Richmond, VA (January 17, 2012)—Two Richmond International Raceway employees recently received awards acknowledging their commitment to excellent service they provide to RIR and the NASCAR community.
Linwood Burrow, director of track operations, and Seiji Kashiwabara, nursing director, earned the Track Services Award for Excellence and Nursing Director of the Year Award for Excellence, respectively, at the 2012 NASCAR Summit earlier this week.
“We are thrilled to have two of our staff members recognized at this year’s NASCAR Summit,” said RIR President Dennis Bickmeier. “Their continued enthusiasm and professionalism are vital to our operations throughout the year and on race weekend.”
NASCAR presents The Track Services Award for Excellence annually to an individual who has taken the initiative to significantly improve track services at a NASCAR National Series Track over the duration of a career of ten or more years. Burrow, who earned the service award, has been a member of the Richmond International Raceway staff for over 40 years.
NASCAR annually awards The Nursing Director of the Year Award for Excellence to a Nursing Director who shows outstanding leadership and organizational skills, quickly addresses concerns and delivers an immediate and positive outcome. Kashiwabara and his medical team operate the RIR Infield Care Center on race weekends, where they provide medical care to competitors and track guests. Kashiwabara has been a part of the RIR team for the past 11 years.
“It’s an honor to have one of our team members recognized by NASCAR,” said Dr. M. Stephen Kramer, M.D., Medical Director at Richmond International Raceway for the past 23 years. “Seiji is such a talent and a great representation of Richmond International Raceway.”
The awards were presented based on the employees’ service during the year 2011 and prior.
NASCAR returns to Richmond International Raceway April 26-28 for three nights of racing under the lights. Tickets for the Richmond 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race are on sale now and can be purchased online at www.rir.com or by calling 866-455-7223. Tickets are also available for the April 27, Richmond 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series race and the April 26, doubleheader, featuring the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown Late Model race and the Blue Ox 100 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race.