Hospice patient gets surprise race car ride at Motorsport Park

HASTINGS, Neb. (KSNB) -A 73-year-old hospice patient got a race car experience at Motorsport Park in Hastings when hospital staff and family surprised him with a ride.

Gary, a patient at Good Samaritan hospice and race car enthusiast, had a 1940 Chevrolet coupe sitting in pieces that he wanted to restore before he got sick.

“He knows how to tear them apart but he doesn’t know how to get them put back together very well,” said Marlys Schmidt.

Hospice social worker Sherah Piercy said Gary’s unfinished business sparked the idea.

“He has a 1940 Chevy Coupe in pieces that he wanted to restore before he got sick and wasn’t able to ever get it finished,” Piercy said. “He also wanted to ride in it.”

Piercy made phone calls to Central Community College that led to driver Craig Pero at Motorsport Park in Hastings.

“We went around the track several times and we keep changing family members,” Pero said.

Schmidt said Gary had no idea the surprise was coming.

“Our daughter asked him if he knew this was a surprise. He said he had no idea this was going to happen,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt said the experience may motivate Gary to work on his old car.

“This may tell him he may want to get it fixed up even quicker,” she said.

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