Tony Stewart's 'Smoke Show' Raises $131,000 for Speedway Children's Charities

Participants of the "Smoke Show" got to stand in
Victory Lane with Stewart and fire off guns while donning the
traditional cowboy hat.

FORT WORTH, Texas (August 19, 2010) - The Tony Stewart "Smoke Show" fantasy camp, the highest-grossing, single-day event for Speedway Children's Charities-Texas, produced $131,000 for the Texas Motor Speedway charity earlier this week to bring the event's four-year total to $810,000.

Hosted by two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart on Tuesday, the "Smoke Show" gave race fans a chance to walk in a NASCAR driver's shoes for a day. Guests participated in pre- and post-race celebrations, received two 10-lap driving sessions in a stock car, and experienced Stewart's own driving style in a three-lap two-seater ride.

The fantasy camp was followed by the annual dinner and auction, where campers were presented with a framed certificate highlighting their fastest lap of the day and had the opportunity to bid on unique racing memorabilia and experience packages. The item that drew the highest bid of the evening was a pair of tickets to Stewart's suite at the 2012 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which sold for $8,000.

Guests also had the opportunity to participate in a poker tournament with Stewart for a chance to win a lucrative AAA Texas 500 VIP package - a new addition to the event - that included items such as a one-bedroom condo in the Lone Star Tower for the race weekend, VIP pit passes, "mosh pit" passes for the pre-race concert, drivers' meeting passes and the opportunity to watch the first 30 laps of the AAA Texas 500 from Stewart's pit stall. The AAA Texas 500, the eighth stop in the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, will be held Sunday, Nov. 6, at Texas Motor Speedway.

"The NASCAR community is filled with some of the most passionate, philanthropic individuals and it's because of them that this event continues to be a success year after year," Speedway Children's Charities-Texas Chapter Executive Director Jaime Carlin said. "We are very fortunate to have a driver like Tony with such a big heart to volunteer his time for us so that we can continue to touch the lives of children in North Texas."

Since Speedway Children's Charities inception in 1997, the Texas Chapter has helped more than 1.8 million children in Dallas, Denton, Tarrant and Collin counties. Last year's fundraising helped move the chapter's total over $7.5 million in grants distributed to North Texas non-profit organizations since 1997.

For more information on the "Smoke Show," contact Speedway Children's Charities-Texas Chapter at (817) 215-8564 or visit www.scctexas.org.