He may be gone, but Eric Medlen will never be forgotten, at least not at Infineon Raceway. Medlen, a native of nearby Oakdale (Stanislaus County), succumbed in March, 2007, to injuries sustained from an accident at a test session in Florida.
To honor Medlen, Infineon Raceway created two special events that will continue in 2008. Race fans are invited to attend the 2nd annual Eric Medlen Nitro Night Dinner at the fabulous Fior d'Italia Restaurant in San Francisco, as well as the 2nd annual Eric Medlen Ice Cream Social.
The inaugural dinner was held in 2007 and was a sold-out affair, attended by many of Medlen's friends and family from Oakdale, including his mother (Mimi), father (John) and step-mother (Martha).
The dinner will be held on Thursday, July 26, with cocktails at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 7:30 p.m. (www.fior.com). Top drivers are expected to attend and cost is $125 per person. To secure your spot, call Denise Silver at 707-933-3950. All proceeds benefit needy youth groups in Sonoma County through Speedway Children's Charities.
The raceway will also honor Medlen after the final pair of dragsters rumbles down the drag strip on Sunday, July 27, with the Eric Medlen Ice Cream Social. Fans are invited onto the race surface for a free scoop of ice cream, compliments of our good friends at Dreyer's Ice Cream. Fans are also encouraged to donate whatever they can to the Eric Medlen Scholarship Fund, and the raceway will match it, up to $5,000.
Fans combined to donate $4,543 last year, which turned into more than $9,000 with the raceway's matching funds. The scholarship is awarded annually to the winner of Infineon Raceway's high school bracket drag racing division. The scholarship is presented in Medlen's name.
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