In more than a decade of racing, Mike Van Houten has yet to score a top five, let alone a win. However, there’s more to the sport than just visits to victory lane. It’s trips with gifts to the Ronald McDonald House Charities and giveaways to spectators that make Van Houten a fan favorite.
“Legend car racing is such a fun thing to do,” Van Houten, of Jamesport, New York, said. “It doesn’t matter to me that I haven’t gotten a top five. Racing became even more meaningful when I found out that my racing could be impactful for charity.”
Van Houten passes out candy, hero cards, and glow bracelets to fans at his home track of Riverhead Raceway. Seven years ago, he was asked if he would help with a toy drive for Ronald McDonald House Charities.
“I didn’t hesitate to say yes,” said Van Houten. “I loaded up my car on a snowy Saturday and unrolled it under a canopy at a 7-Eleven in Southampton, New York, and began collecting toys.”
That first year Van Houten collected more than $2,500 in toys for Ronald McDonald House Charities. Since then, he increased his efforts to help the charity.
Van Houten shared his effort on social media.
He had a big, gift-wrapped box in his pit stall at Riverhead Raceway.
Van Houten displayed his car at Buzz Chew Chevrolet in Southampton, where people filled it with toys.
Local speed shop owner Dennis Freese, of Oval Speed Unlimited, became a major contributor.
Customers in the horticulture world, where Van Houten works, also helped.
This year Mike Van Houten collected $14,000 in home goods and toys for Ronald McDonald House Charities. He delivered them to the New Hyde Park, New York, branch on Monday.
“My enclosed trailer was packed full,” Van Houten said. “We were given one hour to pass out the donations. The feeling is indescribable — I can’t thank everyone enough who donated to this amazing charity. This is the biggest win ever. It is all about teamwork — and there is no “I” in team. We did this together.
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.
