RACING FOR A CAUSE
Fireball Run stops in Ballston Spa; Series helps find missing children
BALLSTON SPA >> Actress Jacqueline Seigel knows the pain of losing a child, which explains her role in Fireball Run, a fun adventure travel series with an extremely serious mission.
Forty driving teams are taking part in the online show’s eight-day, 2000-mile journey, raising awareness at each stop about the plight of missing children.
Seigel’s “Queen of Versailles” team, which includes “Clerks” actor Brian O’Halloran, was assigned to represent Stephanie Guerrero who hasn’t been seen since Sept. 5, 2005.
“She went missing one year before my daughter, Victoria, died on the exact same date,” Seigel said. “I took that as a sign from my daughter that I should go on with my life and help other parents who know the pain of losing a child.”
Hundreds of people gathered on Front Street Thursday afternoon to see teams cross the Day 6 finish line, which was streamed live on Amazon. The actual episode won’t be shown until next Sept. 1, online at Amazon Instant Video.
There’s a good chance local people who lined the streets will see themselves in background shots.
“It’s awesome,” said Diane Okonsky of Ballston Spa. “I like the whole concept.”
Vehicles range from a Ford Excursion diesel truck, driven by Kevin Brock of Georgia, to a British-made McLaren, worth several hundred thousand dollars, owned and operated by Ariane Dart. Her husband, Robert, is CEO of Dart Container Cup, maker of the well-known Solo Cup.
Teams are comprised of celebrities and business people who pay a more than $10,000 entry fee to join Fireball. Seigel’s husband, David, is a timeshare mogul and founder of Orlando, Fla.-based Westgate Resorts.
The Fireball concept is a spin-off of the popular Cannonball Run, a film starring Burt Reynolds, which saw cars race at high speeds across America.
For safety reasons, speed
is not Fireball’s main ingredient, even though most vehicles are high-end sports cars. In fact, teams that don’t respect speed limits are eliminated from the show.
Fireball is a timed event. Along the way, teams must also solve a series of challenges, in what amounts to a life-sized trivia game.
Thursday’s leg of the series started in Poughkeepsie.
When solving puzzles, along the way, participants get to see and touch historic artifacts that are generally off limits to the general public.
For example, O’Halloran went to Saratoga Springs History Museum where he was shown spectacles worn by President Abraham Lincoln. At the National Bottle Museum, in Ballston Spa, Brock identified two of the world’s rarest bottles.
The event resumes Friday when teams leave Clifton Park and concludes Saturday in Massachusetts.
Each year, the show goes to a different part of the country.
Ballston Spa and Clifton Park were chosen with help from the Southern Saratoga County Chamber. The show typically focuses on small towns.
“The is the part of America most people fly over and never see out of their window,” O’Halloran said.
Fireball creator and Executive Director Jay Sanchez sped around Front Street, tending to details, on a segway.
This is Fireball’s 10th season. Each team is responsible for distributing 10,000 missing children flyers during the eight-day journey. Since its inception, the series has helped find 47 children.
“It’s named for original NASCAR legend Fireball Roberts,” Sanchez said. “While cars are going cross-country it makes sense for the show to do something for children who go missing all across the country.”
For information go to: www.fireballrun.com.