Monday may have marked the first ‘road rally’ at Martinsville Speedway, and even though speeds probably didn’t top 60 mph in the few laps run, it was an overwhelming success. The third stop in the three-day Race for Research for Down syndrome was at Martinsville Speedway Monday afternoon, with more than 20 two-person teams circling the half-mile oval. More than 40 teams are entered in the rally, but not all are participating in the full three days. By Monday afternoon, the fundraiser had topped $80,000 and $100,000 seemed to be a realistic goal. Sprint Cup driver David Ragan and his wife Jacquelyn were co-chairs of the event, helping to give it a NASCAR flavor. Other stops on the rally include the Wood Brothers Museum in Stuart, the Richard Childress Winery, Front Row Motorsports, the NASCAR Hall of Fame and several other race tracks. Ragan helped kick off the rally in Charlotte Monday morning, but couldn’t make the full trip because of a doctor’s appointment he and Jacquelyn had with their newborn baby girl Julia, who is less than a week old. David’s father, Ken Ragan, who made more than 50 starts in NASCAR’s premier series, led the group of cars around the track. He was joined by David’s mom Beverly and his older brother Adam, who was born with Down syndrome.(Martinsville Speedway)(6-17-2014)
