Auto racer issues a challenge

Joey Bird, who races Late Models at Stateline Speedway this season, wants to help victims of last week's tornado in Oklahoma - and he's challenging fellow race car drivers and others to help as well.

Bird, 17, who lives in Spokane Valley and is a junior at University High, wants to challenge fellow drivers to donate half of their winnings from the next two races to the relief fund.

"Joey just wants to get the community more involved in helping each other when devastation occurs," said his mother, Mary Alexander. "He said it seems the only people that step up (in these) events are the people in the entertainment industry that have a lot of money or access to media exposure, which is great but after the shootings in Connecticut, he said he wished he could help. So when the Oklahoma tragedy happened, he was all about getting the local racing community involved."

Also, Bird wants to hold a 50/50 raffle at every race at Stateline for the next month, with half going to the relief fund. Joey Bird Racing would run this fundraiser.

Info: JoeyBirdRacing.com