Speedway fundraiser donates $11k for child’s funeral

An almost impromptu fundraiser at the Laurens County Speedway Saturday night raised more than $11,000 to cover funeral expenses for a 1-year-old drowning victim.

“We pulled it off in four days, and I can’t believe that, but it was a huge success,” said Brandi Hurley, who operates the Laurens County Speedway with husband Danny.

Logan Wade Sumeral, who was nicknamed “Peanut,” died this past Wednesday, eight days after being found unresponsive in a bathtub at his family’s Clinton residence. A spokesman for the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office, said the death is believed to have been accidental, though the child’s mother and her husband were charged with unlawful neglect of a child.

Hurley said she was hoping to raise “maybe $5,000,” but then saw the area’s tightknit racing community rev into action.

“It was mind blowing,” Hurley said. “I still can’t wrap my head around the way everyone came together.”

The fundraiser included live and silent auctions as well as a bake sale and dunking booth. Hurley said the bake sale alone raised more than $900.

“It was beyond amazing,” said Amber Lyons, the child’s aunt. “We are truly blessed to have a racing family like that. … “I’m humbled by it all.”

Lyons said the money raised is more than enough to cover the child’s funeral costs. Additional money will help pay some outstanding medical bills.

“If there is anything left over, we would like to do something to help other children somehow in his memory,” she said.

In addition to the fundraiser, drivers also participated in a memorial lap driven clockwise around the track during intermission.

Lyons said she became emotional during that tribute as all 64 cars in the field from every racing division rumbled onto the track in honor of “Peanut.”

“I think every car there came out, and I don’t think that had ever happened before,” she said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brandi Hurley

 

We dud ,,,,pulled it off in four days, but it was a huge success…

 

I was hoping for maybe 5,000 … but cover expense and help out with some of his medical bills …

 

Mindblowing… I still can’t wrap it’s been …

The way people

 

 

On Saturdays we see everybody kind of fussing and fighting and all of tha twsa completely put aside…

 

It’s a crying shame …

 

We had a silent auction and a live auction …

 

Doors, hoods drivers had donated … Chris Madden side panel, not just local drivers..

 

Homemade quilt for $400

 

Tower passes and food for the evening … bid on it .. winning ibd was $100 … two adults and one child .. $500 …

Sold … that just alone speaks volumes of the community we have ….

Companies donated gift cards… haircuts, napa gift cards …

Kids items … bake sale … $900 for bake sale and one for $100 …. Dunking booth … Danny Hurley … several drives, one driver with a pink floatie …

Fun celebration ight of Peanut’s life …

Some people did leave … everybody wanted to give … night was long but it was well worth it…

 

 

 

AMBER

It was beyond amazing … we are truly blessed to have a racing family like that …

 

Yes, … any medical stuff that was left … hopefully, anything that is left we can do smething for other kids in his memory…

 

At the hospital there or something …

 

Pay it forward for other children ….

 

I was humbled by it all… it was amazing… really not enough words to say how it felt … especially memorial lap .. backwards lap … at intermission … just about every car came out on the track… they had never see that before 64 cars pulled out …