NASCAR may be on its winter hiatus, but
that doesn’t mean its star drivers are sequestered in the garage. A group of
NASCAR’s top drivers will be at the Palms starting Jan. 31 for a celebrity
poker tournament.
A total of 12 drivers will vie for the
$100,000 top award, which will benefit the winner’s favorite charity and
Michael Waltrip’s Operation Marathon.
Veteran poker tournament director Matt
Savage will call the Texas Hold’em tournament beginning next Monday at 7 p.m.
with the field narrowed down to six drivers for the finals to be held next
Tuesday, beginning at 6 p.m.
Featured in the tournament will be NASCAR
drivers Michael Waltrip, Kyle Petty, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson,
Ryan Newman, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Elliott Sadler, Casey Mears and Dale Jarrett.
Operation Marathon is Waltrip’s
fundraising campaign to generate money for the North Carolina based kid’s
camp. Waltrip has pledged to raise $1 million for the camp and has so far raised
more than $700,000.
The Victory Junction Gang Camp is a
non-profit organization, which enriches the lives of children with chronic or
life-threatening illnesses by providing fulfilling camping experiences.
There’s no cost to watch the poker tournament, though
space is limited.