The 903 Mafia Race team returns next Friday and Saturday to Buffalo Creek Speedway in Canton for the second annual race for autism.
Tammy Williams and her son, racing driver Dylan Beasley, both of Frankston, and their racing family are organizing this event with the goal of raising funds and raising awareness in the community about autism.
Williams’ grandson, Marshall Shaun Hunter Stockton, and Dylan’s brother, Matthew, are their inspiration to organize this event.
“Dylan and his team have a real passion for autism and their goal is to run for autism in all of their races,” said Williams. “The 903 Mafia currently has four cars on the ground and will soon have five.”
The autism race, scheduled for August 27 and 28, merges two completely disparate worlds.
“The race is noisy and the lifestyle of families with someone with autism is generally quite calm, due to sensory issues and overstimulation,” said Williams. “We want to merge the two worlds in a safe and exciting way for these families and people who love to race.”
This year, they will be holding a qualifying race at 8 p.m. on Friday, August 27. The doors will open at 5 p.m. A silent auction, to be held on both evenings, will begin on Friday.
Racing classes include Limited Mods with a $ 1,500 purse, Factory Stock with a $ 1,000 purse, Texas Stock with a $ 600 purse, ECO mods with a $ 500 purse, and tuners with a purse of $ 500.
Saturday activities will start at 5 p.m. and the race will follow at 8 p.m.
Family entertainment during the event will include inflatables, barrel train rides, face painting, Dunk the Driver and a car crawl.
Dunk the Driver contestants include Beasley, Dakota Elliott, Alex Bates, Alan Lindow, Matt Ryan, Zach Thorpe, Justin Mitchell, Dennis Kent, Brandy Cockrum, Ron Willardson, Bedrick Thomas and Corey Cockrum.
Car Crawl pilots will include Beasley, Dakota Elliot, Jay Black, Zach Thorpe, Jess Vess, Dennis Kent, Damon Jarvis, Johnathan Chatterly, Alex Bates, Ron Willardson, Brandy Cockrum, Jason Chatterly, John Harris, Alan Lindow (Mighty Mouse) , Matt Ryan (Ol’Checker), David Hill, Derek Miller, Matt Deaver, Tracey Cundieff, Daniel Thompson, Joseph Smith and Colton Littlejohn.
Tickets cost $ 20 for adults, $ 10 for children. Seniors, military personnel, and children 5 and under are free. Booth passes cost $ 40 for adults, $ 15 for children 6 to 12, and free for children 5 and under.
There are also five levels of sponsorship with special benefits, including tickets, passes, and special advertising for racing events.
Proceeds from this event will benefit Elijah’s Retreat.
Located in Jacksonville, Elijah’s Retreat provides families with autism a safe place to vacation and relax.
“Not everyone understands why kids with autism completely collapse in the middle of a store and you don’t discipline them or take them out of the store,” Williams said. “At Elijah’s Retreat, staff and other visitors understand and support each other as children are allowed to fully immerse themselves in a fun and safe environment specially designed for them, where they can be completely themselves.”
Williams hopes that with the profits, Elijah’s Retreat can build more cabins that will allow more families with autism to enjoy the amenities and the sanctuary. They also hope to build a one-acre playground. With the proceeds of last year’s events, they were able to build a new booth, giving the facility a total of four.
“With this new cabin, they can accommodate another 80 families per year,” said Williams. “They have to turn down around 200 families a year, so our main goal is to build more so they don’t have to turn anyone away. “
Elijah’s Retreat is a peaceful country setting with a few horses in the fields, a children’s play area, a stocked pond for fishing, and two-bedroom cabins with full kitchens. There are plenty of activities to choose from including hay walks, hikes, fishing, animal feeding, barn movies, games like ping pong and foosball and l ‘horse riding.
In January, they launched a new program to help young men and women with autism learn to live on their own, including taking care of their homes, shopping and developing various skills to be successful in the world. They also offer internships within the establishment.
It is a rain or shine event.
For more information, log in http://autism.txanracing.com.
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