PetStops and PitStops Keep Andrew Prendeville’s Motor Racing
by Allan Brewer
allan@indyproracer.com
 RLR Andersen's Andrew Prendeville.
Photo: AllanBrewer |
RLR Andersen Racing’s Andrew Prendeville keeps his love of animals and passion for racing close at hand as he moves from track to track with the 2008 Firestone Indy Lights season.
When the twenty-six year old Las Vegas resident takes the Kansas Speedway track for the Kansas Lottery 100 on Sunday (April 27th) it will mark another step forward in his career and his caring.
Racing Laps for Best Friends, the animal welfare campaign Andrew launched in his rookie season, has been a big hit with race fans and pet-lovers everywhere.
The effort took in over $50,000 in its initial year of operation in 2007.
“The program is going really well,” Prendeville said. “We raised $7000 for Racing Laps for Best Friends at Homestead alone.”
Pay Per Lap Program Supports Animal Welfare Nationwide
Fans pledge a monetary gift from 25 cents to a dollar or more for Racing Laps for Best Friends with every race lap Andrew completes. The pledge can be for as little as one race and is tax deductible.
Prendeville has backed up his commitment to the Utah-based Best Friends animal welfare organization and its partner organizations with more than just money. Through personal appearances Andrew’s donated substantial time to help out the cause.
He’ll appear at the Humane Society of Greater Kansas City Wednesday (April 23rd) afternoon at 4PM CDT to sign autographs for two hours and talk about Racing Laps for Best Friends. The event is free to the public and includes a tour of the facility.
The program allows Prendeville to meld his love of animals (fostered in no small part by his affection for his adopted ‘Ballsy’) with his past experience as a racecar driver instructor.
“We have a 3-Day Bertil Roos Racing School prize to the winner of the Racing Laps for Best Friends raffle,” he said.
The second- and third-place prizes in the raffle are also Bertil Roos racing schools of shorter duration.
Impressive Open Test Sets Tone for Spring Tour
Andrew finished a disappointing twentieth after getting off to a fast start in his last race (St. Petersburg race two on April 7th).
A collision sent him to the garages on Lap 22 of the street course after he moved into the top five from seventh spot on the grid.
He bounced back with an impressive Indianapolis Open Test one week later.
Prendeville and teammate J R Hildebrand were second and third on the timesheets at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, right behind AFS Andretti Green Racing’s Raphael Matos.
“The test went really well,” Andrew said. “We had a good day as a team, and it should put us in great shape for racing at the Speedway in May,” in the Firestone Freedom 100 (May 23rd).
Kansas Lottery 100 Points Key to 2008 Success
Prendeville is tied for eighth in championship points going into this weekend’s 100-mile race at Kansas Speedway.
He finished his 2007 rookie campaign for the Firestone Firehawk Cup with an eleventh-place result.
The Sunday afternoon Kansas Lottery 100 start will give him a chance to get back into the fight at the top of the standings alongside Hildebrand (currently fourth).
It’s the series’ first return to Kansas City since the 2004 season. The race was won by eventual year-end champion Thiago Medeiros.
Sponsor The Kansas Lottery is making Kansas Speedway admission available free to the public on Friday, April 25th.
Comments