Wounded Veterans Hot Lap at Dominion Raceway

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Veterans from around the country will gather at Dominion Raceway in Thornburg, Virginia on April 13 to learn racing skills and qualify to drive NASCAR style hot laps in an adaptive racecar. The school and car are courtesy Adaptive Motorsports and Wellness (AM&W.) Each veteran will attend a skills school consisting of virtual education, and intermediate driving, before getting behind the wheel of a NASCAR, tricked out with assistive technology.   
 
About ten veterans will participate at Dominion Raceway.  From those, one will be chosen to drive a pre-race lap at Dover International Speedway’s “Autism 400” as well as the “Coca-Cola 600” on Memorial Day at Charlotte Motor Speedway. 
 
The school and the car are the brainchild of Brian Hanaford, President, AM&W. Hanaford created the program based on wounded veterans’ desire to regain mobility and reintegrate into society as well as adapt to a new lifestyle. 
 
“People with disabilities have the same desires as ambulatory people,” says Hanaford. “We want to provide post-injury incentives for our nation’s heroes to assimilate and transition to their new normal.  Often that includes driving. This program addresses the skills necessary to drive an adaptive car in a real-life situation. Then we throw in the racecar for some real fun!”
 
Providing guidance and instruction for the day-long school is Mike Evock, founder of “Racing for Heroes,” an alternative therapy focused group which encourages veterans to participate in the adrenaline-inducing, community-based sport of auto racing. 
 
Dr. Jeffrey Heckman, Director of the Regional Amputation Center at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System, has worked with AM&W in the past. 
 
“These events are extremely valuable opportunities for our veterans to get out and participate in a really fun activity with excellent support,” says Heckman. He adds that wounded veterans who learn to drive are often motivated to pursue other activities.  
 
Dominion Raceway is a state of the art venue with road course, oval, drag strip, karting and track facilities. 
 
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