VJGC-Kansas City looks to receive $1M kick-start

ROSSBURG, Ohio -- With groundbreaking set for late September on the second Victory Junction Gang Camp, this one on the outskirts of Kansas City, the fourth edition of the Old Spice Prelude to the Dream has set a goal of generating $1 million to benefit the project.

Next week's renewal of the dirt late model all-star race at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg -- featuring the likes of Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne -- will have a significant charitable impact, as the funds generated by the live HBO pay-per-view broadcast will benefit the construction of Victory Junction Gang Camp-Kansas City for chronically ill children, as well as the Tony Stewart Foundation.

Prelude to the Dream

Tickets	www.eldoraspeedway.com or call (937) 338-3815
PPV info	www.hbo.com Cost: $24.95

"Last year, we raised $800,000 for Victory Junction and the Tony Stewart Foundation, and this year we believe we can surpass that amount with the incredible support we continue to get from race fans and the NASCAR community," said Stewart, a two-time Cup Series champion, multiple title winner in numerous other racing disciplines and owner of Eldora Speedway.

"The fans in the stands who have packed the place each of the three years, as well as the subscribers of the HBO pay-per-view broadcast, can count on seeing one of the most fun and competitive shows of the year. Not only will they be getting more than their money's worth, they'll be helping out a couple of incredibly great causes."

The Victory Junction Gang Camp in Randleman, N.C., founded in 2004 by NASCAR driver Kyle Petty and his wife Pattie as a tribute to their late son, Adam, has become an overwhelming success. So much so that the Pettys, who hosted nearly 4,000 chronically ill children and their families in 2007 -- primarily from the Southeast but also from the Midwest and West -- decided to act on the need for a second location late last year.

Wyandotte County in suburban Kansas City, Kan., evolved into the clear choice due, in large part, to the local business community, which embraced the Victory Junction Gang Camp concept and offered numerous site options in the vicinity of Kansas Speedway, where NASCAR races each fall.

"It's just unbelievable how everything has come together to help make this a reality," Pattie Petty said. "The support we get thanks to events like the Old Spice Prelude to the Dream will help us make Victory Junction Gang Camp -- Kansas City bigger, better, faster and stronger than ever before. It opens up a whole new part of the country where we can help children and their families. I'm continually amazed at how community-oriented the Midwesterners are in places like Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and the surrounding states. It's going to be something really special."

Last year nearly 20,000 fans at Eldora watched Carl Edwards hold off charges from Kyle Busch and Gordon to take his first win at the half-mile clay oval. Those unable to secure a ticket to last year's event watched live on HBO pay-per-view, with the initiative raising $800,000 for the Victory Junction Gang Camp, Tony Stewart Foundation and other charities.

Those three drivers will take to the Eldora dirt again on June 4 alongside two-time and reigning Sprint Cup Series champion Johnson, a Prelude newcomer who will join Stewart, Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, Denny Hamlin, Bobby Labonte and others as they pilot 2,300-pound dirt late model stock cars capable of putting out more than 800 horsepower.

For those who want to see the Old Spice Prelude to the Dream in person, tickets are available online at www.EldoraSpeedway.com or by calling the track office (937) 338-3815.

The live, commercial-free broadcast will begin at 7 p.m. ET, with an immediate replay and subsequent replays throughout the week and the following weekend. HBO pay-per-view's racing telecast has a suggested retail price of $24.95 and is available to more than 61 million pay-per-view homes. Ordering information and up-to-the minute racing information is available at www.hbo.com.

In addition to the aforementioned drivers, J.J. Yeley, Clint Bowyer, Ryan Newman, Bill Elliott, Dave Blaney, David Reutimann, Robby Gordon, Aric Almirola, Ron Capps, Cruz Pedregon, Ray Evernham, Red Farmer, Ken Schrader and Kenny Wallace also have committed to the Old Spice Prelude to the Dream.