x
Breaking News
More () »

'Race Against Drugs' | Former race car driver starts event to honor son's life, bring attention to drug abuse

The event's goal is to raise awareness about drug overdoses in the community.

SOPHIA, N.C. — A former race car driver is putting together "Race Against Drugs" in honor of his son who died of a drug overdose earlier this year. 

Mike Loomis is partnering with the Caraway Speedway for the "Race against Drugs" event. His goal is to raise awareness about the ongoing problem in the community. 

Loomis lost his son to an overdose and wanted to host the event in honor of his son. He partnered with the Speedway, Davidson Medical Ministries, and DayMark Recovery. 

"It started April 22, 2021, when I got the call from the Randolph County Sheriff's Office that they got my son," said Loomis. "I hope this will remember James. People will know my son and know what he went through and how he passed. They don't need to go through this"

RELATED: CDC: Drug overdose deaths in the US increased by 30%, driven by fentanyl

He has received support from local businesses to provide gift cards to the winners. There will also be a raffle to raise funds at the event. 

"I just got into the kick where I'm tired of seeing kids dying of these drugs," Loomis said. "I've been working on this since Madison, Alabama. I woke up at four in the morning, I said I have a dream and we're going to put it together and I named it 'Race Against Drugs.'

The race was set to take place Saturday night but was canceled due to rain. They plan to host the race on August 20th. 

RELATED: Enough fentanyl to kill 139,000 people | Rockingham County Sheriff addresses large drug bust

Before You Leave, Check This Out