CITGO/SAMAX honorary team captain

CITGO Racing by SAMAX will introduce a young team leader during the Rolex Sports Car Series race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Bailey Dull of Ashland, Ohio, age 4, will be the CITGO/SAMAX honorary team captain for the June 24 race. He and his mother, Trish Baxton, will carry the team's flag during pre-race ceremonies.

Dull will attend the race with members of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) of Northeast Ohio. He was diagnosed at 18 months with Duchenne muscular dystrophy – a genetic, degenerative disease that affects voluntary muscles. His mother noted the importance of the association's work:

"The MDA means so much to our family. They help fund research, which is very important, since there is no known cure for DMD. Every day of research brings us that much closer to a cure/treatment. They also help with medical finances, as well as medical equipment. The medical equipment, to name a few, needed for DMD [includes] leg braces, wheelchairs and ventilators. The MDA is our lifeline."

The No. 11 CITGO/SAMAX Pontiac-powered Riley Mk XI driven by Olivier Beretta of Monaco and Milka Duno of Caracas, Venezuela, will carry the MDA logo during the Mid-Ohio race. CITGO has been an MDA sponsor since 1985 and is the association's biggest corporate contributor in the United States. The company's marketers, employees and business associates have raised more than $74 million to fund muscular dystrophy research.

MDA of Northeast Ohio serves families who are affected by 43 neuromuscular diseases. The association's services include a muscular clinic, diagnostic testing, assistance with purchase and repair of durable medical equipment and monthly support groups. MDA also holds a week-long summer camp for children age 6 to 21.