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Husband of ISC president killed | |
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NASCAR NEWS - Thursday, July 12, 2007
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Husband of ISC president killed in Florida plane crash
By NASCAR.COM
SANFORD, Fla. - Dr. Bruce Kennedy, husband of International
Speedway Corp. president Lesa France Kennedy, died Tuesday
when the plane he was piloting crashed.
Four other persons were killed, including two children,
Sanford Fire Chief Gerard Ransom confirmed.
Ramsey Poston, NASCAR's managing director of corporate
communications, released the following statement:
"This morning, at approximately 8:40 a.m. Eastern Time, a
Cessna 310 registered to Competitor Liaison Bureau Inc. of
Daytona Beach, crashed in a Sanford, Florida, area neighbor-
hood. At this time, we can confirm there were two people
on-board, including the pilot, Dr. Bruce Kennedy and
Michael Klemm, a senior captain with NASCAR Aviation. Both
were killed in the crash.
"Dr. Kennedy was the husband of NASCAR Board Member and ISC
President Lesa France Kennedy.
"It is clear that numerous families were affected by this
terrible tragedy and unfortunately several people were
deceased or seriously injured. Our deepest sympathies and
prayers are with all of those who were involved in this
tragic accident and their families. We will provide
additional information as it becomes available."
The victims on the ground were identified as 24-year-old
law student Janise Joseph-Woodard, her 6-month-old son,
and their next-door neighbor, 4-year-old Gabriela Dechat.
The little girl's parents, Milagros Dechat, 33, and Peter
Dechat, 36, were seriously injured. A 10-year-old boy,
whose name has not been released, was taken to Cincinnati
Burn Center with burns over 80 to 90 percent of his body.
Kennedy reportedly was piloting the Cessna 310 when it went
down about 8:40 a.m. ET shortly after takeoff from Daytona
International Airport. The small plane was traveling from
Daytona Beach to Lakeland on Tuesday when the pilot
declared there was smoke in the cockpit. It was not clear
who was flying the plane; NASCAR said it was Kennedy, but
investigators said earlier it was Klemm.
ISC issued the following statement from executive vice
president and COO John Saunders:
"Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved in the
plane crash that occurred this morning in Sanford, Florida.
We are deeply saddened by the loss of Dr. Bruce Kennedy,
and others that have been lost or injured in this tragic
accident. We ask that you respect the privacy of the
Kennedy and France families while they deal with this
terrible loss."
The plane crashed into one house and the resulting fire
ignited another house next door.
"It was an extremely intense fire," said Matt Minnetto, a
fire investigator with Sanford Fire Department.
The National Transportation Safety Board will focus its
investigation of the crash on "man, machine and the
environment," NTSB vice chairman Robert Sumwalt said.
"We'll be reviewing the aircraft maintenance records and
any other records associated with this airplane," he said.
The investigation also will focus on any services the plane
may have received before or during the flight, including
fueling and maintenance.
Competitor Liaison Bureau Inc. is based in Daytona Beach
and lists William C. France, the late chairman of NASCAR,
as its registered agent in online records from the Depart-
ment of State Division of Corporations. James C. France
also is listed as an officer of the company.
Kennedy's death came just five weeks after the June 4 death
of Lesa France Kennedy's father, Bill France Jr.
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Foxworthy entry the choice for 50th Daytona 500 ticket
By Official Release
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The online battle for ultimate
bragging rights has ended, leaving one celebrity with
the last laugh.
Jeff Foxworthy, star of the hit FOX television show Are
You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader, has been voted the
winner of the Daytona 500 Celebrity Tickets for Charity
competition.
Foxworthy, the largest selling comedy-recording artist in
history, was selected from 10 celebrity finalists for the
honor of having his artistic vision immortalized on the
most coveted ticket in all of motorsports -- the ticket
to the 50th running of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 17, 2008.
To commemorate the historic milestone of NASCAR's most
prestigious race, Daytona International Speedway launched
Celebrity Tickets for Charity, a platform for celebrities
from all walks of life to showcase their artistic talents
and inspire philanthropic giving. More than 40 celebrity
designs were submitted and displayed at www.daytona500.com
An online fan vote began May 1 and drew more than 120,000
votes for their favorite celebrity "artists," narrowing
the star-studded field to 10 finalists. A blue ribbon panel
made up of distinguished members from the NASCAR community
was tasked with selecting the winning ticket design.
