Drivers to tee off for charity.

The 12th annual Phil Casey Indy Racing Golf Tournament will take place Monday, Oct. 16, at the Tour 18 Golf Course in Fort Worth, Texas, the day after the Indy Racing League's season-ending Chevy 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

The popular event attracts players from all aspects of Indy Racing, including drivers, team members, corporate sponsors and fans.

Proceeds from the charity golf tournament will benefit the Paediatric Diabetes Centre at Valley Children's Hospital (VCH) in Fresno, Calif. and the Brian's Wish Foundation, which raises funds for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) research.

"I watched my granddaughter struggle with diabetes, and I wanted to help other kids with the disease," said Casey, the Indy Racing League's technical director. "I really have a soft spot for kids."

Casey's granddaughter, Jennifer Burkhart, was treated at the Paediatric Diabetes Centre at VCH, and the facility has received half of the tournament proceeds since the event's inception. A second charity, chosen annually by a driver, receives the other half of the donated funds. Red Bull Cheever Racing driver Eddie Cheever Jr. has selected the Brian's Wish Foundation to receive funds from the 2002 tournament.

The Brian's Wish Foundation is named for Brian Hall, who passed away on May 23, 2002, after a five-year battle with ALS. Cheever and several other Indy Racing drivers met and visited with Hall, a diehard Indy Racing fan, at St. Vincent's Hospital in Indianapolis during the month of May. ALS is more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

"It is not very often that you come across people as special as Brian," said Cheever. "He was a gift in my life. He died from a horrible disease, but he showed a lot of courage. He put so much effort in trying to do something good and to help other people who have ALS. I am very grateful for every day I was able to spend with him."

Casey first organized a post-season golf tournament in 1990, following the CART race at Laguna Seca, Calif. Since then, the annual outing has raised a total of over $103,000. This year, organizers are hoping to surpass the $32,000 raised at the 2001 tournament, the highest one-day total.

"I really want to thank the racers over the years for supporting this event," said Casey. "The early years proved to be a struggle just to break even, but now with enthusiastic support from the racing community, we are starting to see great results."