Every racer who pulls into the pit area at Holland NASCAR Motorsports Complex on Saturday

will be motivated to taste victory in the $2,000-to-win Tenth Annual George Decker Memorial

100, one of the crown jewel events of each local racing season.

Frank Booker Jr. has extra motivation: He will try to win the race for his ailing grandson,

Aadyn Booker.

Aadyn, the son of Frank Booker III, was born Dec. 15 but is still at Women and Children's

Hospital in Buffalo suffering from gastroschisis. Aadyn was born with his small intestines

outside his body and due to complications, he needs a transplant of his small bowel, pancreas

and liver. He has been traveling between this area and Pittsburgh for evaluations.

"My wife and I get to visit Aadyn and it's been pretty overwhelming," Booker said. "We try

to get through every day hoping he will get well and come home."

Booker, 47, is a racing veteran who began his career in 1993 in the NASCAR Charger class at

Holland, winning four career races. In 2001 he joined the SST Sportsman class at Dunn Tire

Raceway Park, scoring a pair of triumphs there.

Since last season he has turned the wheel over to Modified racer and friend Bill Putney.

Due to a scheduling conflict with a Race of Champions Dirt Modified Tour race at DTRP on

Saturday, Putney cannot be at Holland so Booker will get back behind the wheel.

"The same thing happened last year so I had to drive in the Decker race and it went well,"

Booker said. "I was up to fourth during the race and finished sixth. I haven't driven since

then but I think it will be fine Saturday."

Booker would like nothing more than to win the Decker race, dedicate the victory to Aadyn

and donate the first-place purse to a fund that has been set up to help defray his family's

mounting hospital costs.

The Friends of Aadyn Booker Foundation has been established with the help of the NCO Corp.

to assist with these costs. Donations may be sent to P.O. Box 74, Getzville 14068.

A fundraiser will be held Aug. 23 at Classics V, 2425 Niagara Falls Blvd., in Amherst.

Tickets for the event, which runs 1-6 p.m., are available from Audra Smith (940-3239).

While the Booker family situation is a compelling story, so is the Decker race. The event,

run with cooperation from Holland promoter Tim Bennett and SST Sportsman Tour Director Jim J.

Majchrzak, is organized by Phyllis and Barry Decker, the wife and son of the late George

Decker.

George Decker, a longtime sponsor and supporter of local racing, particularly at Holland,

died from cancer in 1999 and his family runs this annual race in his memory.

"We are down a bit on sponsorship this year and it's been the most difficult year by far to

be trying to get money from the sponsors," Barry Decker said. "I believe due to the economy

it's tough. We have had a few new sponsors come on board, too.

"I feel confident by race day we will get a few more sponsors involved. Any money that is

raised from sponsorship and lap sponsorships goes directly back into the race purse for the

drivers. I think there is a good possibility that we will have maybe a few more cars over the

34 we had last year."

Anyone interested in sponsoring this year's race may call Barry Decker at 941-5943 or look

for him Saturday at the track.

"We will take money right up to the time the green flag flies," he said.

. . .

The rain-postponed June 13 race at Little Valley Speedway has been rescheduled to Sept. 27

and will be a $4,000-to-win United Late Model Series event. Little Valley will host a Super

Late Model/BRP Can-Am 360 Late Model Series race Saturday. The late model series has added a

date at Arcade International Raceway to its schedule for Aug. 15.

Lancaster's Mike Janis won the Pro Modified division of the ADRL Pro Extreme Hardee's

Independence Drags III earlier this month in Topeka, Kan.