Darrell Russell Auction Nets $270,000

National Dragster, Nov 26, 2004

The Darrell Russell Memorial Auction, held Saturday, Nov. 13, at Pomona Raceway in conjunction with the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, absolutely shattered pre-event expectations with a final tally of $270,000. With an overflow crowd jamming both the silent and live auction tents, the bidding was every bit as fast and furious as the on-track action earlier in the day. Drivers spent the day imploring fans to attend the auctions and place bids, and the SoCaI faithful responded in record numbers.

"We were completely overwhelmed by the response," said Rob Geiger, NHRA.com senior editor and one of Russell's closest friends who helped organize the affair with Larry and AIi Dixon. "We were planning to raise somewhere between $60,000 and $80,000, so to more than triple that is phenomenal.

"It says a lot about the positive impact Darrell made on all of us. The drag racing community at large really came together for this, and we can all feel proud of the fact that Darrell's wife Julie will be taken care of for the foreseeable future. It's important that we take care of our own, and we did just that last night."

The big-ticket item of the night was a Darrell Russell autograph-engraved, glass-top coffee table made of connect ing rods. The bidding started at $1,000 and quickly reached $10,000 before it came down to a bidding war between the Schumacher camp and Kenny Bernstein's group. Finally, Bernstein won the item with a top bid of $14,000. As soon as the bidding closed, Bernstein approached the stage and presented the item to Geieer.

Other high-dollar items included the autographed bodywork of 2004 Pro Stock Bike champion Andrew Hines's Harley-Davidson, for which Terry Vance paid $10,000. John Force purchased a custom Darrell Russell-themed golf cart that he presented to Darrell's widow for use on her farm.

Personal items from Darrell, firesuits and helmets from several drivers, and paintings and framed photographs brought in bids mostly in the range of $3,000 and $5,000. Legend Shirley Muldowney bought a leather jacket signed by numerous Indy winners for $3,500 and gave it to NHRA announcer Bob Frey, who was an event emcee with Alan Reinhart.

The auction is continuing online. At last count, more than 30 items were available. Log on to NHRA.com for details.