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03/09/2012 |
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STAFFORD
MOTOR SPEEDWAY CARQUEST
CHAMPIONS FOR CHARITIES DRIVER SPOTLIGHT:
STAN MERTZ |
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 Stafford
Motor Speedway has again lined up an impressive
field of current and former open wheel champions for
its CARQUEST Champions For Charities Event as part
of CARQUEST Super Saturday on June 30th. During the
coming weeks, SMS will offer a profile on each of
its championship winning drivers and the charity
they will be racing for and this week’s CARQUEST
Champions For Charities spotlights falls on 2-time
Pro-4 Modified Limited champion Stan Mertz, who will
be racing to support the Connecticut chapter of
Autism Speaks.
For Mertz, the 2012 CARQUEST Champions For Charities
race will be his second go around representing the
CT Chapter of Autism Speaks. Last year, Mertz was
selected for the race as a last minute fill in for
Donny Lia, meaning that Mertz only had a few days in
which to raise enough money to earn himself a good
starting spot for the feature event. This year,
Mertz is looking forward to having all the time he
needs to raise money and he has his sights set
squarely on raising enough money to start in the
front.
“I’m honored to be invited to participate in the
CARQUEST Champions For Charities race again this
year,” said Mertz. “Last year we only had a short
amount of time in order to raise money, so while it
was encouraging that we were able to raise the money
we did last year, we’re looking forward to having
more than a couple of days to raise money for Autism
Speaks. We’re working on a couple of fund raising
ideas and we started 7th last year, but we’re
hopeful that we can raise enough money this year to
start as close to the number one spot as we can.”
In the vein of raising money, Mertz has himself off
to a great start. Mertz is making a personal $500
donation to Autism Speaks and he is the current
leader in the clubhouse in the race for pole
position. Mertz is also looking forward to having a
better race experience than last season, when he
lost a motor in a practice session.
“I’m going to make a $500 personal donation to match
the first $500 that we are able to raise,” said
Mertz. “I know it’s very early on, but so far we’re
on pole. I’d like to start as close to the front as
we can so we can give it a good run in the feature.
Last year, we broke a motor in practice and the car
didn’t really go anywhere in the feature because the
backup motor wasn’t quite up to par. I’m really
looking forward to the race. I had such a blast at
last year’s event and I thought it was going to be a
one-time deal to be able to race against the other
champions, but now I get to do it all over again.
The biggest thing is I get to work with folks from
Autism Speaks again. Even though we didn’t have a
lot of time last year, I was able to make some
contacts and I’m looking forward to working with
them again this year.”
While Mertz looks to have everything planned out to
a T with his fundraising efforts, he has one final
trick up his sleeve should he need to utilize it for
the CARQUEST Champions For Charities feature event.
“I think I’m one of the largest guys that will be
racing, so I might have to secretly go around and
add weight to my competitor’s karts to level the
playing field a bit,” said Mertz. “But in all
seriousness, the race should be a lot of fun and I
can’t wait to get out on the track.”
Can you imagine hearing the words, "Your child has
autism"? In a split second, life - as you know it -
has changed. For a different family every 20
minutes, tomorrow will never be the same. By
donating to Autism Speaks, you are helping to change
the future for all who struggle with autism.
Donations help get one step closer to finding what
causes autism, how to prevent and treat it, and
ultimately a cure so no family ever hears those
words again. Until then, Autism Speaks continues to
strive to find answers and raise awareness about the
devastating toll that autism has had on families.
To make a donation to the Connecticut chapter of
Autism Speaks and for more information on the event,
please refer to Stan Mertz’s CARQUEST Champions for
Charities donation page located at
www.staffordspeedway.com. Stay tuned to
www.staffordspeedway.com for more driver
spotlights and exciting information regarding the
CARQUEST Champions for Charities event.
CARQUEST Extreme Tuesday will take place on
Saturday, June 30, 2012 and will feature the ISMA
Super Modifieds, NEMA Midgets, and Pro-4 Modifieds
in addition to the Senior Outlaw Wild Thing Karts.
Tickets for CARQUEST Extreme Tuesday are on sale now
at the Speedway Box Office and are priced at $33.00
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 $35.00 for all
ages. All ticket prices include 10% CT Admission
Tax. As always, Stafford Motor Speedway offers free
parking with overnight parking available.
For more information, or to order tickets to the 9th
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. |
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Source: Scott Running / Stafford Motor Speedway
Posted: March
9, 2012 |
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