Scottsbluff, NE Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines. Regional West Medical Center will be hosting a NASCAR Event on Tuesday, October 28 from 3:30 to 6 p.m.

NASCAR #31, locally owned by Mike Warren Motorsports and driven by Rick Smith, will be parked in front of Regional West Medical Center in the hospital’s furthest south parking lot across from the emergency department. The event is open to the public and is free of charge.

“This will be a great event for children who are interested in NASCAR,” said Fiona Libsack, Regional West community relations manager. “Children will be allowed to sit in the race car and talk to the driver about his experiences as a professional NASCAR driver.”

The #31 Motorsports team is the winner of the 2008 Colorado National Speedway Championship and a multitude of other titles. The team is locally sponsored by Nebraska Transport Company.

Polaroid pictures of attendees in front of the car will be sold for $1. A donated items table will be available to buy NASCAR merchandise with all proceeds going to the United Way of Western Nebraska. Free Colorado Speedway tickets will be given to the first 20 people at the event.

The NASCAR event is one of several activities that Regional West will host this year during their In-House United Way Week October 27 - 31. The week is designated to raise money for the local United Way. Regional West Medical Center is a Pace Setter Company for United Way and has an in-house committee made up of employees who volunteer to coordinate the events. Combined, Regional West employees have donated over $175,000 to United Way in the last five years and provided countless hours of volunteer time.

Other Regional West United Way events this year include a tailgate party, bake sale, silent auction, several raffles, a karaoke contest and pie-throwing contest.

Regional West Health Services, with over 1,800 employees, provides comprehensive and innovative health care services for the people and communities of western Nebraska and the neighboring states of Colorado, South Dakota and Wyoming. With over 110 active physicians, 95 percent of whom are board certified or board eligible, plus an additional 25 consulting specialists, we offer care that spans more than 30 medical specialties. Regional West Medical Center, a subsidiary of Regional West Health Services, is accredited by The Joint Commission and is one of three Level II Trauma Centers in the state of Nebraska.