join Hamlin’s current Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Joey Logano, and race day spotter Curtis Markham, in a race against some of the South’s best short-track talent in a 175-lap Limited Late Model race.

Last year, Hamlin presented a check in the amount of $50,000 - an amount raised almost entirely from the proceeds of the race - to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

“I was thrilled with what we were able to do last year – it was a great event for a great cause and this year it is our hope to double that donation,” said Hamlin. “It means a lot that Tony, Kyle, Joey and Curtis are committed to helping me raise money for my foundation and I know we all want to put on a great show for the fans.”

The Denny Hamlin Foundation was created in 2008 to aid in raising awareness and funding for Cystic Fibrosis research and treatment, as well support other not for profit corporations that focus on aiding children with debilitating illnesses.

Online ticket sales begin Tuesday, March 17, 2009 exclusively at www.dennyhamlinfoundation.org .

All proceeds from ticket sales, the silent auction and raffles will benefit the Denny Hamlin Foundation.

For more information on the event, please log onto www.dennyhamlinfoundation.org .

APRIL 30: BIG NIGHT AT SOUTHSIDE SPEEDWAY!!

* * * April 30 * * * Southside Speedway is pleased to announce it will host The Denny Hamlin Foundation Night on Thursday, April 30.

Drivers will include: TONY STEWART, DENNY HAMLIN, KYLE BUSCH, JOEY LOGANO and CURTIS MARKHAM. They will be racing in the Late Model Sportsman Division, along with our own local weekly drivers. Details about this event, such as ticket prices and sale dates, will be announced as they become available. Sign up for the Speedway website's email list to keep up-to-date on this and other events at the Toughest Short Track In The South!
(Note: Drivers, Dates and Times are always subject to change)

Visit www.southsidespeedway.com for more information, to sign up for email updates and for pictures from last year's event.

Inaugural Southside event scores for charity

Kyle Busch found a great way to pre-celebrate his 23rd birthday Thursday, May 1. He worked his way up from 7th, ran in the top two for most of the night and picked off local favorite Chris Hopkins for a trip to victory lane at Southside Speedway in the inaugural Denny Hamlin 175. It wasn’t such a great night for all of the superstars however.

Busch, Hamlin and Curtis Markham took on top Southside Speedway contenders in the Late Model Division to kick off Hamlin’s foundation benefiting Cystic Fibrosis, and on hand to kick off the action was Bobby Allison, formerly of the Alabama Gang which dominated racing in the 60s, 70s and 80s. Allison rode four laps as the Grand Marshal, but says he wasn’t quite ready to get behind the wheel again.

“I remember I won a race here back in 1960. That’s pretty good. It’s a little bigger now but it’s pretty much the same,” Allison said. “I go through moments where I watch these young guys like Denny Hamlin and these other hot shoes and I say ‘I ain’t sure I’d do it exactly like that’ … I’m going to tell you what, they do a great job and I had a lot of good times and I’m OK where I am.”

As racing got underway, it appeared that the two Sprint Cup stars didn’t need too much advice though.

Hamlin and Busch started sixth and seventh, respectively, thanks to an inverted start of the top seven qualifiers and both quickly worked their way to the top of the pack.

By the 36th lap, Busch had taken second and was on the tail of Hopkins. The two stayed bumper to bumper through lap 100 when Busch took the inside line in turns three and four and took a slim lead, but Hopkins got back to the top position three laps later when Busch got caught in lapped traffic as he again tried to take the low line. Hopkins sped ahead but Busch grabbed a solid lead by lap 116 and would stay three to four car-lengths ahead for the rest of the race.

“Really to be honest I didn’t talk to anybody about how to get around this place,” Busch said. “I just figured out for myself what I needed to do. I ran in practice then got out of my car and watched Denny, watched Curtis to see what they were doing. Seemed to be pretty close, then I followed a couple guys in practice.

