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03/12/2013 |
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STAFFORD
MOTOR SPEEDWAY CARQUEST CHAMPIONS FOR CHARITIES
DRIVER SPOTLIGHT: STAN MERTZ
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 Stafford
Motor Speedway has lined up an impressive field of
current and former open wheel champions for its 3rd
Annual CARQUEST Champions For Charities Event, which
will take place on Friday, June 28th this season.
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.
Mertz is a CARQUEST Champions For Charities veteran
with the 2013 season marking his third year of
raising money for the Connecticut Chapter of Autism
Speaks. While Mertz is a veteran of CARQUEST
Champions For Charities, he hasn't had very much
luck in the two previous races, finishing last in
each of them. But Mertz is hoping that the third
time will be the charm for him.
"I'm back for another year," said Mertz. "We've done
a good job of raising money, but when it comes to
the actual race, I haven't done too well. Last year
I got together with Lou Cicconi on the first lap and
that broke a tie rod on the kart, so we were done
for the night. It's frustrating because as racers,
we all want to be on the track and fighting for the
win. But in this case, it's all about raising money
for charity. I have a lot of fun doing it and I've
met a ton of great people the last couple years
while raising money for Autism Speaks."
When it comes to fundraising, Mertz went the extra
mile to raise $3,643 last year for Autism Speaks.
Mertz put together a coloring book that he sold at
the track for a $5.00 donation to Autism Speaks, he
had koozies made up with a Champions For Charities
logo that he sold for a $2.00 donation, and he
auctioned off a color painting of 5-time Sprint Cup
Champion Jimmie Johnson. Mertz also donated some of
his own money as well as getting some other drivers
and his employer to help the cause as he tried to be
the top-fund raiser to start as close to the front
of the CARQUEST Champions For Charities field as
possible.
"Last year I made a personal donation of $500 and
once I raise $500 this year, I'm going to make
another personal donation of $500 to match the first
$500," said Mertz. "Last year, Applied Proactive
Technologies, the company that I work for, made a
$500 donation, Derek Robbie made a $500 donation
between purse winnings and donations, and Kris
Fluckiger from the DARE Stock class at Stafford
donated all of his purse winnings. It was really
great to see some of the other racers embracing the
charity cause and I'm hoping I can get some more
drivers involved this year to raise even more money.
I have a couple of new ideas that I'm working on.
We're definitely going to do another coloring book
and I'm going to sell ad space in this year's
coloring book to donate to Autism Speaks and I've
already seen that Kris Fluckiger is going to donate
his winnings again. Hopefully I can get a few more
drivers to help out also, this is certainly not a
singular effort by myself, it takes a lot of help
and I'm very grateful for everyone who helped me out
last year."
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.
The starting lineups for the CARQUEST Champions For
Charities qualifying races will be determined by how
much money each driver raises for their selected
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. To make a donation to The
Connecticut Chapter of Autism Speaks on behalf of
Stan Mertz, and for more information on the event,
please refer to the 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, which
will take place on Friday, June 28.
CARQUEST Super Saturday will take place on Saturday,
June 29, and will feature the ISMA Super Modifieds,
NEMA Midgets, and Pro-4 Modifieds. Tickets for
CARQUEST Super Saturday are on sale now at the
Speedway Box Office and are priced at $35.00 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 $38.00 for all
ages. All ticket prices include 10% CT Admission
Tax.
For more information, or to order tickets to the
10th Annual CARQUEST Super Saturday 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
12, 2013 |
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