Shane Hmiel "Racing to Recovery" Fundraisers Announced; Updated 11/5 10:59AM
During "Shane Hmiel Racing to Recovery Day," information was released with regards to the five separate fundraisers planned to raise money for the Hmiel family to help pay for medical expenses.
Three of the fundraisers will be in North Carolina, two on November 17 and one on December 5 and two of the fundraisers will be in Indiana on November 30.
Shane Hmiel was injured in a serious USAC crash during qualifying on October 10. Hmiel flipped in turns three and four, with the top of the roll cage bouncing off the wall. The crash resulted in Hmiel being seriously injured, including injuries to his back, neck and spinal cord.
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Since the crash, Hmiel had four separate surgeries, fought through pneumonia and started physical therapy a couple days ago.
The first surgery was for a broken neck while the second surgery was for a broken back. The third and forth surgeries were for a torn artery in his neck.
The latest updates look positive as Hmiel continues to recover with things continuing to get better as days passed.
The first fundraiser taking place will be a silent auction that will be held at the Rusty Rudder in Lake Norman, N.C on November 17.
Fans and supporters are welcome to enjoy food and live music while hanging out with fellow members of the racing community and bidding on rare memorabilia, tickets to events and plenty of merchandise that's been donated. The event is open to anyone with donations being accepted at the door.
Bidding will take place from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm, though the party can go as long the fans want it too. The items that will be up for bid and more information is planned to be released.
Following the auction, Shane Hmiel's brother Tyler will be holding a party at the Comedy Zone above Galway Hooker.
The party will feature Shaun Jones, who's one of the nation's top touring stand up comedians. Jones has been featured in television stand-up acts and has acted alongside Jamie Foxx in feature films.
Fans who wish to attend the event will need to purchase a ticket in the form of a $40 donation at ikncomedy.com.
In addition to the party, fans will recieve an exclusive "Heal The Real Deal" t-shirts and be entered into a raffle for some great prizes. Food and beverages will be available to purchase, with all proceeds being donated to Hmiel's recovery.
The last event in North Carolina will be held on December 5 at the Field Fillers Fairgrounds in Concord, N.C.
Located in the Joi of Seating race shop is an asphalt racetrack that provides some of the most exciting cart racing you'll see.
Racing in the event is open to anyone that wants to attempt to qualifying. It's a run what you brung show with the only rule being that your cart must be running a limited flathead motor.
The event atmosphere plans to be festival like and JAQ's famous BBQ plates will be available for a small donation. There is no charge to come to show, however you will have the opportunity to "sponsor" a driver as they try to figure out who can raise the most money.
In Indiana, there will be two events taking place, with both on November 30.
During opening night of the International Motorsports Industry Show (IMIS) at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, a silent auction will be held the opening night. Racing memorabilia from the biggest names in open wheel racing will be there bid on.
If you can't make opening night of the IMIS show, do not fear as there will be a booth there throughout the show where you can stop by to hang out and make a contribution.
After the IMIS auction, there will be a party at Jillians in Downtown Indy at 9:00 p.m. The event is open to anyone that wants to be there and hang out with USAC stars and big-name open wheel VIPs.
A small donation at the door will get you entered into a raffle for some awesome prizes while food and beverage sales will also be donated.
If you can't make it to any of the events, there are still many different ways you can help.
USAC is selling the Racing to Recovery decals at $5 (including shipping) on their website with all funds going directly to the family. Also, for every new fan that joins the USAC fan page on Facebook before Dec. 31, USAC will donate 10 cents to the family.
RWB Motorsports is also helping to raise money by selling the 2010 Shane Hmiel t-shirts via their website for $25 (including shipping), with all the funds going to the family. They all recently started selling the hoodies, which are the same design as the t-shirt, for $45 (including shipping), also with funds going to the family.
Fans who wish to make a direct donation may write a check to BENEFIT OF SHANE HMIEL and send it to: Steve Pruett, 700 St. John Street, Suite 300, Lafayette, LA 70501.
Electronic donations can be made at: http://raiseforshane.bbnow.org.
To read through the entire recovery process, the article links are posted below with the information throughout the entire process, including quotes from Hmiel's father Steve Hmiel. Steve Hmiel, who is currently the Director of Competition at Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing, offered his thoughts in three separate interviews on his son's progress.
For continued updates down the road, check out the "Shane Hmiel - Racing to Recovery" page on facebook where updates are posted daily by the family.
Updated 11/5/2010 10:59AM
Some people have asked if they can donate items for the silent auction.
If you are interested in donating auction items, the staff requests that you please drop off the item or make sure they arrive by Friday, November 26th -
Shane Hmiel – Racing to Recovery Auction
C/o Tony Stewart Racing
438 South Point Circle
Brownsburg, IN 46112
For more information regarding the auction or donating, they add you can contact Beth Malonoski or Misha Geisert via email at bmalonoski@rotondoweirich.com or misha@tonystewart.com at any time.
Shane Hmiel "Road to Recovery" Article Archive
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