“I might have got lucky, I’m not really sure I know what I’m doing,” Busch continued about being the pole sitter. “I’ll go out tonight and if I look like an idiot, I don’t know what I’m doing. If I look smart, then certainly, I know what I’m doing.”

Hamlin worked up to fourth in the first two laps and was in third by the fourth lap battling Billy Morris for the second position. The two ran 2-3 for 31 laps before Hamlin became his own racing nemesis. After drafting and sometimes bumping the no. 5 car, Hamlin got under Morris in turn one of lap 36 and sent him spinning into the wall. Morris kept control and avoided connecting with concrete but race officials sent Hamlin to the back of the pack for the maneuver because he had gained an advantage.

Hamlin came back but could never fully recover. He finished fourth behind Busch, Hopkins and Eddie Johnson.

Fans also got a reminder of why they aren’t allowed at the track fence during races in lap 50 on a crash in the front straightaway. Mike Greathouse in the no. 77 car found himself in the middle of a pack and then unexpectedly in the air. A car behind him got under his car and sent him flying. His right side came up and rode the concrete barrier next to the grandstand fence, flattening both tires and sending him to the garage for the rest of the evening. The car stayed right side up and Greathouse was unharmed.

Also damaged in the crash was the no. 17 car of Alan Porser.

The Grand Stocks got things started in a thrilling 50-lap race. Chris Hott continued his winning ways with a dominant performance in the late laps.

From the get-go, the battle established between Hott, Ruggles, Fred Key, Bill Nixon, Jason Beck and Daniel Shelton and the top-five changed multiple times throughout the race. However, Hott took the lead for good by lap 39 and appeared to have the car of the night.

In six separate caution incidents in the final 10 laps, Hott rocketed out of the restarts and kept at least a ¼ lap between him and the rest of the pack.

But it was Cystic Fibrosis research that was the real winner for the evening. $50,000 was raised through ticket sales and various auctions including that of the bumper of the No. 11 car driven by Hamlin and signed by Hamlin, Busch, Allison and Markham.

“It feels good for me, especially for Bobby to come to this. It means a lot to me to kick off our foundation. Hopefully we’ve raised a lot of awareness for Cystic Fibrosis,” Hamlin said before the race. “Hopefully we’ll [get a win] here tonight, but either way we’re hitting a homerun for Cystic Fibrosis with all these people that showed up to this race tonight.”

Allison and Hamlin both have family affected by Cystic Fibrosis.

By Sara Page, sports@midlothianexchange.com

Hamlin, Kyle Busch Ready For Denny Hamlin 175 at Southside Speedway

Chesterfield Virginia's favorite son is returning home Thursday night to light up Southside Speedway and put on a show the fans will be glad they didn't miss. Only this time he's bringing some company. Teammate Kyle Busch will join his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate for the Denny Hamlin 175 to benefit the Denny Hamlin Foundation Thursday night at the Fed Ex Toyota driver's old stomping grounds. They're hoping to raise money to help The Cysic Fibrosis Foundation and people who suffer from CF. This is a cause close to Hamlin's heart, as his cousin Kevin has CF, but is doing well.

NASCAR legend Bobby Allison will be the Grand Marshall for the event. Denny's spotter, Curtis Markham will also be onhand for the race. It promises to be quite an event. Tickets will be on sale on race day, Thursday May 1st, at 3pm. Stop by the front ticket office at the speedway. Adult tickets are $20, children 7-12 are $10 and children under 6 are free. For more information visit the Speedway's website at www.southside-speedway.com

Southside SpeedwaySchedule For May 1

1:00 - Pit Gates Open

2:00 - 3:06 - Practice

3:00 - Grandstand Tickets on Sale

3:15 - 3:30 - Mandatory Driver's Meeting

3:45 - Late Models to the Tech Building

4:00 - Front Gates open to the Fans

4:15 - 4:45 - Late Model Qualifying (2 Laps)

4:15 - Grand Stocks to the Tech Building

4:45 - 5:15 - Grand Stock Qualifying (2 Laps)

