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Martinsville Speedway Toy Drive Has New Look, Same Goals

This year’s Martinsville Speedway Toy Drive will have a new look and feel, but the goal will remain the same: to brighten Christmas morning for as many children as possible in Martinsville and Henry County.

The centerpieces of the 2014 toy drive will be five online auctions of VIP race experiences at Martinsville Speedway and toy collection at the Lowe’s in Martinsville between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on December 13 complete with Santa Claus, the Martinsville Speedway pace car and a mock victory lane for photos.

The auctions, which will be on eBay, will make the fundraiser a national event, drawing from Martinsville Speedway and NASCAR fans from all over the country, which in turn should mean the ability to raise more money. The auctions will be announced on Martinsville Speedway’s website, www.martinsvillespeedway.com and via social media.

Some of the items included in the auctions will be pre-race passes, pit passes, suite tickets and victory lane passes.

All proceeds will go to the Grace Network, an association of more than 100 churches in the Martinsville and Henry County area, to help families in need at Christmas.

“We believe we can serve the Grace Network much better by raising money so they can buy exactly what kids need,” said Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell. “We believe by taking part of the toy drive to a national level, we can provide the Grace Network more money than ever to buy toys and other items that may be needed.

“The packages we are offering are for experiences that cannot be bought anywhere else but in these auctions and we believe fans will be willing to pay top dollar. That means more kids are going to have a better Christmas here in Martinsville and Henry County,”

“Monetary donations for the toy drive are greatly appreciated. It enables us to obtain high-quality toys that are especially suited to the ages and gender of the children in our referred families,” said Donna Proctor, executive director of the Grace Network. “It is great when we receive enough funding to allow us to purchase items that are perfectly designed to delight all of the children we’re serving and to have enough donations to buy everything we need to make Christmas morning really special for them.”

Fans will still be able to drive their personal cars around the historic Martinsville Speedway as part of the toy drive, but this year the window of opportunity is much larger. Beginning Dec. 1 and running through Dec. 12, Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., five laps around the track will be offered for the donation of a new, unwrapped toy or a $10 donation.