Foxworthy's rendering, a whimsical tribute to the Daytona
500 and its patriotic roots, was the majority favorite.
"It's a great thing to brag about, but you have to break
up the sentence a bit," Foxworthy said. "Yeah, I won the
Daytona 500... ticket design contest."
All original celebrity artwork, including Foxworthy's
winning ticket design, will be auctioned online to benefit
The Jeff Gordon Foundation, which seeks to better the lives
of children with life-threatening diseases.
Fans can log on to www.daytona500.com and click on the
Celebrity Tickets for Charity Auction banner to view and
bid for their favorite celebrity artwork. The auction will
close July 16.
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Reigning champ Johnson nominated for two ESPYs
Harvick, Gordon, Talladega Nights also up for awards
By Official Release
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Jimmie Johnson, nominated for two
ESPY Awards, feels like he has a shot to win both, when
the 15th annual sports awards are presented next Wednesday
night (July 11) at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Calif.
But Johnson admits he'll need some help -- from his fans.
Johnson, the reigning Nextel Cup Series champion, is
nominated for Best Championship Performance and in the
racing-specific Best Driver category. In the first
category, he's up against NFL Super Bowl-winning quarter-
back Peyton Manning, NBA star LeBron James and 2007
Australian Open tennis titlist Serena Williams.
"That's good company," Johnson said.
In the driver category, Johnson's competition starts with
his car owner Jeff Gordon and continues with Daytona 500
champion Kevin Harvick, 2007 Indianapolis 500 champion
Dario Franchitti, NHRA Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher
and 2006 IndyCar Series champion Sam Hornish Jr.
"The Best Driver award, I feel pretty good about my
chances," Johnson said Thursday at Daytona International
Speedway, where he'll race Saturday night in the Pepsi 400.
"The Best Championship Performance? Well, if all the NASCAR
fans start voting, I could have a good chance there, too.
It'd be great for all of our fans to get involved and help
really put motorsports on the map."
Johnson's two nominations are joined by four others that
are NASCAR-related.
- Best Driver: Harvick and Gordon. Harvick won last year's
Busch Series championship and also challenged for the Nextel
Cup title, then started this season by winning the Daytona
500. Gordon has led the Nextel Cup point standings since
March.
- Best Finish: This year's Daytona 500, won by Harvick with
an .020-second margin of victory over Mark Martin.
- Best Sports Movie: Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky
Bobby, the comedy starring Will Ferrell. "NASCAR and our
partners involved in Talladega Nights are thrilled so many
people wanted to see Ricky Bobby go fast," said Sarah
Nettinga, managing director, film, television and entertain-
ment for NASCAR. "Most of all, we appreciate NASCAR fans
coming out to support the film and cheer on Ricky."
Double-nominee Harvick thinks this year's Daytona 500 was
"what a 'Best Finish' is supposed to be all about.
"It was close, exciting. It was obviously very neat to be
a part of it," Harvick said. "I think it's pretty cool to
be nominated a couple of times. Hopefully we can win."
Added Johnson: "To even be considered for one of these
awards says a lot. It's a huge accomplishment and it
speaks volumes about our sport."
The ESPYs will be broadcast by ESPN on July 15 at 9 p.m.
ET, co-hosted by LeBron James and comedian/talk show host
Jimmy Kimmel.
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Goodyear auctioning off autographed race tires
By Official Release
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, exclusive tire supplier
of NASCAR, will auction off 43 autographed race-used Good-
year Eagle tires to benefit The NASCAR Foundation and its
group of driver-affiliated charities.
Through July 15 fans have the opportunity to bid on the
Goodyear tires individually autographed by top Nextel Cup
Series drivers, including Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon,
Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards.
This is the first time that NASCAR and Goodyear have joined
together to officially put up for sale a collection of
certified, autographed race-used Goodyear Eagle tires.
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END OF NASCAR NEWS
Copyright 2007 by NextEra Media. All rights reserved.
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