Loose Leaf Notes

~ The following first appeared in The Floyd Press on October 31, 2013.

NASCAR Night at Ray’s Restaurant was a big hit.  The recent fundraiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the Nichols family packed the house for dinner and a live auction.

Floyd native, Charles Moles (pictured above) spends the majority of his time on the road with NASCAR.  On a recent hometown visit, Moles met with Ray Hatcher, the owner of Ray’s Restaurant. Hatcher posed the possibility of doing something to benefit the Nichols family.  Duane and April Nichols have two young daughters, Karlie (9) and Ella (4), who require ongoing treatment for Cystic Fibrosis (CF).  An older daughter, Olivia, does not have CF.   

Moles, a tire expert who transports and hauls cars with Swan Racing, worked for the next two months, collecting prized NASCAR items and autographed memorabilia for the event’s live auction.  Items included everything from hats and portraits autographed by drivers to a fender from the back of Danica Patrick’s racecar. 

Cole Whitt’s #30 car was on display and drew attention.  A helmet, autographed by a collection of well-known drivers, was auctioned for $430. A moonshine jug, representing a connection with the earliest days NASCAR, was donated for auction by Dean Atkins of Ferrum.  Atkins, who, along with his wife, is a regular patron at Ray’s, said the jug belonged to his great-great-grandfather who ran a corn mill. “It has sentimental value but it’s for a good cause,” he said.  

The auction was led by Dale Moran with the help of Moles and Duane Nichols.  Nichols said people dropped off donated items at the Nichols brothers’ garage for the benefit auction.  Donations included a Richard Petty telephone, Bill Elliot hats and a quarter panel from a car driven by Kevin Harvick.  

“This was a bigger turnout than I expected,” said Joyce Howery, a longtime Ray’s employee who put together the dinner buffet with the help of her crew.   Karlie and Ella’s mother,  April Nichols, was also surprised by the community outpouring.  “This is the biggest thing we’ve done.  I’ve never seen so many cars parked outside of Ray’s,” she said with wide eyes.

Nichols explained that half of the night’s proceeds will go to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the other half is slated for the Floyd Medical Charities in Karlie and Ella’s names. (The girls are pictured above.) Those funds will go towards treatments, medications and travel expenses to and from UVA, where the girls go for health care.

“Ninety cents of every dollar donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation goes for research,” said Nichols.  She expressed her hopefulness about the recent progress the foundation has made on CF treatment outcomes.