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Cherry Joined By Track Champ On Diversity Team

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By TONY FABRIZIO

afabrizio@tampatrib.com

Published: January 23, 2009

The first driver to win a track championship while part of NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program and a record seven female drivers will join Valrico's Michael Cherry on the 2009 team, NASCAR announced Thursday.

Cherry, 19, confirmed to TBO.com last weekend that he was selected to the team for a second year. After taking Rookie of the Year honors and finishing fourth in the late model points at Motor Mile Speedway in Virginia, Cherry will compete in the Whelen All-American Series at Greenville-Pickens (S.C.) Speedway.

The five-year-old program is a NASCAR initiative that aims to develop minority drivers and crewmen for national competition.

Max Siegel's new sports and entertainment company, the 909 Group, has taken over management of the program. Siegel is the former president of Dale Earnhardt Inc., which has merged with Chip Ganassi Racing.

Leading the expanded 12-driver team is Paul Harraka, who, while attending Duke last year, won the late model championship at All-American Speedway in Roseville, Calif.

Among the seven female drivers chosen is returnee Kristin Bumbera, the first female to win a race at Houston Motorsports Park.

Cherry, whose biological father is African-American, was the 2007 Sportsman champion at Clewiston's Hendry County Speedway and is the youngest and first black driver to win at East Bay Raceway.

He will drive for Addis Motorsports, which won the Greenville-Pickens championship in 2005 with owner Blair Addis. Addis hopes to bring Cherry to the Camping World Truck Series (formerly the Craftsman Truck Series) as soon as next year.

"I would love next year to be able to run the Camping World Series, but we have to see how this season ends up," Cherry said.

JOHNSON TAMPA STOP: Pegged to the Super Bowl, three-time defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson and multi-platinum recording artist Nick Lachey will host the celebrity "Super Skins Weekend" next Friday and Saturday.

The charity fundraiser will have two components: a celebrity party Friday night at Hula Bay Club that is open to the public and a golf tournament that is not. Tickets to the party are available at www.celebrityskinsgolf.com, with all proceeds going to multiple charities.

Among the other athletes and celebrities expected to participate are Jerry Rice, Jason Sehorn, Ken Griffey Jr., Anthony Munoz, Kyle Boller, Kevin Dillon of "Entourage" and 'N Sync member Joey Fatone.

Last year's Super Skins weekend in Phoenix raised more than $400,000 for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the Baseball Assistance Team, Alzheimer's Foundation of America, Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Jimmie Johnson Foundation and the Nick Lachey Foundation.

EAST BAY RACEWAY: Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer was at East Bay Raceway on Thursday, testing for the Lucas Oil Dirt Late Models portion of the upcoming Winternationals.

Tony Fabrizio

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