Nascar Drivers, Teams Hit The Bowling Alley For Speedway Children's Charity In Las Vegas

The desire to be the best and beat the best on the race track is what drives the competitors in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) week in and week out. But the competition to bring home the trophy is just as fierce off the race track, too.

On Thursday night, numerous NCTS drivers, teams and even NASCAR officials will go head-to-head in the “Burn-Out, Bowl-Off” charity bowling tournament hosted by the South Point Hotel & Casino at the South Point Bowling Center.

The charity bowling tournament, which begins at 7:30 p.m., will benefit Speedway Children’s Charities.

“We love having the opportunity to do something for charity while all the other NASCAR teams are in town for our home race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway,” said Brendan Gaughan, driver of the No. 77 South Point Casino Chevrolet. “But I would be lying if I said it didn’t matter if we won the bowling tournament or not. It’s for fun and a good cause, but trust me when I say that every team and driver bowling on Thursday night wants to win.

“There’s a cool bowling ball trophy for the winner of this deal – and we want to bring home the trophy from the bowling alley and from the race track. This is our home turf, and we want to be on top.”

The “Burn-Out, Bowl-Off” will start at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday night. Five member teams from various NCTS organizations will compete for the top score in two games.

Fans are encouraged to come out and support their favorite drivers and teams. Drivers scheduled to appear include Gaughan, defending NCTS champion Todd Bodine, current points leader Ron Hornaday, Johnny Benson, David Green, Scott Lynch, Brett Thompson and more.

A $10 donation to the charity will get fans a free ticket to Saturday night’s NCTS race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“We’ve got teams lined up from our shop, Germain Racing, Circle Bar Racing, Red Horse Racing, Bill Davis Racing, just to name a few,” Gaughan said. “We even have several teams of officials, a team from Las Vegas Motor Speedway and SPEED Channel who will be bowling with us.

“We really hope a lot of fans will come out because it is going to be fun, and there will definitely be some heated competition between all the teams.”

Speedway Children's Charities (www.speedwaycharities.org) is a non-profit foundation based in Charlotte, N.C., that distributes funds to charities and foundations providing medical, emotional and social services to children in need. Each chapter's objective is to assist as many children as possible. Last December, The Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities granted $299,000 to 64 local children's causes during its annual grant distribution ceremony.