October 13, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
HOMMEL HAS GOOD WEEKEND; MOVE TO REHAB SOON
Knoxville, TN --- There has been enough progress in the recovery efforts of Duayne Hommel, 25, Newport, TN, a dirt Late Model star driver who was severely injured September 23 in a traffic accident, that doctors at the University of Tennessee Hospital in Knoxville, TN have decided to have Hommel transported to a rehabilitation facility in Georgia. The move could come within a week. In related news Duayne Hommel crew chief Tommy Hicks suffered a mild heart attack early Sunday morning after a very successful benefit weekend at Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, GA.
“He’s (Duayne) about the same, which means everything is still good,” reported Ron “Flea” Fleenor, family spokesperson late Monday evening. “He had a real good weekend. His lung is starting to clear up a little bit. They aren’t sure today but they think probably towards the end of the week they will move him down to Shepard’s, a rehab facility in Georgia. They’re just waiting for him to wake up, then it’ll be all on him. He’ll squint his eyes, and when you tickle his foot he pulls back.”
Despite the serious ordeal Hommel, family and friends have gone through since the accident, glimmers of humor are occurring from time to time.
“His kid sister Kayla was putting some lip balm on his lips and I said, ‘Hey, man, she’s putting pink lipstick on your lips’ (laughs)!” chuckled Fleenor. “He just needs to wake the hell up.”
In addition to Hommel’s condition, listed as serious by hospital officials, team crew chief Tommy Hicks is recovering from a mild heart attack early Sunday morning and is expected to be released by midweek.
“Now we’ve got Tommy in the hospital,” related Fleenor. “We left Dixie (Speedway) at midnight and drove home and I dropped him off at his truck at about 3:00 AM and told him to call me about 11:00 or 12:00 and we’d go see Duayne. So about 11:30 his girlfriend Vicky called and said Tommy wanted her to call and let me know he’d be a little late. She said they were at the hospital and he had a heart attack!”
“They’ve done some blood tests and checked things out. Today they did a heart catherization. Everything went OK, apparently he has a small blockage and he had a small heart attack. So he’ll have to watch his diet and quit smoking.”
Over the weekend during the 14th Annual Xtreme Hardee's Shootout Presented By Coca-Cola at Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, GA, a silent auction was held by track and series officials which included other benefit projects.
“It was great,” commented Fleenor. “It was a great race to watch but we were just bombarded with people as soon as that T-Shirt trailer opened up. People kept coming by and saying we’re thinking of you guys and praying for Duayne, praying for you guys. The whole weekend was just awesome.”
The silent auction benefit was a huge success with many drivers from dirt Late Model racing and NASCAR racing donating prized items.
Race Art Custom Helmets offered a special tribute racing helmet during the weekend that was raffled off. It was won by a young woman from Oklahoma.
“When they called that number out you could hear her screaming down the hallway,” informed Fleenor. “Here’s a good one about the helmet. Tommy and I were walking around Saturday and he was holding the helmet and selling tickets, we decided we were going to make the rounds through the pits. Well we get up to Ray Cook and I had that roll of tickets in my hand and I said, ‘OK Cook, get some money out! (laughs)”
“I started reeling the tickets off and he said I want one with the #53 on it. I said OK, so I split the roll up about ten tickets from where he wanted to be, gave him the #53 on the end. Well, the gal who won the helmet had #52, and he didn’t want #52 (laughs)! Sorry about your luck, Ray (laughs)! He had to have one with #53 on it!”
“Carolina Performance and Kip Cochran and Woody had the Mastersbilt chassis raffle tickets and they sold real well. There is a chance they might pull the winning ticket at the PRI Show in Indianapolis since everyone who donated to the race car will be there. It’s not official yet but they may do that.
Fleenor confirmed several ongoing fund-raising projects that are underway to help raise money for the star driver’s expenses, as well as updated information on existing projects.
