J.D. Byrider Night of Speed
J.D. Byrider was, again, the title sponsor of the J.D. Byrider Night of Speed during the Kroger Speed Fest. Thursday, July 23, saw O’Reilly Raceway Park in Clermont, Indiana, play host to two United States Auto Club (USAC) open-wheel events. Despite a little interference from the weather, over 10,000 fans were treated to a thrilling 30-lap USAC Midget Series feature followed by a 100-lap USAC Silver Crown Series feature. The Silver Crown race was won by Bobby Santos III. The Midget race was won by Bryan Clausen.
Earlier in the evening, Tony Stewart made an appearance at the J.D. Byrider hospitality tent. About 800 J.D. Byrider associates, franchisees and guests were treated to a special question and answer period, hosted by popular radio air personality, Dave “The King” Wilson. Tony signed autographs and met with enthusiastic fans. It was a very exciting evening!
Adding to the excitement of the evening was a special event involving the Tony Stewart Foundation (TSF), benefiting the Indiana Canine Assistance Network (ICAN). ICAN trains and places assistance dogs with Hoosier children and adults with physical and developmental disabilities, while also providing job and life skills to offenders in three Indiana prisons who train the dogs for service work. Back on April 14, Tony was able to meet 2 ICAN kids – Caleb & Sydney — and their dogs – Declan & Kiefer.
Since Tony has such a soft spot in his heart for kids and animals, TSF got involved. On June 14, a litter of 9 pups was born to Cleo, a golden retriever assistance dog. TSF launched a contest among Tony’s fans to name the puppies and make sure they found homes with kids who needed them.
Visitors to Smoke’s Pup Crew were able to watch the pups’ progress, submit names for consideration and make a donation to TSF.
The puppies were all in attendance, enabling the crowd to see and visit with them first-hand. Then it was time to reveal the winning names. As Tony carefully held each puppy, Dave “The King” Wilson revealed their names. Check out these photos!
J.D. Byrider would like to personally thank Tony Stewart, The Tony Stewart Foundation, ICAN, USAC and O’Reilly Raceway Park for their dedication to and hard work in bringing together such a fabulous evening for fans and friends alike. “It was a golden (no pun intended) opportunity for our associates, franchisees and friends to see the caring, compassionate side of Tony Stewart,” said Jim England, president of the J.D. Byrider Advertising Group, Inc. “Everyone in the tent was practically on sensory overload. As if the thrill of being with good friends, meeting Tony and getting and autograph weren’t enough, we all got to meet the puppies and some of the kids who truly need assistance dogs. I’m so proud of Tony, and our relationship with him. And I want to thank everyone at Stewart Haas Racing, Tony Stewart Racing, the Tony Stewart Foundation and J.D. Byrider for making this evening possible.
