Special Events

Dan Murphy's
3rd Annual 24 Hour Race for Kids
Benefiting the Children's Hospital at
Albany Medical Center
March 22 - 23, 2002

Friday, 3pm: Time 2 hours till Start
Local Radio host Jr Gach hosts a special live remote to start the festivities. Jr sent his new producer into a car and called the race play by play. Jr has decided that maybe he should have become a NASCAR announcer. Dan was on live to let race fans know how they could race against him to raise money for the children's hospital.

Prizes & Giveaways!

Friday, 4:50pm: Time 10 minutes till start
The camera is all set up for the live remote of local Sports Anchor Dan's first race. The local ABC affiliate, WTEN - 10, is going to break into the news at 5, 5:30 and 6pm giving live sports reports while he is driving the car. He wants to know if Dale Jarrett can race at 200 MPH and give the scores to the hockey games. Dan is all excited to get the event started.
Friday, 8:15pm:
Time 3 hours, 15 minutes
Dan is trying his hand at the newest track, Daytona Extreme. He finds the thrill of racing at speeds over 230 MPH very exciting and a bit of a challenge. After receiving a few tips from the Speedway crew, Dan jumps back in and races it again. Now he knows what high bank super speedway racing is all about.

Friday 10:45pm: Time 5 hours, 45 minutes
As Dan heads back into the car, his producer is getting all the last minute adjustments ready for the 11pm news live remote. The poor staff is already tired from all the excitement and Dan is just catching his rhythm for the races. What you can't see in this picture is that Dan is adjusting his custom made seat cushion. After 2 prior years of this event Dan has come up with a "Secret weapon" to help him through the long night. NASCAR has not yet approved the new seat cushion design.

Saturday 1:30am: Time 8 hours, 30 minutes
With 63 races under his tires already Dan is getting ready for the long stretch of the event. Between each of the 8-minute races he gets out of the car and stretches and tries to stay awake. He will also take time to personally thank as many people as he can for supporting the Children's Hospital through his 24 hour Racing Event.

Dan's Fan Club!

Saturday 3:00 am: Time 10 hours
Well into the special "Race for Kids Competition" the gang takes a break for some great food. These drivers all paid $100 each to race in this special event where the Winner gets to drive a racecar at the Pocono Speedway in Pennsylvania. Racing took place on all the Speedway tracks including the road courses. Dan being the good sport gave the road courses a shot even though he had never raced them before.

Saturday 6:00am: Time 13 hours
Dan celebrates with the top three winners of the "Race for Kids Competition". The 4 tired racers pictured from left to right are: Ed "Sleeveless" Burrell (2nd place), Mike "Barefoot" Scorzelli (1st place), Shawn "Ice Man" Smith (3rd place), and Dan Murphy. Behind them is the DIRT racecar that is driven by Ronnie Johnson.

Saturday 11:20 am: Time 18 hours,
20 minutes
Dan hops out of the car after a race, stretches, smiles and asks what is the next race? It has been a long night and he is counting the races until he is done. With 46 more races to go, each lap brings him closer to a successful event. Maybe Dan should not only run Winston Cup races next year with all this racing under his belt, but he should also race in the Daytona 24 hour Race.

Saturday 5:00pm: Time 24 hours
Dan does it! He completes 3,000 miles during the 24 Hour Race for Kids event. As he exits the car he is handed the "Iron Man" trophy. The basket is full of energy bars, Gatorade, heat wraps, Bengay and other items to help him recover. We are sure his smile is not just for finishing his 3rd annual event, but also for all the kids that have been helped at the Children's Hospital at Albany Medical Center.

Congratulations Dan - You are a real champion!

For information about the Children's Hospital at Albany Medical Center
please visit the following links:
CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL AT ALBANY MEDICAL CENTER
WTEN Albany News 10 - 3rd Annual 24-Hour Race For Kids

Click here to check out our Coverage of Dan's previous 24 Hour Races!