12/09/2007

IMPACT OF EXPO ’07 STILL BEING FELT
AS SpeedwayEXPO 2008 APPROACHES
BSA TROOP FROM WESTERN MA BENEFITS FROM EXPO INVOLVEMENT

    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/SpeedwayEXPO 2008 PR
Posted:  December 9, 2007