Faces of the Mine
Faces of the Mine
Princeton Speedway’s UBB 29 Memorial Race a Success
PRINCETON SPEEDWAY’S UBB 29 MEMORIAL RACE A SUCCESS
Speedway and Team Owner Combine to Donate $7,950 to Miners Memorial
By all accounts, the 1st Annual UBB 29 Memorial Race at Princeton Speedway last Saturday night was a huge success. Race fans filled the bleachers and hillside all around the dirt track. T-shirt vendors sold out long before the race began as did concession stands. The event drew a larger than normal amount of race teams to the Princeton Speedway to participate in honoring the men lost and injured in the explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine last year. One of those drivers, Chad Justice, repainted his car to commemorate the race, the UBB Miners Memorial project and the Faces of the Mine website.
The evening was full of excitement and emotion that was best demonstrated by the celebration of the family of Mike Griffith, winner of the Street Stock Division race. He was mobbed by family members as he accepted his trophy in honor of his brother, William Griffith and brother-in-law Carl Acord. Both men were killed in the explosion at the Upper Big Branch Coal Mine.
Those were not the only cheers and tears that night as several divisions of race cars competed during the event. In between races, Speedway announcers Tim Howard and Wesley Outland, honored the memory of all 29 miners in a number of sincere tributes. During intermission, event organizers Robbie Cyrus and Keith Bowling, presented a check for $6,950 to the President of the Upper Big Branch Mining Memorial Group for the UBB Miners Memorial project. The owner of Team Jody also presented $1,000 to the Miners Memorial at the same time.
“Thank you Robbie Cyrus and Keith Bowling for organizing this awesome event! We had a blast! Thanks to Tim Howard for all the kind words, Chad Justice for the amazing UBB Memorial car, the Bishop’s for allowing all this to take place and all the sponsors, drivers and fans,” said Sheila Combs, President of the Upper Big Branch Mining Memorial Group. ”People like you all make the world a better place. We appreciate all you did.”
The Upper Big Branch Mining Memorial Group would like to thank the Princeton Speedway, Little General Stores, race sponsors, team owners, drivers and most of all the fans for supporting this race and the UBB Miners Memorial project.