Part of 'One Good Turn With Joey T' Feel Good Reality TV
Series Second Episode
PHOENIX, Jan. 18, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- The race is on, and the television cameras will be rolling, all for a good cause.
The "Race for Ryan House," is scheduled on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2006, at the Bob Bondurant Super Kart Track in Chandler, with all proceeds going toward the development of Ryan House, Arizona's and the Southwest's first freestanding children's palliative care house.
The celebrity-charity Super Kart event will be commentated by one of NASCAR's all-time great crew chiefs and Fox Sports announcer Jeff Hammond, as well as feature on-site entertainment and a display of Jimmie Johnson's No. 48 car, provided by the Richard Petty Driving Experience. The race will feature celebrity drivers and corporate-sponsored teams competing in Super Karts for the checkered flag. It's all part of "One Good Turn with Joey T," hosted by former Indy Racing League team owner Joey Truscelli, "Joey T" currently filming its second episode in the Phoenix area.
Race day activities, including television show filming, begin at 10:30 a.m., with opening ceremonies at 1 p.m. Tickets are available for $20 each by calling 1-866-335-6200. Attendees must have a ticket to be included in the television filming. Children under 3 are free.
"One Good Turn with Joey T" is a new feel good television reality series about the giving side of racing, where deserving fans are given the opportunity to realize a dream. It is produced by One Good Turn Productions in association with Rick Bieber Productions. The show is hosted by Joey T, and co-hosts Stacy Earl and Gina Rose.
One such dream belongs to Ryan Cottor, age 4, a Scottsdale resident and big race fan, who inspired the show's creation. Ryan, and his parents who founded Ryan House, learned of the race after a surprise knock at their door Jan. 14 by Joey T and more than 350 friends, family and neighbors -- all while the cameras rolled.
"Being able to surprise Ryan with the announcement 'We're going racing for Ryan House' and seeing the Cottor family's heartfelt reaction is truly what our new series is all about," said Joey T. "We want to get the community out to support Ryan House on January 29. This is a unique opportunity to be a part of the new feel good television series 'One Good Turn with Joey T' and support a great cause."
Ryan has spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a disease with no cure that destroys the nerves controlling voluntary muscle movement. Ryan is mobile through his electric wheelchair, which is sometimes fashioned to look like NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon's No. 24 race car. Ryan dreams the wheelchair is the world's fastest stock car, and he always wins the race. After learning about Ryan and his love of racing, Joey T arranged for Ryan to meet Gordon, Ryan's hero, and drivers Johnson and Rusty Wallace while they were testing at Phoenix International Raceway.
Current race sponsors include the Bob Bondurant School of HighPerformance Racing, Panasonic, AOL, Build-A-Bear, Spreadshirt.com, Acuo Technologies, Bell Helmets, Vizible, Panasonic, NASCAR, Phoenix International Raceway and Richard Petty Driving Experience. Additional car sponsorships are available.
Ryan House will provide a community of support and comfort for children with life-limiting conditions and their families. Offering short-term, respite and end-of-life care, Ryan House will serve as a source of comfort, ease, quiet strength and courage. Visit www.ryanhouse.org for more information.
About Joey Truscelli
Joey Truscelli is a successful entrepreneur and former Indy Racing League team owner who goes by "Joey T." It was through racing that Joey T was able to help special people experience racing from the other side of the fence. Joey T was an Indy driver in 1998 and then became an owner working with drivers such as Roberto Moreno, Jaques Lazier, Brian Tyler and others. The gratification from those experiences have fueled Joey T and inspired him to help people through his relationships and experiences in the motor sports industry.
About One Good Turn with Joey T
Episode Two, currently in production, will tell the story of Ryan Cottor, the remarkable boy who inspired the show in the first place. The audience will watch as Joey T recruits celebrity drivers to participate in high-speed, high-thrills race at Bondurant Super Kart School in Chandler, Ariz., to benefit "Ryan House." In addition to host Joey T, the show is executive produced by Hollywood veteran Rick Bieber of Rick Bieber Productions, and co-hosted by multifaceted entertainers Stacy Earl and Gina Rose.
The One Good Turn With Joey T logo can be found at: http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=2247