A group of NASCAR drivers made a pit stop to visit with a group of stock car racing’s most loyal fans today. The drivers visited with the service personnel and families at the legendary United States Marine Corps base Camp Pendelton. The event was in advance of the Oct. 20 NASCAR Toyota Showdown at Irwindale Speedway. The drivers came from NASCAR Grand National Division teams, including representatives of the Busch East Series and the NASCAR West Series. Goodyear is the exclusive tire provider for the Grand National Division. The tiremaker assisted with the coordination of the base visit. There are a ton of race fans at Camp Pendelton, said Goodyear’s Chad Fletcher. The racing world owes the debt of freedom to these folks, so it’s nice to be part of giving something back. The drivers toured the base and had the opportunity to make a simulated beach landing off an amphibious landing craft. The drivers signed autographs at three areas around the huge base. The autograph session was a big hit, Fletcher said. I think we wore out some pens. Five teams brought their racecars and the families all got to get close enough to see what the cars really look like, said Fletcher. It was probably the most exciting thing these drivers will do, outside of their racecars, all week. Goodyear gave away 250 tickets to the weekend’s racing event and made arrangements with the track to provide a special seating section for the Marines at Saturday night’s race. Camp Pendleton will provide the color guard for Saturday’s pre-race activities. The Showdown begins Friday with practice and qualifying. The race will be held Saturday [shown on SPEED]. The drivers who took part in the appearance included Mike David (2007 West Series champion), Brian Ickler, Eric Richardson, Moses Smith, Brett Thompson, Eric Holmes, Tim Woods III, Peyton Sellers, Justin Lofton, Eric Hardin and Marc Davis.(Goodyear PR)(10-18-2007)
