Racers Nationwide Auctioning Off Doors for a Good Cause

Special from Speed51.com – The short track racing community has stepped up in a big way for a good cause this holiday season, as racers nationwide are raising money for a young Wisconsin fan’s health expenses.

Charlie Knuth, a 13-year-old racing fan from Darboy, Wisconsin, was born with dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, a painful disease which causes skin blisters. Recently, Knuth was also diagnosed with Lymphoma, and Knuth and his family spent Christmas at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital for treatment.

The short track racing community has responded in a major way to help Knuth and his family, thanks in parts to a fundraiser initially started by Wisconsin Super Late Model competitor Andy Monday. Monday started by auctioning the door from one of his race cars to raise money for Knuth and challenging other area racers to do the same.

“I am challenging all race teams in our community to pull the door off your car from last season, auction it off online with 110% of the proceeds going to the Knuth family,” the original Facebook post read.

The challenge quickly spread across the country, with more than 100 teams participating including some of the biggest names in Late Model racing. Along with Wisconsin’s own Ty Majeski, standouts such as Bubba Pollard, Eddie MacDonald, Rich Bickle and Travis Braden have also posted their own bodywork for auction.

As of 8 p.m. on Friday night, more than $40,000 had been raised, with 135 teams participating in the fundraiser.

The effort has also reached other forms of short track racing during its spread. Nick Anvelink, the 2019 Dirt Kings Tour champion, is also auctioning off a door panel. Shawn Upthall of Upthall Construction is auctioning an Alan Kulwicki quarter panel signed by the late NASCAR Cup Series champion. Pollard is auctioning a door from both his asphalt and dirt late models, and adding in general admission tickets and apparel for the highest bidders.

Many of the auctions close on January 1. For more information about drivers participating in the auction, fans can visit Andy Monday’s Facebook page. To bid on a specific item, fans should visit the Facebook page of the driver in question.

-Story by: Zach Evans, Speed51 Content Supervisor – Twitter: @ztevans

-Photo credit: Andy Monday Facebook