I always watch the majority of the B-J broadcast; I record most all of it and watch it piecemeal, because I do love the cars. I confess I get annoyed sometimes and fast-forward through cars I'd love but are being bid to 10 times their actual value
But it's still worth it to me to see the cars[
]
Here's the neat moment: Tony Stewart brought one of his actual race cars to be auctioned- complete as last raced, and drove it onto the block. He bought it from Gibbs racing just to auction it, and donate anything raised to Darrell Gwynn's charity, which among other things buys wheelchairs for kids. The car was on the block being bid up; among the bidders was Craig Jackson, the owner of B-J, who bid $250K. At that point Tony stepped in and added one of his actual suit and helmet sets to throw in. The bidding continued, and Ron Pratt, a major collector, had jumped the bid from $275K to $300K, and that's where it was. Tony then interrupted the bidding and offered to throw in the $25K Championship ring he was wearing if someone would bid that much more! The auctioneer continued and no one bid any more; at which point Craig Jackson said he'd throw in the $25K extra and to award the whole package to Ron for the $300K he had bid. Right then another collector (whose name escapes me) tossed in $50K more, and Reggie Jackson wandered over and threw in $10K more- total of $385K for the Darrell Gwynn Foundation. It was then announced that when Darrell had arrived earlier, Ron Pratt had walked over and given him a donation on his own of $100K! And of course, B-J waives all fees for the charity auction.
I know- the cynics among us will write it all off to staged showmanship. And while some of that may be true, I feel I saw some rich, famous, and rich and famous people getting caught up in the spirit of the cause and go far beyond what was needed! These folks have plenty of opportunities to get their egos stroked, and they don't really need more; but even if that's the case, the fact remains that they did give a pretty huge chunk of money away[^]
I get tired of watching drunken rich sots with their big jewelry and really bad toupees splashing their drinks on the stage and mugging it up for the cameras and for Amy Assiter while they bid way too much and not even knowing what they're buying. I also HATE what the whole B-J spectacle has done to the hobby as it relates to values of old cars. But like anything else, there is good in anything if you're willing to look. For me it's mostly been the cars themselves.
But after seeing the charity auction, I know something else good about it
[^]
Robert (Bob) Andrews Owner- Studebakeracres- on the IoMT (Island of Misfit Toys!)
Parish, central NY 13131
But it's still worth it to me to see the cars[]Here's the neat moment: Tony Stewart brought one of his actual race cars to be auctioned- complete as last raced, and drove it onto the block. He bought it from Gibbs racing just to auction it, and donate anything raised to Darrell Gwynn's charity, which among other things buys wheelchairs for kids. The car was on the block being bid up; among the bidders was Craig Jackson, the owner of B-J, who bid $250K. At that point Tony stepped in and added one of his actual suit and helmet sets to throw in. The bidding continued, and Ron Pratt, a major collector, had jumped the bid from $275K to $300K, and that's where it was. Tony then interrupted the bidding and offered to throw in the $25K Championship ring he was wearing if someone would bid that much more! The auctioneer continued and no one bid any more; at which point Craig Jackson said he'd throw in the $25K extra and to award the whole package to Ron for the $300K he had bid. Right then another collector (whose name escapes me) tossed in $50K more, and Reggie Jackson wandered over and threw in $10K more- total of $385K for the Darrell Gwynn Foundation. It was then announced that when Darrell had arrived earlier, Ron Pratt had walked over and given him a donation on his own of $100K! And of course, B-J waives all fees for the charity auction.
I know- the cynics among us will write it all off to staged showmanship. And while some of that may be true, I feel I saw some rich, famous, and rich and famous people getting caught up in the spirit of the cause and go far beyond what was needed! These folks have plenty of opportunities to get their egos stroked, and they don't really need more; but even if that's the case, the fact remains that they did give a pretty huge chunk of money away[^]
I get tired of watching drunken rich sots with their big jewelry and really bad toupees splashing their drinks on the stage and mugging it up for the cameras and for Amy Assiter while they bid way too much and not even knowing what they're buying. I also HATE what the whole B-J spectacle has done to the hobby as it relates to values of old cars. But like anything else, there is good in anything if you're willing to look. For me it's mostly been the cars themselves.
But after seeing the charity auction, I know something else good about it
[^]Robert (Bob) Andrews Owner- Studebakeracres- on the IoMT (Island of Misfit Toys!)
Parish, central NY 13131
)]
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