NASCAR Icon at Sanford Auto Dealers Exchange

SANFORD, FL - NASCAR icon Kyle Petty will be on-hand for a meet-and-greet at Sanford Auto Dealers Exchange (SADE) on Tuesday, July 3.  Following its regular consignment sale at 2 p.m., SADE will host a special charity event to benefit Victory Junction Camp, an organization championed by the Petty family which provides life-changing experiences for children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses.

“We’re all counting the days until our sale and charity auction on the 3^rd,” said SADE owner Michael Tumminello.  “It’s going to be a big day at SADE from start to finish, and we’re eagerly looking forward to visiting with Kyle Petty.  He is an auto racing icon in NASCAR’s most famous family, and we are honored to join with him in this fundraising effort to benefit Victory Junction.”

The charity auction will take place following SADE’s weekly sale on July 3^rd, where more than 800 dealers will crowd the lanes to bid on an expected consignment of over 1800 units.  Featured consignors will include Ally Financial, DTG, Avis Budget Group and the best of Central Florida new car dealers.

Tumminello estimates that up to forty vehicles will be auctioned at the charity event, which are being donated by SADE and area dealerships. To date he has received commitments from over 100 new car dealers who will donate cash and/or vehicles to the auction.

This year’s charity auction is the second that SADE has held for Victory Junction Camp. SADE and its customers raised $25,000 for the camp in 2005.  Tumminello expects proceeds from this year’s event to top $35,000.

Petty’s NASCAR pedigree is legendary, notes Tumminello.  To the world, his father Richard Petty was, and still is, "the King," the greatest champion in NASCAR history. Kyle's grandfather, Lee, was larger-than-life in the early days of stock car racing. Kyle’s own racing career spans more than 30 years and includes 885 races.

Inspired by the vision of their late son Adam, an up-and-coming racer who was killed at age 19 during a practice run in 2000, Kyle and his wife Pattie have in turn inspired the compassion and generosity of the NASCAR community and corporate sponsors nationwide to help those in need. Their crowning achievement is the Victory Junction Camp, founded in 2000 in partnership with family friend and racing enthusiast Paul Newman. Nearly 5,000 children with life threatening or chronic illnesses find hope, laughter, friendship and adventure at Victory Junction Gang every year.

Sanford Auto Dealers Exchange has been serving the buyers and sellers in central Florida since 1991, and has been family-owned and operated since its inception.  Located on 70 acres just north of Orlando, SADE holds a sale every Tuesday at 2 pm.  The auction runs an average of 1600 vehicles a week on six lanes, with consignment from rental companies, banks and area dealers.  The auction is a member of the ServNet Auction group.