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Topic: Benevolent fund helping Billy Sellers
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Page 1 of 1 of 7 replies
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April 03, 2007 at
01:17:06 PM
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From Bill Sullivan:
Following a meeting late yesterday with John Padjen, Morrie Williams, Don Sharp and Brent Kaeding we are honored to announce that Billy Sellers will be assisted by the current GSC Benevolent Fund. This fund is designed to assist drivers who are seriously injured in a racing accident and unable to perform their regular daily activities such as employment, etc.
Sellers will be financed by the fund for the next three months in an effort to assist with his living and medical expenses during his recovery. At the eonclusion of the three month period the situation will be evaluated and possibly extended if needed.
Additionally, we are assembling an event this Saturday night at Placerville Speedway that will raise money for Sellers as well. The event will include a helmet pass that will immediately following qualifying. Rich Rosser, the owner of the #23 Sprint car in which Sellers was scheduled to drive for the 2007 season. Rosser will lead ALL of the sprint car drivers into the grandstands following the national anthem and special invocation by Placerville Speedway chaplain Don Wilson.
Additionally, a raffle is being assembled for the evening as well and many area businesses and race teams are donating a good deal of high dollar items. At this time I don't have the complete list as the calls are still coming in but a few items include a pair of Giants Tickets, a number of brand new power tools and much more two full season passes, good for two people at Placerville and more. !
This is a great example of community support people...for decades the name "Sellers" has pulled so many people into the grandstands at the Eldorado County Fairgrounds and its with due respect we contribute our efforts to help out. I hope to see other announcements and ideas come across my screen by tonight.
By tonight I hope to have a detailed press release out on this and am working on getting some tv news coverage for it as wel. If anyone would like to contribute something to the raffle, please email me direct at [email protected]
www.sprintcarchallengetour.com
www.placervillespeedway.com
www.stocktondirttrack.com
www.thunderbowlraceway.com
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April 03, 2007 at
01:21:22 PM
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This message was edited on
April 03, 2007 at
01:22:40 PM by Gary Thomas
This is great news and it goes to show how important keeping money in the fund is. Hopefully this encourages even more people to take part in the benevolent fund bbq at Silver Dollar Speedway during the GSC finale weekend in late July.
Also thanks to Bill for his work in organizing the stuff for P'ville this weekend.
www.sprintcarchallengetour.com
www.placervillespeedway.com
www.stocktondirttrack.com
www.thunderbowlraceway.com
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April 03, 2007 at
01:30:37 PM
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I am glad that the benevolent funds will be used to help Billy Sellers in this time of need. I always enjoy going to the bbq at the end of the year and this year I will make sure to donate more it it. How can all of us that are going to Antioch for the GSC help donate money since we won't be able to attend Placerville this weekend?
Looking forward to the new Golden State King of the
West series schedule!
Winged sprintcars = the fastest and most exciting
racecars on dirt!
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April 03, 2007 at
10:20:14 PM
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How about a helmet pass at antioch or maybe a 50/50 raffle. I know there will be a huge crowd there, and plenty of fans willing to help!
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April 03, 2007 at
11:41:47 PM
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do we have an update on how surgery went?
Get well soon Bill
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April 04, 2007 at
12:17:50 AM
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This is from Bill Sulivan:
Billy Sellers surgery is complete. The doctors walked out of the operating room "smiling" as things went well. The prior hardware in his back was remeoved and replaced with new components that are more protected for the future.
The new injury involved fusing the L2 lumbar down to L6. The shattered bone fragment that is lodged into his spinal canal was attached to a ligament to prevent any further movement and possible injury.
Surgery started at 7:30, he was out around 12:15 and at this time is doing well and is expected to fully recover.
The family wished to extend their thanks for all of the concerns, thoughts and prayers at this time. He is expected to be out of bed at some point tomorrow and depending on recovery could be discharged as early at Sunday. He will need to wear a brace for a minimum of three months.
Good news !
If all goes well, we will attempt to do a phone call to him over the air on Saturday night from Placerville so he can personally thank all the great fans and drivers that have shown their concern.
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April 04, 2007 at
10:26:08 AM
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Thanks for the update Gary!
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April 04, 2007 at
11:03:28 AM
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This message was edited on
April 04, 2007 at
11:16:38 AM by Mike Doyle
My name is Mike for what it is worth. I know that Gary has the record for volume. This is the latest from Bill Sullivan:Sprint driver Sellers begins road to to recovery following extensive surgery
Racing community unites to assist with family with expenses in the months to come
by Bill Sullivan
ROSEVILLE, CA ˆ Veteran open wheel race car driver Billy Sellers III of Sacramento underwent extensive surgery Tuesday morning at the Sutter Roseville Trauma Center for the treatment of serious injuries resulting from a racing accident that took place at Placerville Speedway last Saturday night.
