Prendeville supports animal society with unique program
By Dave Lewandowski (indycar.com)
LEBANON, Tenn. – Andrew Prendeville might have had a short race at Nashville Superspeedway, but the Best Friends Animal Society benefited from the weekend.
Prendeville has been carrying the Racing Laps for Best Friends logo on the side of the No. 5 car for RLR/Andersen Racing. Volunteers manning an information tent in the infield at Indy Pro Series venues have been accepting donations. Prendenville has augmented the program by creating Racing Laps for Best Friends.
Fans make donations at http://www.racinglapsforbestfriends.com based on the number of laps the Morristown, N.J.-based driver completes. Pledges start at 25 cents per lap but can be made in any amount. Straight donations are also welcomed.
Prendeville, who started 12th in the Sunbelt Rentals 100, was involved in a Lap 1 incident that eliminated four cars from the race.
Best Friends operates the largest no-kill animal shelter in the United States, providing care for about 1,500 animals on any given day at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. It is affiliated with shelters and animal welfare groups around the world. Best Friends worked with more than 300 individuals and/or shelters in the Nashville area in the recent past. The services provided included everything from placements of animals at local shelters, working with feral cat colonies, to animal transport.
In addition, Best Friends is a major sponsor of Tennessee Week for the Animals Sept. 22-30. That event, which benefits shelters throughout the state, will kick off with a special adoption event for Nashville's animals Sept. 22 in Nashville featuring country music star Emmy Lou Harris.
"We knew we were going to be good," Prendeville said of the car. "We ran real well in the last practice session. I wasn't really concerned about moving up through the traffic because I felt we had a good race car.
"It's a shame for all of us. We'll try to do better next time for the Racing Laps for Best Friends program."
Abbott's car supports veterans
The No. 8 Michael Crawford Motorsports car driven by P.J. Abbott supported the One Vet Ahead foundation, which was founded in March 2007 by former Marine Tommy W. Pearce and is dedicated to assisting veterans with the transition into mainstream America. It provides assistance with employment and job training as well as assistance with cost of living expenses dealing with the transition after military service. Abbott served with the Marines in the first Gulf War.
"It is very exciting to be a vet and drive for a program that will benefit the returning veterans," Abbott said "We hope to generate an awareness and support for the OVA program."