‘This has got to stop.’ Meet famous names of NASCAR at benefit to prevent child abuse.
Kyle Petty, Kelley Earnhardt, Austin Cindric and Bobby and Donnie Allison are among nearly 50 other NASCAR and other auto-racing-circuit personalities who plan to sign autographs at the longtime Stocks for Tots benefit.
The fan-favorite event is scheduled for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Dec. 6 at the Charles Mack Citizen Center, 215 N. Main St. in downtown Mooresville.
Stocks for Tots has raised more than $1 million and distributed more than 60,000 Christmas toys to local children in need since now-retired Penske Racing South president Don Miller established the event in 1989 with his good friend Bob Ebert, the late Rubbermaid executive.
They founded the all-volunteer North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame in Mooresville, through which they started Stocks for Tots.
“It’s getting time for Christmas,” when, several weeks before the holiday, Stocks for Tots “raises a lot of money for the abused children in the Carolinas,” Miller said in a Nov. 11 video on Facebook..
Organizers highlight symbolism of pinwheels
Miller and NASCAR veteran John Dodson, his longtime partner in the effort, held pinwheels during the interview. Pinwheels are the national symbol of child-abuse prevention.
“When you see one of these on the roadside, or a garden, you got to remember each one of these pinwheels represents a child who has lost their life,” Miller said. “This is something that has got to stop.”
“We don’t want to see any pinwheels,” Dodson said. “It’s why we do this.”
Ready to meet fans
Among other drivers scheduled to greet fans Dec. 6 are Will Power, the 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner; Greg Anderson, five-time NHRA Pro Stock champion; and NASCAR’s Matt DiBenedetto, Joe Graf Jr., Noah Gragson, Ryan Newman and Nicholas Sanchez.
Tickets
Advanced tickets are $20 and available via credit card or cash at the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame, 119 Knob Hill Road, in Lakeside Business Park at Interstate 77 Exit 36 in Mooresville.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. For information, call 704-663-5331 or email info@ncarhof.com.
Admission the night of the event is $20 at the door, cash only.