Full Throttle

The sound of auctioneers gavels will be heard loud and clear throughout NASCAR Nation as three separate and distinct auctions are held this weekend.

NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Stephen Leicht, driver of the #29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing will be auctioning race memorabilia from his personal collection on GoMotorBids.com.

“I am excited to offer my fans access to authentic memorabilia that has actually been a part of my racing career,” he commented. “These items were used or worn during some of the biggest moments of my career. I want my fans to have the opportunity to share in the excitement of those racing moments. It is my intention to continue to find new and exciting ways to interact with my fans and make their racing experience truly unique.”

In addition to the auction Leicht is giving one lucky auction winner and three friends the opportunity to attend the upcoming racing events at Daytona in true driver style.

In an exclusive partnership with www.GoMotorBids.com, Leicht will be auctioning off an all-inclusive race weekend experience which will include accommodations on his personal luxury motorcoach (located in a VIP restricted lot), use of his custom golf cart and passes to the race events from February 12th-15th. Food and beverage are also included in the package plus a personal garage tour provided by Leicht himself. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, a non-profit organization founded by Richard and Judy Childress dedicated to saving kids’ lives when injured.

Auctions will be open for bidding from January 15th through January 25th.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.- Some of NASCAR’s most famous celebrities and vehicles will appear this week during the 38th Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction in Scottsdale, Ariz. Past and present stars will take part in charity sales, including “The King” Richard Petty and Rick Hendrick. The auction runs through Sunday, with nearly 40 hours of live, high-definition coverage by SPEED.

“With the racing season yet to begin, Barrett-Jackson has become the epicenter of the NASCAR world,” said Craig Jackson, Chairman/CEO of Barrett-Jackson. “Icons like Richard Petty, Jack Roush and Rick Hendrick come to Scottsdale to raise funds and awareness for some amazing charities, while enjoying an atmosphere that is comparable to a NASCAR weekend.”

Petty will drive a 1970 Plymouth Superbird custom tribute (Lot #1289) onto the block Saturday. The Superbird, which will be sold to benefit The Darrell Gwynn Foundation, was built by YearOne in conjunction with Musclecar TV, Bill Goldberg and Gillette Evernham Motorsports. (See video of the Superbird in a the sidebar) Goldberg and Darrell Gwynn will join Petty on the block for the sale. Tony Stewart’s race-winning 2007 Chevy Monte Carlo NASCAR (Lot #1575) will also be sold to benefit The Darrell Gwynn Foundation.

Team owner Hendrick will address the Barrett-Jackson crowd on Saturday before the sale of Jeff Gordon’s 2006 Chevy Monte Carlo NASCAR (Lot #1274). All proceeds from the sale of the “Rainbow Warrior’s” race car will be donated to the Hendrick Morrow Program. Fellow owner Jack Roush will be present on Sunday to auction a 2008 Ford Mustang GT ROUSH P-51A (Lot #1575.1). This 510 horsepower Mustang is No. 104 of 151 built and will benefit Speedway Children’s Charities.

Among Thursday’s highlights was retired driver Rusty Wallace on stage to help sell an officially licensed 2009 60th Anniversary NASCAR Motorcycle built by Destination Daytona (Lot #706). The commemorative bike fetched $50,000 that will be donated to Victory Junction Gang through The NASCAR Foundation. Wallace will also sell his 1933 Ford 3 window custom coup on Sunday.

BIRMINGHAM, ALA. - Birmingham’s Fair Park Arena seems like an awfully odd place to find a transmission out of one of NASCAR team owner Jack Roush’s race cars, but there one sat Thursday.

Fair Park Arena is the site of a yard sale of sorts this weekend but it isn’t just any yard sale.

Several of NASCAR’s top teams as well as short-track teams from across the South are ditching their used, outdated and unneeded equipment this weekend at the 31st annual Southern Racer’s Auction and Trade Show.

Just as you might want to stick that little-used George Foreman Grill in your yard sale, big NASCAR teams have little-used items that they want to get rid of.

The auction, which began Thursday night and continues from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. today, Saturday and Sunday, is open to the public. Admission for the weekend is $20 or $10 for Sunday only. Visitors must be pre-registered to bid.

The top NASCAR teams rarely use their expensive parts for more than a race or two and that creates a huge surplus of unneeded parts that just take up warehouse space. Those discounted parts are often a godsend to race teams operating on tighter budgets.

ARCA teams, some lower-level Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series teams and plenty of short-track racing teams are expected to be among the 3,000 or so people who likely will come through the auction looking for a bargain.

“There’s everything here from fan blades to car haulers.” said Maria Vannice, MOS Auctions.