Raceway thanks community
Before 7 a.m. on Monday, cars lined up around the Darlington Raceway, their drivers almost as eager as the NASCAR racers who lit up the track just the day before. The early morning event that drew hundreds to the Track Too Tough To Tame was gentler in spirit – a giveaway of food, hygiene and safety supplies, and toys to help those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Darlington Raceway is proud to host this community event today,” said Darlington Raceway communications director Dennis Worden. “We’ve partnered with The Joey Logano Foundation, the NASCAR Foundation, and Elevation Church out of North Carolina to hold this Convoy of Hope to give back to the community and help the COVID-19 relief efforts.”
From 9 a.m.-noon, vehicles wove through a maze of ropes and cones into a loading area. Masked and gloved volunteers greeted drivers and helped them pop their trunks so pre-packaged boxes of supplies could be loaded into their vehicles without making personal contact.
Worden said staging the Convoy of Hope event in the midst of an unprecedented period of activity at the track made sense, as many eyes were focused on Darlington Raceway this week.
“With Darlington hosting three races over a four-day period to try and get NASCAR restarted, we felt like this Monday was the perfect time to give back to this community that has supported the sport for so many years,” Worden said. He added that similar events are planned for future races. “The NASCAR leadership said that wherever they race moving forward, they want to do what they can to thank the communities for allowing them to come and race,” Worden said. “We want to give back to the community and we want to do it in a safe way.”
— STORY AND PHOTOS BY SAMANTHA LYLES
