Gateway International Raceway staff partnered with the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Wednesday, handing out 5,000 tickets to the Camping World 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at GIR to workers at the Daimler-Chrysler St. Louis South Plant. The plant, scheduled to shut down Oct. 31, produces the Dodge Caravan minivan. Approximately 1,400 employees will lose their jobs as a result of the closure according to UAW Joint Operations Facilitator, Bill Roberts.
Roberts said the tickets to Saturday's race at Gateway, which also features the ASA Late Model Series Challenge Division, will provide a boost in morale to the plant's employees. "I'm sure it will be a morale lift for them that people are thinking about them and that they haven't been abandoned. It's
good that people are thinking about (the employees) and the impact that the (shutdown) is making on their lives."
Among the volunteers handing out tickets Wednesday was Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers President, Vince Capatosta. "We're always excited about working with our partners at the plant," he said. "It's unfortunate that the circumstances revolving around the South plant have taken place. I'm sure with the quality of the vehicles that they build that this plant will be back up and running at some point. Over the years, this plant has consistently been one of the better plants as far as quality within the Chrysler family.
"We just want to do our part to help them and try to have them enjoy themselves this weekend at Gateway."
Gateway International Raceway Vice President and General Manager Lenny Batycki said it was important to be there for the men and women of the plant who have worked hard to provide such a quality product for A families. "The men and women at this plant are to be commended for their dedication and hard work in putting such a great vehicle together. We want to show our appreciation for what they do and if we can provide them and their families with a good time and some entertainment for a few hours, we feel that's the least we can do to show them we are thankful for what they do."
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and ASA Late Model Series practice takes place Friday at GIR with ASALMS Saturday with the Camping World 200 scheduled to go green at approximately 1:30 p.m. Saturday. The ASALMS cars will take to the 1.25-mile oval in Madison, Ill., immediately after the Truck Series' race concludes.
Tickets are still available by visiting GatewayRaceway.com and using the"Print-At-Home" option or by purchasing tickets at the track starting Friday.
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