April 11, 2010
By Kim Roberson
Kim Roberson
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When you think of doing home repairs or doing a project around the house, you probably think about going to Lowe's or Home Depot or your local hardware supply store. When you talk about repair projects in conjunction with NASCAR, you make those connections through Jimmie Johnson and Joey Logano, or Matt Kenseth (even though DeWalt is no longer his primary sponsor, I still make the association). However, tonight, a four time champ will be wielding a hammer and helping to build a new house, but it won’t be Johnson.
First, a little background.
My usual Sunday routine involves watching a race and then flipping over to ABC to watch “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” For those not familiar with the show, the premise is simple: help a family living in challenging conditions by building them a new house. These aren’t any families though: they are people who have made a huge impact on their community, often at their own expense. Instead of spending money on improving their home, they spend it on improving something about their community. They rarely ask for anything in exchange other than the happiness and satisfaction they receive for lending a helping hand.
The families are often nominated by their community, and ABC receives thousands of applications every year from families, communities, anyone looking to provide something to a family who has sacrificed their own comfort to help the bigger neighborhood. They vet the families, making sure the stories are valid, that they have a need and that once the home is built, they can afford to pay the bills associated with the new house. (Often times, the mortgage on the old house is paid for in some way or another).
So, how does all of this tie in to NASCAR?
Jeff Gordon.
The driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet doesn’t seem to be much of a handyman at first glance, but he proved otherwise back in January.
Gordon had already been a fan of the show when he was approached about helping on a build. He didn’t hesitate when it was determined he could work it into his off-season schedule.
The family of Derrick and Amanda Suggs were the recipients of Gordon’s work.
The Suggs live in a small town near Horry, South Carolina. Derrick is a police officer in Loris, S.C., and has worked to build a closer relationship between his department and the community they serve by creating programs to support local youth. They provide mentoring help, and for those who can’t afford it, take children shopping for new clothes and toys as a part of the “Shop with a Cop” program.
Amanda has done the most with a less than stellar upbringing. Her parents often left her and her three younger brothers alone for extended periods of time, and moved so often that getting an education was almost impossible. She dropped out of the 7th grade to take care of her brothers, eventually asking an aunt for help with Protective Services threatened to separate the siblings into foster care. She eventually went back to school, earned her GED, and started college-level courses. After marrying Derrick, they had a son, Walker. Then, fate stepped in when one of her brothers called to say Protective Services was about to split the brothers up.
She didn’t hesitate: she brought her brothers to live with her, Derrick, and Walker, in the small, run-down home that Derrick had inherited from his grandfather.
When Gordon first walked through the house, he couldn’t believe how the family not only lived there, but were able to remain up-beat and close despite the circumstances. "You start going through their home, and you go, 'Oh, my God. How have these people been able to manage, and stay together, and go through the things they're going through like this?' The roof's falling in. The floors -- holes in the floor. It's just a really bad environment.”
When it came time to lend a hand, Gordon worked to install some siding and move furniture, but he was limited in what they would allow him to do. "I wish they'd let me do a little bit more, but they're under such strict time constraints they couldn't let me do too much. I'd slow them down."
Show host Tygert “Ty” Pennington grew up in Georgia, and remembers going to Daytona as a child to see the races. His father used to race sprint cars, so he was glad when a driver was able to join in the build process. “I couldn’t believe when they told me they got Jeff Gordon. I asked “How did you pull that off?!”” He hasn’t been to a NASCAR race in a while, but would love the chance not only attend a race, but give the command to start engines. “That would be awesome!”
During the shoot, Gordon brought his daughter, Ella, to the set. He said participating in the build made him really appreciate what he has in his life. "When you go through this it makes you really appreciate every day, the good things and the bad things, it makes you see what other people have to go through."
He said the ability of complete strangers to give up their time and energy to help someone else is one of the biggest things he took away from the build. "It's just neat to see good people out there doing good things for deserving people. That's what I got out of it the most. It's awesome to know that."
I know that I always have a box of tissues nearby for the end of the show, because I rarely make it through the reveal of the new house without shedding a tear or three. It was no different for Jeff. "It's a crazy experience. I told Ty, I don't see how you guys do this every week. I'd be an emotional wreck. It's unreal what you go through, because you can't help but get tied so closely into it."
If you want to see Jeff team up with Ty Pennington and his design staff, as well as the WWE’s Bella Twins, The Big Show and R-Truth, tune in to your local ABC station tonight at 8 pm eastern and pacific, 7 pm central.
Oh, and make sure you have a box of tissues nearby.
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