Whenever econo late model driver Bubba Jones wins, he gives his helmet to a young fan. It’s his way to keep people coming back to the races.
“Bubba came in twice in recent weeks and bought a size XL G-Force Rift helmet,” said Kevin Shaw, of RaceDaySafety. “I asked him how he could need three helmets so far this season. He said he was concerned the stands weren’t filled, and he felt the solution was all about drivers interacting with their fans, finding ways to bring them back week after week. He was giving these helmets away.”
That’s a $300 investment in the future of the sport every time he hands a helmet. This past weekend he won at Fort Payne Motor Speedway in Fyffe, Alabama, and a young fan received his helmet.
“It was a spur of the moment thing,” Jones, of Dawson, Alabama, said. “I saw this little girl up against the fence waving as we lined up for the feature. I revved my engine, and she jumped and waved even more. After the race, I found that girl in the crowd and gave her my helmet.”
Jones understands how one encounter can lead to a lifelong passion.
“We went to Fort Payne Motor Speedway as a family on my 40th birthday — that was four years ago,” said Jones. “My nephew Cole Jones started it all. A year later I had a car — I had to get a car and race. Then my brother Joey Jones got a car, my brother-in-law Joseph Connor has a car, my other brother Dustin got a car and my cousin Chris Brooks got a car. My dad, Paul, who owns Southern Pride Towing, has his wreckers at the track.”
Some said that giving away $300 helmets is an expensive way to keep fans. Bubba Jones, a construction supervisor, argued otherwise.
“The naysayers ask, ‘Do you really have the money to buy those helmets?’” said Jones. “I answer, ‘Absolutely not!’ To see the excitement on that little girl’s face when I handed over my helmet is priceless. Her dad, Brandon Hawkins, called me today and said he bought a race car. I’ll pull an extra shift at work to make up the cost. You see, it’s well worth it.”
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.
