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Car Show auction benefits Parkinson's research

By Dammon Alexander
Published: Thursday, October 18, 2007 10:51 AM CDT
http://www.eldoradotimes.com/article...ts/sports2.txt

The Parkinson's Association of the Plains recently sponsored their third annual Car Show and auction Sept. 23 to raise funds for research of Parkinson's Disease.

One of the top prizes at the raffle was a Jack Daniel's NASCAR door skin panel belonging to the #07 car of NASCAR driver and Emporia native Clint Bowyer. The door panel, which was donated and autographed by Bowyer, was won by El Dorado resident and NASCAR fan Roger Call.

“I became a fan of Clint Bowyer when he started racing in the Busch Series races for Richard Childress Racing,” Call said. “I told my wife that this guy was only going to get better. Then he started racing in the Nextel Cup races.”

Two more El Dorado residents, Mary and Chet McCoy, had asked Bowyer if he could donate something for the raffle, and Bowyer obliged by sending the panel from the #07 car. Bowyer's grandmother is Chet's cousin, making Bowyer his third cousin.

Mary McCoy has Parkinson's, a movement disorder which includes trembling over most of the body, along with stiffness, poor balance and slow movement.

“He sent us the door panel just a few days after getting his first race win in Concord, New Hampshire,” said Chet McCoy. “My wife and I watch the NASCAR and Busch Series races on television. Over the last two years, we were able to go to the Kansas Speedway (in Kansas City, Kan.) and see Clint race in the Busch and Nextel Cup races.”

The Parkinson's Association of the Plains hopes Bowyer can donate another item for the Car Show and raffle auction next year.

Bowyer is currently involved in the 12-driver “Chase For The Nextel Cup” to determine this year's series points champion. With five races remaining, Bowyer sits in third place, just 78 points behind series leader Jeff Gordon, and just 10 points behind second-place Jimmie Johnson.

The next race in the Chase series will be Sunday at Martinsville, Virginia.

For more information or questions on Parkinson's Disease, contact the Parkinson's Association of the Plains Support Group at 316-321-9627 or 316-267-2384.