Concord, N.C. (May 12, 2011) – Roush Fenway Racing and driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr., are teaming up this weekend at Dover to bring attention to relief efforts for those affected by the recent flooding of the Mississippi River.
Stenhouse, a native of Olive Branch, Miss., will carry Mississippi Flood Relief messaging on the No. 6 Ford Mustang in Saturday’s 5-hour ENERGY 200 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway in an effort to raise awareness and generate support for those adversely affected by the flood damage.
While spending a few days at home following the recent NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, Stenhouse personally saw the flood damage up close.
“It’s a really tough and devastating situation,” Stenhouse said. “And it’s not over yet. I was able to drive around and look at the damage and obviously it’s just awful. You’ve got farmers with crops that are gone. You’ve got families that can’t be in their houses. You’ve got people that can’t go to work and make a living. And those circumstances are out of their control. It’s just an unbelievable amount of water.
“I love the state of Mississippi. It’s where I’m from and to be able to help in this crisis is important to me. I’m just glad that I’m able to do something to help. Most of my family is well away from the Mississippi River but this impacts the whole state.
“Obviously we’re not the only area affected by it. There’s Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee and Missouri so there’s definitely other places, but to be able to show support for Mississippi is something I feel personally obligated to do.”
Flood stage for the Mississippi River is 34 feet but was at 48 feet in Memphis, Tenn., on Tuesday this week. The rising water has interrupted coal shipments to power plants in Tennessee, flooded more than 100,000 acres of Missouri cropland, forced thousands from their homes and prompted the Army Corps of Engineers to open the Bonnet Carre Spillway to reduce the river’s force through New Orleans.
Those interested in helping with relief efforts are encouraged to contact www.nascar.com/unites for more information (under Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Mississippi Flood Relief).
The Lionel NASCAR Collectables company will produce a limited number of die cast replica cars with this paint scheme and a portion of those sales will be donated to the relief fund. Additionally, the hood from the No. 6 Ford Mustang will be autographed by Stenhouse and his Roush Fenway Racing teammates and auctioned off through the NASCAR Unites Foundation in an effort to generate additional revenue for the cause.
Roush Fenway Racing is NASCAR’s largest team operating seven motorsports teams. Four in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with drivers Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and David Ragan; and three in the Nationwide Series with Edwards, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Trevor Bayne. For more information on any of the Roush Fenway Racing teams, log onto www.RoushFenway.com (http://www.roushfenway.com/ ). Become a fan of Roush Fenway Racing on Facebook by going to http://www.facebook.com/roushfenway and follow us on Twitter @roushfenway. For sponsorship inquiries please contact Robin Johnson at 704.720.4645.
