Written by:
Megan Englehart
05/08/2008
Charlotte, N.C.
Wendy Venturini Hosts '2008 NASCAR All-Star Hometown Heroes' May 14 on SPEED
While young and old eyes alike will watch their heroes, racing’s finest, in the May 17 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race XXIV (7 p.m. ET on SPEED), a few will see beyond the men behind the helmets and remember the youngsters they knew, their protégés, before they were stars.
In the May 14 NASCAR Sprint All-Star 2008 Hometown Heroes hosted by Wendy Venturini (9 p.m. ET on SPEED), SPEED turns the tables on the All-Stars and focuses on their mentors, the everyday people who helped mold them into the successful men they have become.
Venturini, dubbed by some the “Barbara Walters of racing,” asked drivers qualified for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race XXIV to identify their “hometown heroes,” those who have inspired and helped them in their lives and careers. She then traveled across the United States to interview those named to discuss their lives and their memories of the stars of today.
“It was amazing to me how honored these ‘hometown heroes’ were that the drivers had designated them as someone who’d had a substantial influence on their lives and careers,” Venturini said. “They were in awe of the recognition and most of them kept trying to turn the focus back onto the drivers and how proud they are of what the drivers have become. Everyone has someone who has inspired them along the way and this show focuses on the inspiration behind the All-Star heroes, the best of the best in NASCAR.”
Those featured in the special include: Ryan Newman and his high school teacher, Frank Cackowski; Ken Schrader and fellow dirt racer, 71-year-old Don Klein; David Ragan and his father, Ken Ragan; Brian Vickers and his home school teacher, Cheryl Martin; Carl Edwards and his good friend, Timmy Kohuth (former Schrader crew member and truck crew chief); David Reutimann and his father, Buzzy Reutimann; and Matt Kenseth and his father, Roy Kenseth.
