Anita Bevins
- Sports writer - Hometown
News - Volusia Edition
When
Father Lopez Catholic High School graduate
Tony Renna went out into the world to make
his mark, he took the fast track to success.
The 26-year-old put his two decades of
racecar driving experience to work for him
and accelerated through the ranks to land a
plum driving spot with the powerful racing
team of Target Chip Ganassi.
The announcement came on
Oct. 1, 2003. Exactly three weeks later, the
race team made another announcement. Renna
had perished in a test driving accident at
the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
In 2004, as a tribute to
Renna, his alma mater renamed its second
annual golf tournament fundraiser the Tony
Renna Memorial Golf Tournament.
"It's an extreme honor to
have our son recognized in such a way that
people will always think of Tony and
remember him for not only the great racecar
driver he was, but the wonderful human being
he was," his mother, Mary Renna, said. "We
are very honored, and hope that Tony's life
and his values can be an inspiration to
other human being.
Each year, Father Lopez
awards a student the Tony Renna Scholarship.
"At Father Lopez, they
talk about Tony's qualities and his passion
and his stick-to-itiveness in pursuing his
dream. At the same time, he had high ethics
and a great sense of humor and was a great
friend. It is wonderful to know that those
traits can be impressed upon other young
people through Tony's name and Tony's
memory."
The Indy Race League has
done its part to keep Renna's memory, and to
keep the tournament on track.
"The tournament is top
notch," Father Lopez athletic director Quin
Booth said. "Our big title sponsor is Target
Chip Ganassi Racing. We also have Andretti
Racing sponsoring the 7th tee and the 11th
green. The Indy Racing League also came in
as the driving range sponsor. So we are
still getting a good pull from his racing
community."
Sunday morning, a full
field of 144 golfers will tee off at the
Pelican Bay Country Club North Course in a
9:45 a.m. shotgun start. In addition to the
main event, the tournament includes a sand
shot contest, a putting contest and a
viewing party for the final round of The
Master's Golf Tournament.
Proceeds from the
tournament benefit Father Lopez Catholic
High School, the Tony Renna Scholarship Fund
at Father Lopez and the Tony Renna Memorial
Foundation.
bevins@hometownnewsol.com