Notebook: Ropp spearheads C.O.P.S. benefit night at Hawkeye Downs

CEDAR RAPIDS - At Hawkeye Downs Speedway's Media Day on Sunday, one particular car stood out among the rest.

It was a brand-new INEX Legends car owned by Warren and Denise Ropp, who owns Bulltown Legends and spearhead nearly all the Legends racing in Iowa. Warren Ropp was there, with his special K-9 car honoring the Concerns for Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) Foundation and to spread information on this year's INEX Legends Racing for a Cause Series.

Hawkeye Downs plays host to one of the 11 Racing for a Cause events, to be coupled with Van Meter Night, and will offer $1,000 to win for the Legends feature. But more than that, each RFAC race benefits C.O.P.S., and on that June 24 race sponsored by Van Meter, all the proceeds from the event will go to C.O.P.S.

'Last year we created the series called Racing for a Cause. We run 10-12 events in the summer on dirt and asphalt. At each of those events, we promote the cause, create awareness and pass a helmet through the grandstands to raise funding for the C.O.P.S. Foundation,” Ropp said. 'This year, (Van Meter has) chosen C.O.P.S. as the sole recipient of that evening's proceeds. We've got some things we're working on that are going to be totally different. We're going to try to have a driving competition between city, county and state officers in their patrol cars, working on timed events. We'll have K-9 demonstrations, and hopefully have McGruff there for the kids. We're working on some things that will kick off in the afternoon. A lot of it isn't set in stone yet.”

C.O.P.S. is a national foundation that offers financial and emotion support to families of police officers who've been killed in the line of duty. As the father of Lt. Heath Ropp of the Ames Police Department, Warren holds RFAC and C.O.P.S. in a special place in his heart. With the Iowa C.O.P.S. chapter forming a few years ago and Van Meter being interested in shaking up its event, this became the perfect marriage of the two.

Hawkeye Downs promoter Kevin Korsmo was all for the idea, and when Ropp brought it to him, Korsmo simply handed him the reins.

'I love that it's different. Somebody like Warren is very creative. He puts his heart and soul into it just like I do, so when he gets running with an idea, I just let him go and get out of the way,” Korsmo said. 'I'm excited about it. I love the Van Meter Night in general. I liked our Pride Race we had with them, but as a car owner, to loan out a car, you've got to be conscious of that. We wanted to change it up a bit and do something different, and I'm excited about that.”

The car Ropp brought Sunday was a big hit with fans and fellow racers, all of whom stopped to either take a picture or read the names of officers on the sides of the car. Two in particular that are honored are the Des Moines Police Officers Susan Farrell and Carlos Puente Morales, who died last month in a head-on collision during their shift.

Ropp said the benefits C.O.P.S. brings to families, and being able to get families of fallen officers to the races and honor them and the sacrifice their loved one made is what makes him so passionate about the project.

To be able to bring it all together at Hawkeye Downs means even more.

'We're going to exceed $45,000 we've given to the foundation this year, whether it's to the national foundation or the Iowa chapter,” Ropp said. 'Each one of our events, we bring the families to our events. To see them, the wives and mothers and their little kids that come to that, it makes you think about how lucky we are. They're the people we call when we need help.

'I just want people to remember they're there to serve them. They don't have to do this. It's not a job they get a lot of thanks from. Getting to do this is special.”

MLRA INVADES EASTERN IOWA

Fans of Open Late Model racing in Eastern Iowa will get their fill this weekend. The Lucas Oil Midwest Late Model Racing Association is making its first trip into Iowa for the 2016 season, and will bring some of the Midwest's best Open racers with them.

Lee County Speedway hosts the first of a pair of races this week on Thursday night in Donnellson, and the MLRA Late Models will race for $3,000 to win. LCS Crate Late Models - as well as IMCA Late Models with a restrictor - will be one of five other support classes. IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Mods, IMCA Stock Cars and IMCA Sport Compacts will all be in action as well.

Davenport Speedway hosts the second show in as many nights, and again the MLRA Late Models will race for $3,000. The American Iron Racing Series serves as a special guest that night, as well as IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Mod and Street Stocks.

Local Open racers such as Chad and Chris Simpson, Dave Eckrich, Jason Utter, Spencer Diercks and Justin Kay are expected to be racing, in addition to regional heavyweights like Jason Feger, Bobby Pierce, Jesse Stovall and Shannon Babb are also expected to be racing.

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