MARNE, Mich. — Back in May, Berlin Raceway in Marne was announced as the winner of the nationwide Advance Auto Parts 'Advance My Track' challenge.
The contest victory meant a $50,000 payday for the track to spend however they'd like and that spending will start to go back to the community as early as this Saturday night.
The track will be hosting a celebration night with a pre-race concert, a full night of racing and post-race fireworks.
"I think it's going to mean the world to not only us as a team here at Berlin Raceway but our hope would be that it would be a tremendous celebration for the fans that have supported Berlin over the years," said General Manager, Jeff Striegle.
The night will begin with a concert from Warner Nashville recording artist, Tucker Beathard before the green flag drops on racing at around 6:45 p.m.
"It's going to be a big night, that's for sure," Striegle smiled, "it starts off tomorrow night with that pre-race concert and then we'll cap the night off with a big, and I mean big, fireworks show."
Striegle also adds that the $50,000 check for the raceway means a better fan experience and they'll also give back to the community in different ways.
"The $50,000 will go towards refurbishment of our main concession stand and turn two-deck, we want those who may be handicapped to have access," he added.
"Secondly, we're going to start our own non-profit, we want to do something to give back, we're going to do that by helping disadvantaged kids in the West Michigan area. We want to get them to the race track and experience what we experience every Saturday night."
Advance Auto Parts Chief Marketing Officer, Jason McDonell says he wasn't surprised that Berlin won their competition.
"I've been there several times and that area is just so passionate about racing," he added.
McDonell says for their company, they just wanted to give back in whatever way they could.
"It hasn't been an easy time for small businesses and I think it's important to give back, that's the first piece," he told FOX 17, "the second piece is about is what Berlin is going to do with the money, they're going to give back to the fans and community and that's extremely important."
Tickets are still available for the night, you can visit the Berlin Raceway website for more details.
