Delaware State Police Announce 37th Annual Camp Barnes Benefit Stock Car Race

Delmar- The 37th Annual Camp Barnes Benefit Stock Car Race will be held at the Delaware International Speedway on Tuesday, July 7, 2009. Gates to the speedway will open at 5:00 p.m. and racing action begins at 7:00 p.m. The rain date is scheduled for Wednesday, July 8, 2009. The Delaware International Speedway is located on (Sussex Highway) US 13 north of the Delaware – Maryland line. Tickets to the event are available at the speedway’s ticket booth the night of the event. Spectator tickets are $15.00 and pit tickets are $25.00. Children ten years of age and under accompanied by a parent or guardian are admitted free to spectator seating.

This year’s event will again feature competitors from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and Delaware. Drivers will compete for over $35,000 in prize money. Modified, Late Models, Street Modified, Modified Lites, TSS AC Delco Modified and Little Lincoln Vintage Cars will compete in over 100 laps of feature racing in their respective classes.

Also, back by popular demand is the 12th Annual Camp Barnes Shoot-Out featuring the top five finishers from the Modified feature and the top five finishers from the Late Model Feature. A $2,000 cash purse is at stake when they go head-to-head in a twelve-lap dash.

Camp Barnes originally opened in 1948 to combat juvenile delinquency. The camp was named in recognition of Colonel Herbert A. Barnes. Colonel Barnes was the Superintendent of the State Police at the time of the camp’s establishment, and he was instrumental in raising the necessary funds and volunteer help to make Camp Barnes a reality. The camp is located next to the Assawoman Wildlife Area on Miller Creek, 6.7 miles southeast of Bethany Beach. During an eight-week span in the summer, sixty children, ages ten to thirteen attend Camp Barnes each week with no financial burden on their parents or guardians. The camp operates on an annual budget of approximately $223,000 a year not including major repairs, which the camp greatly needs. Camp Barnes gives approximately eight hundred underprivileged children a 2 to 5 night camp experience they would never have. The camp is used by Delaware State Police Underprivileged Camp Week, Special Olympics, City of Wilmington, 4-H Club, and Stockley Home for the Handicapped.

This is the time of year for our fund raising, starting with the Camp Barnes and Delaware State Police 2009 Stock Car Race at Delaware International Speed Way. If you can not make the race we would hope that you will consider sending a donation to help with the cost of carrying on this camping experience for the children of Delaware. The tax ID number is El#51-0062049. Your donation should be made out to Camp Barnes Inc. and sent to: Delaware State Police, P.O. Box 430, Dover, Delaware 19903. Thank you for your consideration.

For additional information, please contact Detective Preston (Pep) Lewis at (302) 856-5850 Ext. 301.