The Dirt Racing Outreach plans a raffle and other fund-raisers to replenish the Chris Francis Memorial Drivers and Crewman’s Benevolence Fund that provides money to drivers and crew members injured in Dirt Late Model competition.

Raffles at Portsmouth (Ohio) Raceway Park's 36th annual Rhine AG Dirt Track World Championship presented by Optima Oct. 13-15 will offer prizes including the quarterpanel from Steve Francis’s 2016 World 100 car; two Bell helmets autographed by DTWC drivers; a Hooker Harness bundle with seat belts and T-shirts; and a DirtonDirt.com package including a one-year subscription and apparel.

Raffle tickets can be purchased at DRO’s booth on vendors’ row at Portsmouth, where the anyone making at least a $10 donation will receive a set of vintage 50-car set of Dirt Trax Race Cards from 2001.

The memorial fund, originally set up after the 2001 death of Steve Francis’s brother and crew chief Chris, has been depleted by several incidents this season with the fund assisting Illinois driver Brian Shirley along with the families of late Ohio drivers Shane Unger and Charlie Floyd and others.

“We try to concentrate on drivers who do it for a living who don’t have another income to fall back on,” said DRO’s Russ Ward, who said the fund hasn’t made a push to raise funds since its inception. “It’s really a behind-the-scenes thing, but this year we’ve really taken a hit.”

The race cards, which were sold last weekend at Dixie and Rome, will also be available Oct. 7-8 at Pittsburgh's Pennsylvania Motor Speedway’s Pittsburgher for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. For more information on the raffle and fundraisers, visit facebook.com/dirtracingoutreach. To order the race cars, call (865) 922-3390.

Correction: Fixes vintage of quarterpanel of Steve Francis car.