5:30 - 6:10 - Mozely Rose Band on the Party Pit Stage

5:45 - Grand Stock Last Chance Race - 10 Laps (If Needed)

5:55 - Late Model Last Chance Race - 10 Laps (if Needed)

6:15 - 6:25 - Live Remotes from Local TV

6:25 - 6:45 - Mozely Rose Band on the Party Pit Stage

6:48 - 7:34 - Pre-Race Ceremonies on the Frontstretch Stage

7:35 - 8:05 - Grand Stock Feature - 50 Laps

8:05- 8:28 - Late Model Driver Introductions on the Frontstretch Stage

8:30 - 9:45 - Late Model Feature - 175 Laps

Kyle Busch To Join Denny Hamlin At Southside Speedway for the Denny Hamlin 175

When Denny Hamlin returns home to Southside Speedway on May 1st for the Inaugural Denny Hamlin 175 to benefit the Denny Hamlin Foundation and it’s quest to aid in raising awareness and funding for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, he’ll have new Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch gunning for him. Kyle has agreed to help the newly created charity in it’s very first fundraiser.
“I am really looking forward to battling Denny and a field of some of the best short track racers in the southeast at Southside. Denny is a lot of fun to have as a teammate and I am really honored to be able to support the launch of his foundation by participating in the Denny Hamlin 175. Even though the proceeds from the race will support some great charities, I’m definitely showing up to win,” said Busch.
Denny’s spotter Curtis Markham will also be at the event. Tickets will be available ONLY at the track Office and will be first come first serve. Tickets go on sale on Friday April 18th at 3pm at the Main Ticket Office at the Speedway. Tickets will also be on sale Friday, April 25th and May 1st at 3 pm.
This is sure to be an exciting event and the proceeds are going to a very worthwhile charity, and a cause that is very dear to Denny’s heart.
For more information please visit the Southside Speedway website at www.southside-speedway.com or call 804-744-2700

Denny Hamlin Foundation Plans Race to Benefit Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Denny Hamlin 175 at Southside Speedway to launch Denny Hamlin Foundation for Cystic Fibrosis
On May 1st, 2008 Southside Speedway will welcome home Sprint Cup driver of the #11 FedEx Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and Chesterfield native Denny Hamlin. In creating the Denny Hamlin 175, Hamlin will not only be returning to the .333 mile track where he started his stock car racing career, he will launch something near to his heart…the Denny Hamlin Foundation. Hamlin will bring along some of his friends to compete against Southside Speedway’s elite group of racers, including NASCAR prodigy Joey Logano and two-time Southside Speedway Champion Curtis Markham in a 175 lap late model show down.This all-star race marks the first fundraiser for the Denny Hamlin Foundation, a newly created charity Hamlin formed to aid in raising awareness and funding for Cystic Fibrosis causes and other 501(c)(3) not for profit corporations. Cystic Fibrosis awareness is extremely dear to Denny and his family as his cousin suffers from the disease.Tickets, to what is expected to be a sold out show, go on sale April 18, 2008 at 3pm at the front ticket office at Southside Speedway. Adult tickets are $20 each and tickets for children 7-12 years old are $10, children 6 and under are free. If available, race day ticket sales will begin at 3:00 PM on May 1. For more information on the track and the race, please log on to www.southside-speedway.com. All sales are cash only and there will be no refunds. In the event that the races are cancelled due to weather or any other unforeseen circumstances, tickets will be good for any 2008 racing event at the speedway. Scheduled drivers are subject to change.The Denny Hamlin Foundation was created to support individuals suffering from Cystic Fibrosis. The Foundation will also support chronically ill children with other debilitating illnesses. Because of Denny Hamlin’s involvement as a racecar driver in NASCAR, DHF will focus primarily on raising awareness and funding for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. As such, DHF will partner with organizations whose purpose is to research treatment and to provide care for individuals with Cystic Fibrosis. For media inquires about the event or DHF questions, please contact Jennifer Reuss at dhracingweb@yahoo.com or call 804-399-6687