NASCAR Salutes Law Enforcement at Dover International Speedway®

Sunday was a great day for the races!

The past Sunday, June 2nd, the Memorial Fund once again teamed up with Dover International Speedway® for our 5th Annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. More than 300 law enforcement officers, their families and supporters participated in our pre-race events which helped to raise more than $6,000 for the National Law Enforcement Museum Campaign. Pre-race activities included door prizes from the NLEOMF gift shop, bagpipes and drums, a Nascar® driver appearance, and the presentation of the NLEOMF Harley-Davidson raffle bike to it's winner Edwin H.!

Kurt Busch, driver of the #78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet SS, stopped by to say a few words about the race and his experiences over the years on the track. Kurt was moved by the story of Sergeant Hector Ayala, a fallen officer from the Montgomery County (MD) Police Department. Hector's wife and son, Melissa Ayala and Hector Ayala Jr., came out to support the Memorial Fund and spoke poignantly to the gathered crowd about what the Memorial means to her and her children.


Harley Raffle Winner Edwin H. and NLEOMF CEO Craig Floyd at Dover

Another of our big activities in the tent was awarding Edwin H. the Peace Officers’ Special Edition motorcycle he won from the 2013 Harley® raffle. Each year, Harley-Davison® donates a motorcycle for the Memorial to raffle off during police week. Their generosity has raised over $600,000 for the Museum Campaign.  Edwin has been a law enforcement professional for more than 45 years in Nassau County. He spent 34 years as a Nassau County Police Officer, and for the past 11 years has been employed by the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, assigned to the DEA Task Force.

To finish off a successful day at the races, a check for more than $6,000 was presented to the Memorial Fund. On hand to except the check were Craig Floyd, Chairman and CEO of the Memorial Fund, the family of fallen officer Hector Ayala, and Mark Rossi, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Dover International Speedway®. It was a great day for racing, the Memorial Fund and fans. Thank you to all those who participated and helped us make this event such a great success!