New Hampshire Grandmother Wins Grand Prize in the “Dale Jr. Ride of Your Life” Sweepstakes, Courtesy of Lionel NASCAR Collectables and the Racing Collectables Club of America.
CONCORD, N.C. (September 27, 2012) – When Dale Earnhardt Jr. powered the No. 3 Wrangler car to victory at Daytona, Bette Paquet was crying “happy tears” in the stands.
And on Monday, October 15 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Paquet may cry tears of joy again when one of her longtime dreams comes true.
Lionel NASCAR Collectables and the Racing Collectables Club of America (RCCA) recently announced that Paquet is the grand prize winner in the “Dale Jr. Ride of Your Life Sweepstakes”. As part of the prize, Paquet will ride shotgun with Earnhardt for three laps around the mile-and-a-half track as part of The Dale Jr. Foundation’s ride-along program.
“To meet and greet Dale Earnhardt Jr. is beyond my wildest dreams!” said the 65-year-old grandmother of four. “I have loved that boy ever since he started in the sport and I can’t believe he’s going to drive ME around the track.”
Paquet, who lives in Franklin, New Hampshire, works as a merchandise coordinator for T.J. Maxx. She’s such a loyal Earnhardt fan, that she named her cat Junior after her favorite driver.
“I can’t express our love of the sport. I love the smell, sounds and all that is part of NASCAR,” said Paquet. “And I love Dale Jr.’s attitude and his demeanor and I love his success this year.”
As the grand prize winner, Paquet will receive:
– Three laps around the track with Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 15
– Dale Jr. autographed exclusive skeleton gloves
– Two tickets to the NASCAR Nationwide Series™ race on October 12 with VIP area tour prior to race
– Two tickets to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™ race on October 13
– Question and Answer session with Dale Jr., followed by autograph and photograph opportunity
– Food and beverage at the Ride Along event
– One room, three-night stay at the Hampton Inn and Suites
– Two tickets to the NASCAR Hall of Fame™
– DVD of this once-in-a-lifetime experience
– VIP Swag Bag
Paquet will also be made a lifetime member of the Racing Collectables Club of America (RCCA) and receive a set of Dale Earnhardt Jr. ELITE die-cast, courtesy of Lionel NASCAR Collectables and RCCA.
“For fans of Dale Jr., this is the ultimate prize and I congratulate Bette on being the big winner,” said Thomas DeBoyace, Director of RCCA. “I can’t wait to meet her and to watch her meet Dale Jr. Only RCCA can deliver this type of memorable experience to fans like Bette.”
More than 36 thousand entries were submitted for the Dale Jr. “Ride of Your Life” Sweepstakes which was launched on July 18. In addition to the grand prize, eight entrants also won weekly prizes during the contest. The entry deadline for the sweepstakes was September 14, 2012.
About Lionel NASCAR® Collectables
The official die-cast of NASCAR, Lionel NASCAR® Collectables is the leader in the design, promotion, marketing and distribution of licensed die-cast race cars. A joint venture with the NASCAR® Team Properties and Lionel Electric Trains, LNC makes and sells replica die-cast race cars through a variety of channels, including Corporate, National Accounts, trackside, online, a network of specialty dealers and the Racing Collectables Club of America (RCCA). Made up of a group of experienced merchants, artists, sales people and support staff, LNC has its pulse on the racing community and is committed to giving fans the very best in die-cast collectable cars. LNC is based in Concord, NC. For more information about Lionel NASCAR® Collectables, please visit the Web site at www.lionelnascarcollectables.com. Follow Lionel NASCAR® Collectables on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lionelnascar and Twitter @LionelNASCAR.