“Like I mentioned, Carolina Performance and Kip Cochran have got him a Mastersbilt chassis coming to raffle off,” stated Fleenor. “The fellow helping put this deal together with Kip is named Woody. They are putting everything together and build the car at their shop. If someone wants to donate parts and get on the car they need to call Kip. There is still a lot of stuff to be had and (Hommel crew chief) Tommy (Hicks) is working on helping them get everything for it.”
The chassis came from Keith & Tader Masters’ Mastersbilt Race Cars while other components have been donated by Brinn Transmissions, Peterson Aluminum, Classic Powder Coat, Sweet Engineering, Winters, Performance Friction, Quick Car Gauges, Powell Pedals, Ultra Shield Belts, Oval Craft Seats and Poske Performance. Addition donations will be announced later.
The raffle tickets for the new Mastersbilt Race Car and components are now available for $10.00 each. You can purchase the raffle tickets by check or money order at: Carolina Performance, 1009 Bell Dowdle Road, Franklin, NC 28734. You can also order raffle tickets by credit card by calling 828-369-2012. For additional information visit the Carolina Performance website at: http://www.dnet.net/jperry/carolinaperformance/home.html
In addition Hommel crew member Mike Hayes, owner of Mike’s Mini Late Models, will be selling mini-replica dirt Late Models of Duayne Hommel’s famed #H2 dirt Late Model with all proceeds going to the Hommel family. The mini-replica’s are hand crafted from sheet metal and painted and decaled to resemble Hommel’s #H2 and are 1/12th scale and are priced at $100 each. To order a Duayne Hommel Mini-Late Model contact Haynes at: 423.625.6360 or visit the Mike’s Mini Late Models website at: http://www.minilatemodels.com to view samples and order.
Hayes will also be raffling a #H2 replica car at each remaining Southern Allstars Series race for $5.00 per raffle ticket with a winner drawn each night. All proceeds go to the Hommel family.
Fleenor also revealed that a benefit golf tournament is being planned for next month.
“It’s still in the preliminary stages but ‘Pup’ Thomas of Hoosier Tire is putting together a benefit golf tournament that will be held on Friday November 21,” said Fleenor. “It will be held at the Flagstone Golf Course in Cleveland, TN.”
Interested participants are encouraged to telephone Thomas at Hoosier Tire at 865-970-3110.
Among the new fundraising projects will be replicas of Duayne Hommel’s door from his #H2 Warrior Race Car and orders can be placed immediately.
“We’re going to be selling doors for $150 each,” informed Fleenor. “It may take a little bit to get them, like a couple weeks. So if someone wants one call the race shop and we’ll get a list of people who want doors. Once we get it figured out how many ordered we’ll go from there.”
Anyone interested in purchasing a #H2 racecar door can call the Duayne Hommel Racing shop at: 423.613.5199.
Full Moon Graphics, who does the graphics for Duayne Hommel’s racecars, has produced a new decal with assistance from Larry, Josh & Justin Manning of Jacksonville, FL, and are available via mail order. All proceeds go to Duayne Hommel. To order send a SASE (self addressed, stamped envelop) and a check or money order to: Full Moon Graphics, 696 Highway 30 West, Athens, TN 37303. The decals are 6” x 5” so send an envelope accordingly. For more information contact Full Moon Graphics at: 423.745.7446. Website: www.speedartwork.com
Full Moon Graphics is also raffling a replica Duayne Hommel racing helmet. The raffle tickets will be on sale at various tracks to be announced and through their website. Tickets are $5.00 each and can be purchased through the address or telephone number listed above or through their website for credit card users.
Additional authorized benefit projects and fundraisers will be announced in the near future.
Cards and notes can reach Hommel at: Duayne Hommel Motorpsorts, 311 Industrial Road, Newport, TN 37821.
A fund has been set up to help assist Duayne Hommel defray medical expenses. If you would like to make a donation to assist Duayne, Christi and Daegan please send them to: National Bank of Tennessee, Attn: Duayne Hommel Fund, PO Box 669, Newport, TN 37822.
