JAMES RIVER, NS – For the seventh consecutive year the Cat Car for Kids will be a highlight of the IWK 250 Presented by Steve Lewis Auto Body. The race car, named the Cat Car for Kids, will bear No. 15 and will be driven by two-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Matt Crafton, a native of Tulare, California who now resides in Mooresville, North Carolina. The Cat Car for Kids is sponsored by Atlantic Cat and will be co-sponsored by patients of the IWK Health Centre who, along with their families, will be invited to sign their names and offer good luck messages to their driver when Crafton and the car visit the IWK Health Centre just prior to the IWK 250, slated for July 18 at Riverside International Speedway. The Cat Car for Kids was conceived several years ago as a way to allow patients and their families feel connected to one of the premier summer sporting events in Nova Scotia and by having a celebrity driver, also affords them a chance to personally meet a top NASCAR star – a unique opportunity for any sports fan. “We are excited to welcome Matt Crafton back to Nova Scotia to drive the Cat Car for Kids,” said Colleen Richards, Marketing Manager, Atlantic Cat. “Atlantic Cat is proud and honoured to participate once again in this important IWK fundraising event. To know that we’re making a difference in the lives of the children and to see the smiles on their faces when we visit the IWK with the Cat Car is what it is all about.“ Since 2008 drivers of the Cat Car for Kids have included Crafton – current point leader and champion of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2013 and 2014, Brad Keselowski – champion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2012 and the NASCAR XFINITY Series in 2010, Ricky Craven – winner of the race with the closest finish in NASCAR history, Joey Logano – nine-time winner on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Aric Almirola, Marcos Ambrose, David Reutimann – all winners on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and Regan Smith – not only a winner on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series but the only celebrity driver to ever win the IWK 250. Each of these drivers has visited with patients and their families at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax and over the years have helped bring some happiness to hundreds of patients and their families. The Cat Car for Kids will be fielded out of the Nova Racing shop in Antigonish and Crafton will be a teammate to Donald Chisholm (Antigonish) and George Koszkulics (New Glasgow). The IWK 250 Super Weekend kicks off Friday, July 17 with the Highland Building Centres 100 for the Napa Sportsman Series along with a championship points event for the Atlantic Tiltload Maritime League of Legends. On Saturday, July 18 it’s the event widely known as the most entertaining stock car race in Canada – the IWK 250 Presented by Steve Lewis Auto Body. Advance tickets are now available for the IWK 250 Super Weekend including a discounted Friday night ticket (until June 26 only.) Campsites are going fast (all sites must be reserved in advance, i.e. no drive ups and no overnight parking between July 15 and 19 without a permit). Please visit the IWK 250 event page at www.riversidespeedway.ca to place your order for tickets and/or an overnight parking permit. Besides being a great race the IWK 250 helps raise awareness and funding for the IWK Health Centre with more than $250,000 donated over the past eight years, in addition to a surprise one million dollar donation made by the Chisholm family (owners of the track) during opening ceremonies for the IWK 250 in 2013. Riverside International Speedway is recognized as a premier stock racing facility in Canada. The 1/3-mile high banked asphalt oval roars to action several times a year for special events. It is the home for eastern Canada’s only NASCAR event, and of the IWK 250 – widely known as the best stock car race in Canada. Located in James River, between New Glasgow and Antigonish, the facility is easily accessible at exit 30 on Trans Canada Highway 104. For more information call 902.863.2410 or visit www.riversidespeedway.ca. source – track communications
