Speedway Children’s Charities Annual Dinner To Launch Food City 500 Weekend at Bristol

A trio of the greatest crew chiefs to ever turn a wrench in NASCAR competition will be the featured guests during the Speedway Children’s Charities Annual Dinner presented by Tele-Optics on Thursday, April 12 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Tickets are on-sale for the dinner, which will feature NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Ray Evernham, Fox Sports broadcaster Larry McReynolds and Fox Sports commentator Jeff Hammond. The evening, which will begin with cocktails at 6:30 p.m. and end with a live auction, is one of the largest fundraisers for the Bristol Chapter of SCC. The SCC Annual Dinner will be held on the third floor of the O. Bruton Smith Building outside Turn 2.

“Our Annual Dinner helps raise funds for children in need,” said Claudia Byrd, executive director of the Bristol Chapter of SCC. “We’re so pleased that Ray, Larry and Jeff are joining us on this special night. We look forward to welcoming everyone to our dinner and live auction as we strive to make a difference for the less fortunate youth in this region.”

Evernham, who was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame this year, is a three-time championship winning crew chief and the leader of the famed “Rainbow Warriors” pit crew. As crew chief, Evernham guided Jeff Gordon to championships in 1995, 1997 and 1999. The duo of Evernham and Gordon won 47 races, including four at The Last Great Colosseum.

Following his stint with Hendrick Motorsports, Evernham left to form his own team, Evernham Motorsports. Helping to reintroduce Dodge to the sport, Evernham fielded the No. 9 of Bill Elliott and the No. 19 of Jeremy Mayfield to much success.

The evolution of the pit stop is perhaps Evernham’s greatest accomplishment. The New Jersey native revolutionized the modern day pit stop, recruiting former athletes to work in tandem for the fastest pit stop possible. In a way, the pit stop became poetry in motion and the “Rainbow Warriors” were the Picasso of the day.

McReynolds, also highly regarded as one of the sport’s most successful crew chiefs, is currently the in-race analyst for Fox Sports’ NASCAR Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series broadcasts. The Alabama native amassed 23 Cup wins as a crew chief and is best known for leading Davey Allison and Dale Earnhardt Sr. to their only Daytona 500 victories (1992 and 1998 respectively).

Following his successful career in the garage, McReynolds joined Fox Sports in 2001 in the booth with Mike Joy and three-time MENCS champ Darrell Waltrip. In addition to his in-race analyst role, McReynolds also serves as an analyst for FS1’s NASCAR Race Day pre-race show and the daily NASCAR Race Hub program.  

Hammond got his start in NASCAR as a pit crew member, serving as jack man for Cale Yarborough’s three championships as well as Darrell Waltrip’s 1981 title. In 1982, Hammond rose to the role of crew chief for Waltrip, leading the NASCAR icon to championships in 1982 and 1985. The duo won 43 races together, including the 1989 Daytona 500. The combination of Hammond and Waltrip was especially deadly at Bristol with seven races won together, including five-in-a-row from 1982 to 1984.

Hammond retired as a crew chief following the 2000 season. He joined Fox in 2001, serving as an analyst for Fox’s then pre-race show, Fox NASCAR Sunday. In 2014, Hammond became a pit reporter, becoming the first former crew chief to cover pit road for NASCAR on network television. He currently serves as an analyst for NASCAR Race Hub and NASCAR Race Day. He can also be seen on NASCAR Race Day- NCWTS.

Those interested in reserving a spot at the SCC Annual Dinner can call Betsy Holleman at 423-989-6975 to reserve their spot.

Tickets are still available for the Food City 500 weekend by visiting BristolTix.com or calling (855) 580-5525. Tickets for the Food City 500 start at just $50 for adults and $10 for youth (12 and under). A two-day package, which includes admission to the XFINITY Series Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300/K&N Series Zombie Auto 150 doubleheader and the Food City 500 begins at $80 for adults and $10 for youth (12 and under).

Bristol SCC PR