IMCA sport mod drivers Kelly Henderson (standing, left), Brandyn Johnson (left), Chase Alves (standing, right), and Tate Johnson (right) will race for more than a trophy and a winner’s check at the Duel in the Desert. Event promoters decided to revamp the best appearing contests as fundraising races for charities. Brad Johnson, who owns the cars that the aforementioned four drivers race, opted to donate their winnings to the driver’s choice of charity.
“When we heard of the concept, we were all in,” Brad Johnson, of Medicine Lake, Montana, said. “My drivers all started researching charities they felt had a meaningful cause and where the largest portion of donations go directly to those in need.”
Brad Johnson had his four cars wrapped with the driver’s chosen charity. Then he and his four drivers posted their wraps on Facebook and sought donations for the charities. In less than a week, Johnson’s team raised $1,600. The Duel in the Desert posted the charities on their website and collected donations as well.
People can donate via this link. Donors have one of three ways they can distribute their donations.
- To a finishing position (50% to driver/50% to driver’s charity)
- To a driver (50% to driver/50% to driver’s charity)
- Directly to a charity
Brad Johnson’s four cars will raise funds for the following:
No. 413 driven by Tate Johnson, of Mesa, Arizona: Coffin-Siris Syndrome Foundation.
No. 315 driven by Brandyn Johnson, of Mesa, Arizona: Wounded Warrior Project
No. 316A driven by Chase Alves, of Peoria, Arizona: Alzheimer’s Foundation of America
No. 24 driven by Kelly Henderson, of Minot, North Dakota: Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation
“This year all of the drivers, cars, and charities will get attention,” Brad Johnson said. “That is really cool.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
