FRASER, FANS TEAM UP WITH NEW CAR, NEW LOOK


     MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Scott Fraser will unveil a new race car with a new look for his new sponsor this weekend at Memphis Motorsports Park.
     The sponsorship is for two of the remaining three American Speed Association (ASA) races, Memphis and Winchester. Fraser wanted a new look just to honor the sponsor, which is a group of people very special to him: His fans.
     When Fraser spun in oil and crashed King Racing's only car beyond repair at Chicago on July 8, the team had to buy another chassis, return to Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, and build another car.
     Upon arrival in Nova Scotia, Fraser was met with an enthusiastic reception from a group of his fans. Seizing upon opportunity, the Scott Fraser Fan Club quickly organized a Lap Sponsor Sale in which fans of Fraser were asked to contribute $100 to sponsor a lap when the No. 00 Chevrolet Monte Carlo returned to the track.
     The reception of the idea was amazing, and everything culminated with the presentation of a check for $33,400 to the team at the First Annual Scott Fraser Fan Club Tailgate Party at Scotia Speedworld in Halifax on Aug. 11. Since the party, however, contributions have continued to pour in and the total is now approaching $40,000.
     "The lap sale was not only a financial boost for us, it was a terrific morale booster," said Fraser. "While we were building the new car we had a chance to recharge ourselves. The whole team was pretty much worn out and demoralized because of all the bad luck we had during the six weeks prior to Chicago. Now we're ready to go out and run up front again. I just can't describe how much I appreciate my fans, so we decided to make the car commemorative to them."
     Instead of the white car with red and blue lettering, the car to be unveiled at Memphis will be painted bright blue with white lettering. On each of the rear quarterpanels in large lettering will be "FANS OF FRASER." Then, also on the quarterpanels, in black lettering will be the names of every contributor who participated in the lap sponsor sale. "FANS OF FRASER" will also appear across the rear of the car. The hood will be white with a red Canadian Maple Leaf and the words "King Freight Lines." The blue paint is the same color that is used on the trucks of King Freight Lines, a company owned by Fraser's team owner, Roland (Rollie) MacDonald of Pictou, Nova Scotia.
     One particular fan, Garth Atkinson of Stoney Island, Nova Scotia, is elated with winning the grand prize at the Aug. 11 tailgate party -- an expense-paid trip to Winchester, where he will be an honorary pit crew member. The tailgate party was sponsored by Performance PR Plus, in conjunction with the fan club effort, led by Joan Roue, coordinator of www.scottfraseronline.com, and by Brenda Dunphy, fan club president.
     Fraser has not raced at either Memphis or Winchester, but he's eager to get back to racing after a two-month layoff.
     "Being away is not going to have a negative effect on us," Fraser said. "I've never seen this team so pumped up.
     "I haven't really heard much about either track except that Memphis is flat and Winchester is fast – totally different tracks, I guess. But we have run well on older, high-banked tracks such as Winchester and also on flat tracks like Memphis. Although Memphis has a ‘D-shaped' configuration, we've been told it runs a lot like Chicago. That would be nice."