Bill Moore Photo
Weedsport, NY — August 25, 2008 – By Tom Skibinski, DIRTcar Racing NorthEast PR Director
A job well done in record time. 106 hours to be exact.
Recognized locally at speedways around the Central New York circuit, DIRTcar Sportsman Modified racer Todd Town moved to the national stage this past week participating in a volunteer construction effort as part of the ABC reality show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
Owner of Town Mechanical, Inc. based in Baldwinsville, New York, Town was notified three weeks earlier that he was chosen to provide work for a home in Geneva, New York needing vast repairs. Town Mechanical has worked often in the past with Mahoney Design & Build, the firm that is overseeing the makeover of the 150 year-old house owned by Tim and Michelle Hill, thus the selection.
“Its been pretty wild around here, I don’t think the cameras can really capture the magnitude of what’s gone on the past five days,” said Town, who joined his staff of nearly two dozen on-site from Wednesday through early Monday morning performing the required tasks in the departments of plumbing, heating and air conditioning, which TMI is known for around the area. Town, who now sponsors the Sportsman Championship race at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse during Super DIRT Week in October, worked for over 20 years at Cayuga County Fair Speedway in Weedsport, New York, doing any odd job that needed attention and ultimately led to further improvement of the facility on the grounds of DIRTcar NorthEast headqaurters.
“Tim (Mahoney) and our company have shared a lot of work together up north at Fort Drum (NY). He knew we had the manpower and liked our work. I think that’s why we were chosen,” noted Town, who is accustomed to giving his time and financial support on a regular basis. Scoring his first career Sportsman wins earlier this season at CCFS and nearby Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in Elbridge, Town not only backs his own #17 race team, he sponsors other racers and numerous race nights at local speedways.
The Hills and their three children spent the past five days at the Hilton Cancun Golf & Spa Resort on an all expense paid vacation in Mexico while their 3,200 square-feet home, along with a 2,800 square-feet barn converted into an ‘extreme gym’ for Tim, was rebuilt and renovated. The family returns home this afternoon to see the transformation for the first time.
Hill, 45, was an aspiring boxer whose career was cut short after he broke his back working on a construction project. He works today as a youth counselor for the Council of Alcohol and Chemical Dependency, training underprivileged youths ages 8-21 years to box on the Geneva Boxing Team that he created out-of-pocket a decade ago. Tim offers his kids a sense of pride and his expert training has produced three Olympic hopefuls to date.
“Its a great story about a hero, one that America needs to hear,” said Diane Korman, the Hollywood-based senior producer of Extreme Makeover, who helped collect 600 hours of video this week that will be edited down to 44 minutes of television time. Starring Ty Pennington, leader of the design team, and celebrity designer Didiayer Snyder from Australia, the show is set to air sometime in November.
Town’s own story is equally appealing to the DIRTcar racing fraternity. Now a winner on the track, through hard work and perseverance he has been able to launch his own successful company and ultimately have his quality workmanship discovered and brought under the spotlight on a national stage. To learn more about the company log into http://www.townmechanical.com.
Headquartered in Roanoke, Va., Advance Auto Parts, a leading automotive aftermarket retailer of parts, accessories, batteries, and maintenance items in the United States, serves both the do-it-yourself and professional installer markets As of April 19, 2008, the Company operated 3,291 stores in 40 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Additional information about the Company, employment opportunities, customer services, and on-line shopping for parts and accessories can be found on the Company’s web site at www.advanceautoparts.com.
The Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series for Big-Block Modifieds is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Advance Auto Parts, Hoosier Racing Tire and Sunoco Race Fuels. Promotional partners include AMB i.t., Rite Aid Corporation and the University of Northwestern Ohio and the contingency sponsors are Bert Transmission, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Crane Cams, Integra Shocks, MSD Ignitions, Motorsports Safety Systems, Penske Shocks and Wrisco Industries.
