Tony Stewart To Help TMS Kick Off Community Outreach Initiatives

FORT WORTH, Texas – While in the midst of raising more than $200,000 for Speedway Children’s Charities-Texas Chapter as host of Tuesday’s “Smoke Show” charity fantasy camp, two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart has decided to reserve some time for another important cause in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

Stewart will assist Texas Motor Speedway in kicking off its four-week “Speeding To Help” community outreach program by having a disabled veteran as his special guest for Tuesday evening’s “Smoke Show” dinner and auction as well as giving the 25-year-old American military hero a high-speed Team Texas two-seater ride around Texas Motor Speedway. U.S. Army Specialist Brett Wolf, along with his wife Kelly, received a special invite from Stewart to visit with him the day prior to the TMS staff volunteering its time Wednesday for the Homes For Our Troops project to benefit the Wolfs as part of its “Speeding To Help” initiatives.

Homes For Our Troops, a non-profit organization founded in 2004, assists severely injured soldiers and their immediate families by raising donations of money, building materials and professional labor, and then coordinating the process of building a new home or adapting an existing one for handicapped accessibility. The finished home is then presented to the veteran at no cost.

Texas Motor Speedway will assist the Homes For Our Troops Building Brigade in constructing a home at 3388 Adell Circle in Weatherford for Wolf, who was severely injured Sept. 11, 2007, in South Kirkuk, Iraq. Wolf needed to have both legs amputated above the knee and also sustained serious injuries to his right arm, abdomen and face when the minesweeper he was driving for the 25th U.S. Infantry struck a large bomb and flipped over.

“This will be a very special day for me as I love NASCAR racing at Texas Motor Speedway and I am a big Tony Stewart fan,” Wolf said. “Not only that but Homes For Our Troops is building me and my wife, Kelly, a brand-new, specially adapted, barrier-free home with help from Sandlin Custom Homes and countless other volunteer professional trades people.”

The admiration is mutual as Stewart is looking forward to meeting Wolf.

“I have yet to meet Brett, but I am already a fan of his because he is a true American hero,” Stewart said. “He made a tremendous sacrifice for our country and we should all be indebted to him for his courageous service. I know I am.”

In just one day in the Metroplex next week, Stewart will be making a substantial impact in terms of lending his hand to important causes.

The second annual Tony Stewart “Smoke Show” is expected to raise more than $200,000 for the second year in a row, and last year’s total of $262,000 became the highest-grossing, single-day event in the SCC-Texas Chapter’s history. The money raised will be distributed to non-profit organizations across Denton, Tarrant, Collin and Dallas counties through SCC’s grant program later this year.

Stewart was planning on being part of the opening day of the Homes For Our Troops build, but a scheduling conflict altered his plans. However, he still wanted to share some of his time with Wolf and add to his memorable week.

“Tony’s commitment to volunteer his time sets a great example for our staff at Texas Motor Speedway and exhibits what can be achieved,” Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage said. “He has a tremendous heart.”