-Prepared by Lehman Motorsports Services
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
HOMMEL HAS GOOD WEEKEND; MOVE TO REHAB SOON
Knoxville, TN --- There has been enough progress in the recovery efforts of Duayne Hommel, 25, Newport, TN, a dirt Late Model star driver who was severely injured September 23 in a traffic accident, that doctors at the University of Tennessee Hospital in Knoxville, TN have decided to have Hommel transported to a rehabilitation facility in Georgia. The move could come within a week. In related news Duayne Hommel crew chief Tommy Hicks suffered a mild heart attack early Sunday morning after a very successful benefit weekend at Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, GA.
“He’s (Duayne) about the same, which means everything is still good,” reported Ron “Flea” Fleenor, family spokesperson late Monday evening. “He had a real good weekend. His lung is starting to clear up a little bit. They aren’t sure today but they think probably towards the end of the week they will move him down to Shepard’s, a rehab facility in Georgia. They’re just waiting for him to wake up, then it’ll be all on him. He’ll squint his eyes, and when you tickle his foot he pulls back.”
Despite the serious ordeal Hommel, family and friends have gone through since the accident, glimmers of humor are occurring from time to time.
“His kid sister Kayla was putting some lip balm on his lips and I said, ‘Hey, man, she’s putting pink lipstick on your lips’ (laughs)!” chuckled Fleenor. “He just needs to wake the hell up.”
In addition to Hommel’s condition, listed as serious by hospital officials, team crew chief Tommy Hicks is recovering from a mild heart attack early Sunday morning and is expected to be released by midweek.
“Now we’ve got Tommy in the hospital,” related Fleenor. “We left Dixie (Speedway) at midnight and drove home and I dropped him off at his truck at about 3:00 AM and told him to call me about 11:00 or 12:00 and we’d go see Duayne. So about 11:30 his girlfriend Vicky called and said Tommy wanted her to call and let me know he’d be a little late. She said they were at the hospital and he had a heart attack!”
“They’ve done some blood tests and checked things out. Today they did a heart catherization. Everything went OK, apparently he has a small blockage and he had a small heart attack. So he’ll have to watch his diet and quit smoking.”
Over the weekend during the 14th Annual Xtreme Hardee's Shootout Presented By Coca-Cola at Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, GA, a silent auction was held by track and series officials which included other benefit projects.
“It was great,” commented Fleenor. “It was a great race to watch but we were just bombarded with people as soon as that T-Shirt trailer opened up. People kept coming by and saying we’re thinking of you guys and praying for Duayne, praying for you guys. The whole weekend was just awesome.”
The silent auction benefit was a huge success with many drivers from dirt Late Model racing and NASCAR racing donating prized items.
Race Art Custom Helmets offered a special tribute racing helmet during the weekend that was raffled off. It was won by a young woman from Oklahoma.
“When they called that number out you could hear her screaming down the hallway,” informed Fleenor. “Here’s a good one about the helmet. Tommy and I were walking around Saturday and he was holding the helmet and selling tickets, we decided we were going to make the rounds through the pits. Well we get up to Ray Cook and I had that roll of tickets in my hand and I said, ‘OK Cook, get some money out! (laughs)”
“I started reeling the tickets off and he said I want one with the #53 on it. I said OK, so I split the roll up about ten tickets from where he wanted to be, gave him the #53 on the end. Well, the gal who won the helmet had #52, and he didn’t want #52 (laughs)! Sorry about your luck, Ray (laughs)! He had to have one with #53 on it!”
“Carolina Performance and Kip Cochran and Woody had the Mastersbilt chassis raffle tickets and they sold real well. There is a chance they might pull the winning ticket at the PRI Show in Indianapolis since everyone who donated to the race car will be there. It’s not official yet but they may do that.
Fleenor confirmed several ongoing fund-raising projects that are underway to help raise money for the star driver’s expenses, as well as updated information on existing projects.