Sellers was racing for the lead of the sprint car feature event when a collision sent his Rosser Motorsports owned #23r hard into the back stretch embankment of Placerville Speedway and more than 40 feet into the air before crashing to the ground and causing serious injury to the 34 year-old veteran driver.
The incident forced Placerville Speedway to cancel the remaining laps of the race Saturday night as rescue personnel from the El Dorado County Fire District and the Placerville Police Department responded to the El Dorado County Fairgrounds to perform an extensive extrication effort to remove Sellers from his severally damaged race car.
After being flown by helicopter to the Sutter Roseville Trauma Center shortly after 11 p.m. Sellers was diagnosed with several fractures in his spine, one of which destroyed the reconstructed area of his back that was injured several years ago in a non-racing related accident but was deemed strong enough to race by doctors in late 2006.
Due to the severe impact to the under carriage of the car, Sellers lower back absorbed the majority of the impact in Saturday‚s collision. The impact crushed the driveline into the lower portion of the high tech custom seat of the car, compressing his upper torso and causing fractures in both the L5 and L4 vertebras of his spine and complete destruction of the previous fusion in his spine, leaving a shattered bone fragment dangerously lodged in his spinal canal. Additionally he suffered a concussion as well as a bruised lung in the incident.
Tuesday morning, Sellers was in surgery for more than four hours. Doctors successfully fused his L2 vertebra to the L6 vertebra, reconstructed the previous fusion in his back with an improved design and secured the shattered bone fragment to a nearby ligament. Removal of the fragment was deemed too risky for fear of permanent damage.
„The doctors walked out of the operating room smiling and that was relief to all of us because there were so many risks involved,‰ said his mother Mary Sellers. „He‚s doing very well. They expect to get him up out of the bed by Wednesday or Thursday and if his recovery stays on schedule he could be discharged by Sunday.‰
A third generation race car driver, Sellers made his sprint car racing debut during an open competition event at Placerville Speedway in late 1989. The following season he returned and became the youngest driver to win a championship of its type nationwide and won another title several years later before racing part time throughout the years that followed until a fall caused his first serious back injury. At the end of 2006 he returned to auto racing and was planning on racing for a third career title this year, teaming with greatly respected car owner Rich Rosser.
While Sellers racing career began at Placerville Speedway, it unfortunately came to an end here last Saturday night. In response, the racing community has united to show a great deal of compassion and support for the father of two that recently opened his owned motor sports related business which constructs the aluminum wings for sprint cars. As a sole proprietor of the business, Sellers long recovery will limit his physical abilities to work on a daily basis.
Members of the racing community have stepped forward to assist with the operation of the business in the months to come. Racing promoter John Padjen and the board members of the California Golden State Benevolent fund have approved financial assistance to Sellers to help with his everyday living expenses and members of the business community and the general public are rallying to participate I a special fundraiser this Saturday night at Placerville Speedway. The event includes a helmet collection in the grandstands as well as a raffle in which all of the proceeds will go to the Sellers Recovery Fund. Additionally, many fellow drivers are announcing they will donate all of their winnings from the coming event to the effort as well.
„I appreciate what everyone is doing to help out,‰ said Sellers, who was I good spirits in his hospital bed the evening prior to his surgery. „It‚s pretty overwhelming. I really didn‚t think anything like this would ever happen to me again. Its not something you think about when you do what we do. There‚s not a lot I remember about the crash and from what everyone tells me that‚s a good thing. I‚d like to thank everyone for their support. I know I‚ll never be in a race car again but I plan to stay involved with my business once I am back on my feet.‰
Saturday night Placerville Speedway will host the second night of championship auto racing with a four division racing program. The event will include a special opening ceremony that will begin with an invocation by Don Wilson of Cold Springs Community Church and will conclude with every sprint car driver in competition walking into the stands with their helmets to collect donations. Sellers helmet will be among those being filled with support, being carried by either Rosser or a family member.
Those who are not planning to attend Saturday‚s race but wish to contribute to the effort may do so by contributing to; Sellers Race Wings Fund, c/o Bank of America, 5744 Stockton Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95824. Those wishing to send cards to Sellers, the family request they be sent to his parents address at 5030 44th Street, Sacramento, CA 95820.
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