2003 & 2004 MSOKC HPV Champions
2004 MSOKC Super Can Runner Up

23 October - Tracy & Dana Meet & Greet For The Animals

Tracy and Dana talk with some new fans.

Lots of racing memorabilia, a live radio broadcast, Quaker Steak & Lube Atomic Wings and a bunch of really great folks made for a fun day in Dayton as Tracy and Dana joined Jeri Unser and her fiancee Scott as "celebrity drivers" supporting the Red Dog Racers Auction raising funds for the Society for the Improvement of Conditions for Stray Animals (SICSA). The gals also talked on-air with Brian Casey and Lee Riley of NASCAR Now, 1410-AM's weekly racing show. Our kart and multimedia karting presentation was on display in the Quaker Steak & Lube foyer.

Visitors were greeted by our kart and video.

All the folks at the Breavercreek Quaker Steak & Lube were extremely cooperative and helpful in getting our equipment into the foyer providing space, a table for karting literature and power for our karting multimedia program. This is not a real stretch for them since Quaker Steak & Lube uses performance and racing cars as the theme at all their restaurants to the point where to dine in any of them feels like you're dining in an auto racing museum. If you like food and like cars but have never been to a Quaker Steak & Lube (there's one at Polaris) you owe yourself a visit.

Jeri, Scott, Tracy and Dana.

Meanwhile, Tracy and Dana had a chance to get to know Red Dog Racers Auction Coordinator Paula DiGennaro and other SICSA members as well as Jeri Unser and her fiancé Scott. Jeri, the daughter of Indy 500 winner Bobby Unser, currently holds the Pike's Peek Hillclimb record for electric vehicles. It was interesting to learn about Jeri's experiences on Pike's Pike, an event in which her family has established a legacy. Although there is no wheel to wheel competition in a hillclimb, the drive supremely demanding and fraught with perils - not the least of which is plummeting off a shear cliff for hundreds of feet. This was underscored by Jeri revealing that her teammate perished on his first attempt when a slight mistake put him off the road and in collision with a tree.

Jeri, it turned out, had also been through the Lyn St. James Driver Development Program and was more than happy to give Dana an idea of what to expect when she attends in December. Talking with Jeri and Scott was a nice diversion for Dana who was a little nervous about the looming radio interview.

Tracy and Dana prepare to talk with Brian Casey and Lee Riley on NASCAR Now.

NASCAR Now, hosted by Brain Casey and Lee Riley, is a weekly 2 hour radio call-in show discussing NASCAR and motorsports in general on Dayton's WIND-AM (ESPN Radio 1410 AM). Because of the Ohio State game they were on an abbreviated schedule but still had their live remote going there at the Quaker Steak & Lube to promote SICSA's Red Dog Auction. Early in the program they interviewed Jeri and then at the end of the hour interviewed Dana.

Live On Air.

For someone who claimed to be nervous Dana did well in her first live radio interview. Brian and Lee were funny and patient and asked the questions we were anticipating (and had gone over as a team prior). Unfortunately, the temporary "studio" only had one microphone and so Tracy didn't get to say much - which she didn't seem to mind. Afterwards, we had a chance to talk with Brian and Lee more and agreed we should keep in touch as they'd like to have the girls back on in the future. This is an offer we'll be sure to follow up on.

Rich the Lube Guy in a familiar position.

Also between sessions we had a chance to meet "Rich the Lube Guy". I'm still not sure what his role is at both the Beavercreek and Polaris (Columbus) Quaker Steak & Lubes but he seemed to know what was going on with both of them. And he had quite a collection of pictures with various pretty women that had visited those restaurants. So, naturally, a photo with the Conlin SpeedSports drivers was in order.

Getting use to the other side of the table.

At noon the event officially began with racing memorabilia collectors assembling in the bar side of the Quaker Steak & Lube. With the actual auction slated to begin at 2:30, it gave bidders a chance to review the items that would be on the auction block and get the autographs of the drivers on-hand. It was amusing to see Dana and Tracy sitting on that side of the table, greeting young fans and talking to adult racing fans about what they do. Especially since it doesn't seem that long ago that the girls were the autograph-seekers instead of the autograph-givers.

The auction itself seemed to go well, raising valuable funding for the SICSA cause. We were both pleased and proud to have been able to support the event and, hopefully add a bit of excitement to the festivities.

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