Eileen Daniels, wife of former Division 3 director Bob Daniels, suffered a stroke the end of June. Eileen has been a strong supporter of DRAW since it’s inception and was great help to us when we ran the auction in Indy during the Nationals. Eileen and Bob ran Division 3 for NHRA for many years, took over the management of Indianapolis Raceway Park after NHRA purchased the property, and after their retirement, were instrumental in establishing the Bowling Green, Kentucky reunion event. Even after Bob’s passing, Eileen has been instrumental in this event and in the Hot Rod Alley displays at Gainesville and during the U.S Nationals. When her problems occurred, she had just gotten back from Bowling Green.
Due to her personal interest in DRAW, the board felt that it would be fitting to broadcast the effort to help her with her medical expenses.
Checks can be made payable to Eileen Daniels. Send them C/O Diana Jones, 2115 Hartford Ave., Indianapolis, IN. Diana is her daughter and this is where Eileen will be when she is discharged from rehab.
Cards can be sent to:
Eileen Daniels
21605 Queen Elizabeth Ct.
Leesburg, Fl. 34748
A go fund me account has also been set up. That address is gf.me/u/jjpvxv.
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NHRA Atlanta Southern Nationals
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The History Lesson
Deb Thompson, DRAW Historian
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READY…SET…GO!! And here we are a week away from the start of the 2018 racing season! I remember watching the last race in Pomona and wondering if I could make it through until February. But you know how life goes...FAST!
There is always something invigorating about starting out fresh and new in any endeavor, wondering what lies ahead good and bad. It can be both exciting and stressful. We welcomed the new year with all the anticipation including the excitement and anxiety.
Now we all welcome the new racing season, whatever that might mean to each of us. This great sport includes all of us working together all across the country from the fans in attendance at all the different events held, to those working an event from the tower to the staging lanes to the ticket booth, the racers, the crews, the safety crews, photographers, journalists, vendors and all the workers in between! It’s a group effort for sure, and we wouldn’t be doing what we do unless we absolutely loved it.
And so it is with DRAW! It’s a group effort and we love what we do. It’s a new year with both new and old in the fundraising and the people (I’m not talking age either). We will unfortunately have some injured racers that need our help, we will raise money through all our usual ways with the booth sales, the auction, the golf tournament, donations, 50/50 raffles and on. We will use our same methods mixed in with new ideas. New people will join with DRAW to help.
All of us together will start the 2018 racing season and all of us together will start a new season with DRAW, continuing to make this an organization that racers can depend on. By working together and giving what we can from ideas, to donations, to assisting in fundraisers and booth help, to being the eyes and ears and voice for DRAW, we will continue to be the assistance and encouragement when our injured racers need it the most. Happy and Safe 2018 to all of us!
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2017 DRAW Annual Charity Auction
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Cards & Letters to Injured Racers is so Important
One of the great things about the Indy race is we generally get to see some injured racers from the past. It is always so heartwarming to get to visit with them and hear how they are doing. This year we had three racers stop by, Larry Sisk, Tom Brown and Ryan Gortney. When we work the booth or talked to the injured racers on the phone, we get to hear how important DRAW is important to their recovery. But only a few of us are fortunate enough to experience these "warm and fuzzies." Below is a letter from one of our current injured racers Andrew Blanton along with some pictures he sent with the letter. Please keep this letter in mind and when you get your DRAWing attention newsletter each month to send a few cards and/or letters out.
Dearest DRAW,
Hi! I wanted to say hi and thank you to some of the friends that have kept in touch with me from DRAW. Constance Smith, Judy and Bill Leahey, Ray and Millie Martel have sent some very nice letters and they have made the most recent past a lot better. Please thank each of them for me and try to explain how much good happens from a single handwritten "hello". I have added some pictures of myself, Annika my daughter (sounds like Onikuh) and Kara my girlfriend. Thank you again from care and support. The people at DRAW make my daily life a lot better!!!
Warm Regards
Andrew Blanton
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Top Fuel Harley Helmet auction in memory of
Larry "Drums" Brancaccio
Top Fuel Harley rider Chris Smith donated his helmet, signed by all 16 Top Fuel Harley riders at the 2017 NHRA Bristol Thunder Valley Nationals, for auction in memory of Larry "Drums" Brancaccio. The auction was held on the Top Fuel Harley Associations Facebook page. The winning bidder was Colbert Seagraves from Langcourt Performance who was a good friend of Drums. DRAW sends out a HUGE thank you to Chris Smith, all the Top Fuel Harley Riders and Colbert for their generous donation to DRAW!
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Drag Racing Association of Women Clarification
Due to a recent situation, the board members of the DRAW feel the need to clarify an item from the organizations Bylaws.
Racers receiving aid from the Drag Racing Association of Women can not return to driving or riding a race vehicle and continue to receive aid from DRAW.
