The staff of Speedway Illustrated is hard at work
preparing for their 2nd annual SpeedwayEXPO. With a new building
at the Eastern States Exposition and the same flair for
excitement, the February 29-March 2 event is already shaping up
to be one of the biggest events of the 2008 racing season.
No success was more gratifying or more motivating than that
experienced by one of EXPO’s charter guests. Last March
SpeedwayEXPO provided promotional and fund-raising opportunities
to several worthy charities, including the Boy Scout Venture
Crew 35. Seven months later this non-profit organization is
still realizing the benefits of its SpeedwayEXPO participation.
Troop 35 is a Boy Scout Troop from the Springfield/Chicopee
(MA) district of the Pioneer Valley Council of the Boy Scouts of
America organized as an elite “Venture Crew.” Known for their
unusual undertakings and lofty goals, this year Troop 35 elected
to tackle the Baja as Venture Crew Racing.
This team of boys and girls, ages 14-21, with their adult
leadership, decided to participate in the Tecaté SCORE Baja
1000—the most famous American off-road race. They have spent the
months designing and building a race truck to compete in the
rigorous event.
“Speedway Expo was a huge help to us, both directly and
indirectly,” said Steven Harrell, Crew 35 Baja Coordinator.
“Directly, we recruited three scouts and one very excited,
Baja-happy father. We also met people from Central Connecticut
Four Wheelers, Rory from Rory’s Off-Road Supply and others who
have helped us since March.”
Contacts made during the show have developed into meaningful
partnerships for the kids and their program. Over the summer,
with the help of CC4W, Team 35 set up a display at the Southwick
race track during off-road races. A chance meeting led to a
defining moment for the future of the group: “One day on my way
up to the track, I ran into a man at a gas station who had built
an all-tubing, fully street-legal buggy,” said Harrell. “I
talked to him about our project, handed him one of our flyers,
and we went our separate ways. A day later he emailed me. Today
he is our team’s chief mechanic.”
The owner of the track also hired two of the Scouts as pit
security when the AMA Motocross riders came to town. Their
salaries went directly into the Venture Crew 35 program. In
addition, AMA riders including Ricky Carmichael, the Alessi
Brothers and Bubba Stewart donated autographed race gear to the
cause, which, through eBay, raised a further $900. Since then
the group has acquired a number of product sponsors such as KC
HiLiTES, K&N Filters, Magnaflow Exhaust and Lincoln Welders.
Since SpeedwayEXPO, Venture Crew 35 has also added the
longest off-road race in the United States to its lofty
goals—the Best in the Desert Series’ Vegas to Reno race.
At SpeedwayEXPO ‘07 Venture Crew 35 had little more than a giant
wooden box of parts and accessories. Today, thanks to the
efforts of chief mechanic Jeff Bergen, they have a '98 Ford
Ranger X-cab short-box pickup, already accessorized with special
wheels and tires and a body-lift kit. ”We can't wait to show off
our new truck at Expo,” said Harrell. To learn more, log on to
venturecrew35.org.
SpeedwayEXPO is just as excited to see the new truck and
share the inspiring story of Troop 35 with everyone at the
February 28-March 2, 2008, event.
The 2nd Annual SpeedwayEXPO will be in the Mallory Complex at
the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, MA, for three
days of racing fun. To see highlights of SpeedwayEXPO ‘07 and to
track the progress of the coming event, visit
speedwayexpo.com.
Source: Dale
Wolbrink/racinpr@aol.com
Posted:
December 9, 2007
