Catchfence

• Texas Motor Speedway Sends More Than Two Dozen Volunteers To Help Homes For Our Troops With The Building Of A New Home For Brett Wolf
• Wolf Honored With Escort From Patriot Guard Riders

FORT WORTH, Texas (August 5, 2009) – Texas Motor Speedway’s monthlong “Speeding To Help” community outreach program kicked off today assisting Homes For Our Troops with construction of a new home in Weatherford, Texas, for U.S. Army Specialist Brett Wolf.

Wolf, who had both legs amputated and suffered serious injuries to his right arm, abdomen and face after the minesweeper he was in struck a large bomb while deployed in Iraq, was greeted with a hero’s welcome to the site of his new home. Wolf, a special guest of two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart on Tuesday at Texas Motor Speedway, arrived in a TMS pace car that received a special escort by members of the Patriot Guard Riders motorcycle organization.

More than two dozen TMS staff members were on site to help with the opening day of the three-day build. Volunteers helped raise the frames and put the roof trusses in place all within a few hours. Workers received special help in lifting the final frame as Wolf and his wife, Kelly, did the honors.

“This organization (Homes For Our Troops) means a lot to me,” Wolf said. “They’ve helped a lot of soldiers with their finances and houses are expensive, so it’s really a good thing what they’re doing. I’m able to concentrate more on my therapy and getting better rather than worrying about what I’m going to do when I get out of therapy.”

This marks the first build by Homes For Our Troops in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The national organization builds specially adapted homes at no cost to the veteran thanks to donations from individuals, corporate sponsors and the help of volunteers. This year the organization will build homes in other Texas cities including Lubbock, San Antonio and Houston. Since its inception in 2004, Homes or Our Troops has built 40 homes across the country and plans to build 30 more in 2009.

“We can’t look after and take care of the troops on the battlefield, so we’re helping take care of them in the aftermath,” Homes For Our Troops Veteran’s Liaison Larry Gill said.

“My goal is to be out of business, but as long as these guys are coming home wounded, we’re going to take care of them.”

The “Speeding To Help” community outreach program enters its second year with the emphasis to support organizations across the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. TMS staff members volunteer their time each week to help with events.

Wednesday’s stop in Weatherford is just the first of four events during the month of August. Next Wednesday, TMS volunteers will help the United Community Center of Fort Worth with landscape work, spruce up the playground and feed the children at the Bethlehem Center. “Speeding To Help” also will make stops at the North Texas Food Bank on Aug. 18 and the Dallas Arboretum on Aug. 26.

- Texas Motor Speedway, Press Release