The thought being is that racer aid is there if you are not able to work or participate in normal life activities and have doctors orders that say so. If you are capable of operating any racing vehicle, then you should be capable of working or participating in normal life activities and will no longer receive aid from the Drag Racing Association of Women.
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______________________________________________________ Take just a little time to be prepared
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I recently was slightly involved in something that made me want to write a little story about being prepared for the worst. In this day and age, anyone that is 18 years or older should at least have a Power of Attorney in place and if you have a spouse, dependents or loved ones that depend on you make a Will. If you were to pass away tomorrow is everything in place to take care of the people you want to get taken care of? If you do not at least have a POA then you risk having everything tied up in court, sometimes for years, while the State tries to determine who should get your assets. Sit down with a lawyer and get a POA made up and put on file so if something does happen, your family and loved ones are not stuck trying to obtain what is supposed to be rightfully theirs.
Chris Hardesty
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Just click the link below and we will get you on the list to receive the DRAW monthly newsletter via email and keep up to date about everything that is DRAW. You dont have to be a member of DRAW, the newsletter is FREE and we never, ever sell or share your address.
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Story by Chris Hardesty
I was fortunate enough to meet Kelley (Ike) Isenhower at the Raceview Family Campground during this years U.S. Nationals. He was playing on a stage in the campground surrounded by a crowd of screaming fans. I heard him say something about "all proceeds go to DRAW" well needless to say that caught my attention so I talked to him after the show. Here is a guy that you dont hear about, playing his heart out on stage and giving the proceeds to the Drag Racing Association of Women. I asked him to tell me his story and how he started getting involved with DRAW.
He started attending the U.S. Nationals in 1991 with his brother and father. He was hooked after he saw the first Top Fuel Dragster run down the track. This event quickly became a tradition every Labor Day for him and his family. He remembers that his mom and dad would get to every final race early and stop by the DRAW booth to donate a little cash and pick up a ladder sheet so they could keep track of their favorite drivers throughout the day. Some 25 years later they still do the same thing.
Ike started donating small amounts to DRAW every year and decided in 2013 to try something different. He has been a touring musician for over 20 years, playing in excess of 240 shows per year. He has been putting on a concert at the Raceview Family Campgrounds every year starting in 1996. The concerts started small, sitting around campfires with close friends. Over the years, more people would show up to listen and eventually he started using a stage and a large PA system. He brought a couple of bands out to play and the crowds just kept getting bigger.
In 2013 at the 59th US Nationals he decided to try and raise some money and his father mentioned that they should do something for DRAW. He was able to get an acoustic guitar donated by IRC Music in Indianapolis and with the help from some great friends was able to get the guitar autographed by about 20 professional drag racers. That evening he played his show to a crowd of about 400+ people and started selling raffle tickets for the guitar. Towards the end of the night they drew the winning number and gave it away but only after raising about $1200 from the raffle. A few other donations took the total to almost $1400! Ike and his father delivered the money to the DRAW booth Monday morning before the finals. The look on the eyes of the ladies at the booth was very heartwarming, they were very thankful and so was he.
Ike played this past Labor Day weekend at the 61st US Nationals and it was his 20th year at the campground. He purchased an event flag, got about 13 driver autographs raffled it off that night at the show. The flag raised $250 and with the help of some friends from Fort Wayne (Team Social) they were a ble to sell some T-shirts they had made. Between the shirts and the flag Ike was able to present the ladies at the DRAW booth $500 on Monday morning.
Ike has done a lot of gigs in his career for many different charities including the American Cancer Society, Loop for Life, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Wounded Warriors, Craven for the Cure, Red Mask Foundation, Alzheimers Research, SIDS, College Mentors for Kids and Care-N-Share to name a few. Its always been a joy for him to provide music for these charitable events. Ike plays music because he loves it, if there are those whos day can be brightened by what he does, then he is going to continue doing it. Ike is going to continue supporting DRAW every year, as he truly loves the sport of drag racing and the mission that the great people at DRAW follow, "Fast Help for Fast Friends". Its his pleasure to be associated with such a grear organization as DRAW and he looks forward to raising more money in the future. Come check out
Ike is a solid example of the people we do not hear about that are regular donors to DRAW and have been for years. If you know of anybody like him, tell me about it. Send the details to me via email at harbone66@gmail.com and I will post up the story right here in the website.
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Committee and Volunteer Opportunities for 2018
In 2018, DRAW will mark its 33rd year of providing "Fast Help for Fast Friends." It takes the time and talent of many people to make our mission a reality. There are many ways you can help make 2018 DRAW's best year ever.
DRAW's lifeblood is dedicated volunteers. You can make a valuable contribution to DRAW by joining one of our committees: Website, Newsletter, Membership, Fundraising, Injured Racer Calling, and others that might arise during the year. If you are interested in volunteering or joining one of DRAW's committees, please submit an application to Rosalee Noble,
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