Powerful pit crew: Waltrip, dc Talk join for fund-raising race

The TENNESEAN/Williamson A.M. January 16, 2002 By MELONEE McKINNEY Staff Writer

JEANNE REISEL / STAFF Jill Ghodrat, co-owner of Atlanta Bread Company in Cool Springs, unveils the company's Grand Prix gokart to be driven in the inaugural Darrell Waltrip Grand Prix at The Factory at Franklin.

FRANKLIN — Members of the Christian pop rock band dc Talk have partnered with plenty of musicians, producers and other collaborators in their careers, but Darrell Waltrip wasn't one of them — until now.

Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait and Kevin Max of dc Talk have partnered with Waltrip, The Factory at Franklin and its developer Calvin LeHew to present the first Darrell Waltrip Grand Prix to raise money for six local charities selected for their efforts to promote racial equality.

The members of dc Talk are also founders of the E.R.A.C.E. Foundation, which stands for Eliminating Racism And Creating Equality.

Slated for Memorial Day weekend, the event will be a mini-Indy go-cart race on a track that will encircle The Factory. Cars will each be sponsored by Middle Tennessee companies and driven by the company's choice of driver.

John Maguire of the E.R.A.C.E. Foundation hopes to have 50 teams with a limit of 62 cars. He said roughly 17 cars already have been sold, with six confirmed. Franklin's Atlanta Bread Company, whose car was on display at The Factory yesterday and will be at Atlanta Bread in the coming weeks, was the first corporate sponsor.

Atlanta Bread co-owner Jill Ghodrat said she and her husband, Hossein, are of the Baha'i faith, which looks to bolster racial diversity. She said getting involved in this event was a great way to combine their company and their faith to help the community.

''Hossein is a risk-taker, so he was really excited about this from the beginning,'' Ghodrat said. ''Now we just have to figure out who gets to drive. I have two daughters who both want to as well as several employees.''

Other confirmed participants are Copy Solutions in Brentwood, Creative Artists Agency in Nashville, Tennessee Commerce Bank in Franklin and Gary Glover Group in Brentwood. After a press conference yesterday, dc Talk and Darrell Waltrip said they both plan to have cars as well. Corporate teams can sponsor a car in the race for $4,000, which includes the car and equipment such as helmets, which the company keeps after the race.

McKeehan challenged Waltrip, saying dc Talk would sponsor a car if Waltrip would drive it.

''I'll do it if you all will be my pit crew,'' Waltrip said. But Waltrip said he plans to drive the Darrell Waltrip Honda Volvo car instead.

''Don't tell dc Talk, but I'll be running over them in my car,'' Waltrip said, laughing. ''All the cars will be the same. Well, maybe except for one.''

Waltrip decided to get involved with the race because it's a Franklin event that should naturally have the Franklin resident's name on it.

''As I learned more about the E.R.A.C.E. Foundation, I was jealous. I thought, 'E.R.A.C.E., race, why didn't I think of that?''' Waltrip said. ''But I have come to really appreciate their vision for what the foundation could do. It's their first big endeavor and I felt like it was just such a worthy cause. It made sense to me, and it felt right.''

Local charities splitting the proceeds from the event are The African-American Heritage Society, Habitat for Humanity of Williamson County, Jericho Community Law Office, Mercy Children's Clinic and New Hope Academy as well as the E.R.A.C.E. Foundation itself.

''We started this foundation several years ago because we are living integration,'' McKeehan said. ''We suggest you try it. That's why E.R.A.C.E. is aimed at celebrating diversity and the beauty of a multicultural society. I think Franklin is emerging as a small Southern city that's going to stand up for diversity.''

LeHew said he is looking forward to offering this very different event at The Factory.

''I am more excited about this than many of the events we have here because it will add another dimension to this place,'' he said. ''It's such a nice local, community event. To my knowledge, there has never been a race in Franklin, and I certainly didn't want there to be one without my name on it.''

In addition to the actual races, which will include celebrity races, Maguire said plans are in the works for concerts and parties during the weekend.

''Racing is just fun,'' Waltrip said. ''Everyone can get involved in this. Kids, moms and dads can all drive the go-carts. We want to build a nice little race track out here and raise some money for some great local causes.''

Maguire said although many events don't make money in their first year, they have set a goal for the grand prix of $150,000 that he thinks they will meet after expenses. The event and parking will be free.

Article used by permission from The TENNESSEAN.