WASHINGTON — Two people that you hear on WTOP are taking part in a multiday road rally for charity this week, and they could use your help.
WTOP anchor and reporter John Aaron and WTOP car guy Mike Parris will drive separately in Rally Appalachia 2.
Some 80 cars will take part in the event that starts Tuesday in Christiansburg, Virginia, and ends Friday in Alabama, at Talladega Super Speedway.
“We do get to drive our cars on the steeped banks of the famous racetrack, so it’s going to be really exciting. It’s a lot of driving,” Aaron said.
It may sound like the movie “The Cannonball Run,” but it’s much less dangerous.
In fact, drivers who finish too quickly become ineligible for awards, and a speeding ticket will get you disqualified.
“It’s designed so that you can do it all without breaking any speed laws, and the goal is to get points along the way by finding certain items that the organizers have picked out and tell you about the day of, or by hitting these checkpoints all in succession. So it’s a scavenger hunt-based style rather than a speed-based style, and you’re supposed to get points instead of just going fast,” Aaron said.
The cars will be decked out with numbers and logos, and Aaron plans to fill his trunk with tools and spare tires in case of breakdowns.
“I’m taking my 1996 Chevrolet Impala SS. It’s the last of the big, full size, powerful Chevrolets,” he said.
While Aaron drives, his fiancee will navigate from the passenger seat.
“My goal is to get the car back here safely, and to still be engaged by the time I get back. If I can do those two things, I really don’t care where I place,” he said.
The event will raise money for Hope For The Warriors, which supports wounded military service members.
“The amount of money you raise, that dictates the starting position each day as each leg of the rally kicks off. So there’s an incentive for you to raise more money for charity,” Aaron said.
You can support John Aaron on this page and Mike Parris here.