“Like I mentioned, Carolina Performance and Kip Cochran have got him a Mastersbilt chassis coming to raffle off,” stated Fleenor. “The fellow helping put this deal together with Kip is named Woody. They are putting everything together and build the car at their shop. If someone wants to donate parts and get on the car they need to call Kip. There is still a lot of stuff to be had and (Hommel crew chief) Tommy (Hicks) is working on helping them get everything for it.”
The chassis came from Keith & Tader Masters’ Mastersbilt Race Cars while other components have been donated by Brinn Transmissions, Peterson Aluminum, Classic Powder Coat, Sweet Engineering, Winters, Performance Friction, Quick Car Gauges, Powell Pedals, Ultra Shield Belts, Oval Craft Seats and Poske Performance. Addition donations will be announced later.
The raffle tickets for the new Mastersbilt Race Car and components are now available for $10.00 each. You can purchase the raffle tickets by check or money order at: Carolina Performance, 1009 Bell Dowdle Road, Franklin, NC 28734. You can also order raffle tickets by credit card by calling 828-369-2012. For additional information visit the Carolina Performance website at: http://www.dnet.net/jperry/carolinaperformance/home.html
In addition Hommel crew member Mike Hayes, owner of Mike’s Mini Late Models, will be selling mini-replica dirt Late Models of Duayne Hommel’s famed #H2 dirt Late Model with all proceeds going to the Hommel family. The mini-replica’s are hand crafted from sheet metal and painted and decaled to resemble Hommel’s #H2 and are 1/12th scale and are priced at $100 each. To order a Duayne Hommel Mini-Late Model contact Haynes at: 423.625.6360 or visit the Mike’s Mini Late Models website at: http://www.minilatemodels.com to view samples and order.
Hayes will also be raffling a #H2 replica car at each remaining Southern Allstars Series race for $5.00 per raffle ticket with a winner drawn each night. All proceeds go to the Hommel family.
Fleenor also revealed that a benefit golf tournament is being planned for next month.
“It’s still in the preliminary stages but ‘Pup’ Thomas of Hoosier Tire is putting together a benefit golf tournament that will be held on Friday November 21,” said Fleenor. “It will be held at the Flagstone Golf Course in Cleveland, TN.”
Interested participants are encouraged to telephone Thomas at Hoosier Tire at 865-970-3110.
Among the new fundraising projects will be replicas of Duayne Hommel’s door from his #H2 Warrior Race Car and orders can be placed immediately.
“We’re going to be selling doors for $150 each,” informed Fleenor. “It may take a little bit to get them, like a couple weeks. So if someone wants one call the race shop and we’ll get a list of people who want doors. Once we get it figured out how many ordered we’ll go from there.”
Anyone interested in purchasing a #H2 racecar door can call the Duayne Hommel Racing shop at: 423.613.5199.
Full Moon Graphics, who does the graphics for Duayne Hommel’s racecars, has produced a new decal with assistance from Larry, Josh & Justin Manning of Jacksonville, FL, and are available via mail order. All proceeds go to Duayne Hommel. To order send a SASE (self addressed, stamped envelop) and a check or money order to: Full Moon Graphics, 696 Highway 30 West, Athens, TN 37303. The decals are 6” x 5” so send an envelope accordingly. For more information contact Full Moon Graphics at: 423.745.7446. Website: www.speedartwork.com
Full Moon Graphics is also raffling a replica Duayne Hommel racing helmet. The raffle tickets will be on sale at various tracks to be announced and through their website. Tickets are $5.00 each and can be purchased through the address or telephone number listed above or through their website for credit card users.
Additional authorized benefit projects and fundraisers will be announced in the near future.
Cards and notes can reach Hommel at: Duayne Hommel Motorpsorts, 311 Industrial Road, Newport, TN 37821.
A fund has been set up to help assist Duayne Hommel defray medical expenses. If you would like to make a donation to assist Duayne, Christi and Daegan please send them to: National Bank of Tennessee, Attn: Duayne Hommel Fund, PO Box 669, Newport, TN 37822.
-Prepared by Lehman Motorsports Services
