DOVER, Del. This time last year Shelly and Joe Galli were preparing their 11-year-old daughter Isabella to wave the green flag for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover on June 4, 2007. This year, after posting the highest bid for the opportunity to give the command prior to the Best Buy 400 benefiting Student Clubs for Autism Speaks, their 9-year-old daughter Camille will be the one telling the drivers to start their engines on Sunday, June 1, 2008.
Shelly and Joe Galli of Washington, D.C., won the special one-of-a-kind experience in an online auction held on the NASCAR Foundations website. The auction began on April 22 and ended on May 11 with Galli owning the winning bid of $15,625. All proceeds from the auction benefit Autism Speaks.
The Gallis have a special connection to the charity that is dedicated to increasing autism awareness. Their desire to serve comes from their daughter Camille who is autistic. Both Shelly and Joe are longtime supporters of Autism Speaks, Cure Autism now, and the National Alliance for Autism Research. Joe serves on the board of directors for Autism Speaks chapter in Washington, D.C., and Shelly is a committee member for the charitys benefit walk.
The Gallis previously won the opportunity to be the Honorary Starter for last years Spring Dover NASCAR Sprint Cup Series through an auction that benefited Autism Speaks. Last year when I found out about the auction I thought that this would be a great opportunity for our family, said Shelly. This year when I saw that the auction included the chance to say start your engines, I thought, Wouldnt it be cool if we won this and had Camille do it?
Meanwhile, I didnt know it, but Joe was bidding online all along. Actually, he stayed home all day on Mothers Day weekend to make sure that he placed the winning bid.
Besides issuing the command, members of the Galli family will also be on stage for driver introductions; will receive an autographed flag signed by the starting lineup of the Best Buy 400 benefiting Student Clubs for Autism Speaks NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race; ride in the pre-race parade lap; watch the race from a skybox suite; receive pit passes; take a guided tour of the NASCAR Sprint Cup garage; and play golf in the May 29 Drive for Autism Celebrity-Am Golf Outing with drivers and other sports celebrities.
Its a great opportunity not only for our daughter, but for thousands of others out there with autism to feel that theyre supported by the community, said Shelly. We didnt know what to expect last year. But once we got to Dover and experienced what a thrill it was with over 100,000 people, the cars, and most importantly, seeing the Autism Speaks puzzle piece among all of the people, we wanted to come back. It was a great family experience and we cant wait to do it again.
So with just over two weeks remaining until the big day, the family is doing exactly what they did this time last year practicing for race day.
Weve been practicing it with her at home, said Shelly. I know that shes going to love the big crowd, and at the very least, youre going to see one very happy kid out there.
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