preparation, planning meetings and raising money to fulfill
his dream of building a quarter-midget track to give kids a
place to race in the Daytona Beach, Fla., area has earned him
the first-quarter nomination for the NASCAR's True Value Man
of the Year Award.The award is designed to honor a driver not only for their accomplishments on the track but for their community service contributions and charitable efforts. The inspiration for this project was Mark's eight-year-old son Matt, who began racing a quarter-midget last year near Orlando, Fla. Mark saw the need to have a track closer to home for many of the local kids.
"I started this project along with Robert Hart, owner of the New Smyrna track, and several of our friends in the community to help kids in the area be able to have a place to race," said Mark. "We wanted to provide kids in our area the opportunity to get a start in racing."
For the purpose of determining the season-long winner, the season has been divided into four quarters in which drivers are nominated for their off-track efforts. A group of panelists will select one of the four quarterly finalists to name the season-long winner.
