NASCAR Legend Helps Hurting Local Family
Tony Stewart on Monday night at the Front Row Challenge in Oskaloosa.
Knoxville, Iowa – The sad story of three New Sharon brothers killed in an accident last week has many of its residents searching for a way to heal.
Some, like Ralphi Munson, used the Knoxville Nationals and some old totes of racing shirts as an opportunity to help raise a few more dollars for the family of Jamie, Carson, and Christian Singletary.
So, with four plastic totes of old racing shirts, mixed with a few programs from days gone by, Munson headed to Knoxville where she met a friend. “He [Stewart] was sitting on the back of a trailer a few yards away, surrounded by friends. I honestly hadn’t paid any attention to him. I brought out a tote of old racing shirts to show a lady. I told her I had 4 totes and was going to donate the money to the family in New Sharon. Keep in mind NONE of these people were from Iowa. Next thing I know, Tony asks me to come over and hands me $700 for that one container.”
Stewart then found out from Munson about the remaining three totes. “I told him I had 3 more containers, but the price didn’t include the totes (joking around). So he whips out another $700 to pay for the totes!”
“He said he heard me talking about the tragedy to my friends from Kansas and Pennsylvania and he just wanted to help. I told him it was hard to take money from him since I was actually supporting him (in the lawsuit that was just filed against him), but he said he wanted the family to have the money. It was important to him,” Munson explained.
“One tote was full of kids shirts. He [Stewart] told me I had to keep the kid shirts and give them away to a deserving child this week,” said Munson.
When asked about her experience, Munson replied, “I think of it as a community experience. It never was about me…it was about them; and Tony is thrilled with his treasures, too! I was happy to give him something meaningful to him that he can’t find just anywhere.”
Stewart is being sued for wrongful death by the family of Kevin Ward. The lawsuit was filed one year after Ward’s death, when Stewart’s sprint car struck the racer. No criminal chargers were ever filed by law enforcement in the case.
