Perdue's Nascar fundraiser

A group of Nascar notables is raising money for Beverly Perdue.

The Oct. 11 fundraiser at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord will take place shortly before the qualifying rounds for the Bank of America 500. Hosts include Nascar president Mike Helton and vice president Marcus Smith and retired driver Junior Johnson.

Tickets to the event range from $250 for an individual to $2,000 for a "Pole Position" and $4,000 for the "Winner's Circle." It lasts from 5 to 7 p.m.

The other hosts are racing promoter H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, team owners Rick Hendrick and Felix Sabates, metals supplier Greg Fornelli, racetrack owner Steve Earwood and Dale Earnhardt's daughter, Kelley Earnhardt-Elledge.

Sabates is an interesting name on the list. A registered Republican, he is a major Nascar political donor and GOP supporter who gave to Gov. Mike Easley in 2000 and 2004.

Update: It's not Perdue's first time at the speedway. As a state senator in the 1990s, she did a lap as a passenger in a Nascar racecar.